Tuesday 27 May 2014

Cheese and Herb Crackers

175g/6oz plain flour
0.75 tsp salt
0.75 tsp English mustard powder
75g/3oz unsalted cold butter, cubed
fresh herbs of your choice, chopped finely
17g/6oz mature Cheddar, grated
2 large eggs, beaten
mixed seeds or smoked paprika - optional for sprinkling

1.  Preheat oven to 170'C fan.  Grease or line two baking trays.
2.  Sieve together flour, salt and mustard powder in a large bowl.
3.  Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4.  Add herbs and cheese.  I used 6 sage leaves and a small bunch of chives from my patio pots.
5.  Add enough of the eggs to form a soft dough.  I used approximately 1.5 of the eggs.
6.  Shape dough into a flattened round and wrap in clingfilm.  Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
7.  Remove dough from fridge and allow it to rest for a few minutes to soften slightly.
8.  Roll out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of approximately 3mm.
9.  Using a 5cm round biscuit cutter, cut out crackers and place on baking tray.
10.  Brush with remainder of egg and decorate if desired.  I put seeds on half of mine.
 11.  Bake for approximately 12 minutes, turning trays halfway through cooking, until golden and crisp.
 12.  Cool on wire racks.
Makes approximately 50 crackers.
 Great served with yet more cheese or as beer/wine snacks!