High-tech Crackers

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

You will need a food processor, several 10- by 14-inch baking sheets
or pizza pans, a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, and a clean spray
bottle. Place the flour and salt in a food processor and process for
10 seconds to mix thoroughly. With the motor running, add the water  in
a steady stream, then process for 10 seconds longer. The dough  should
have formed into one large ball; if not, feel the dough: If it  feels
very sticky, add 3 to 4 tablespoons more flour and process  briefly
until a ball forms. If the dough feels dry and floury, start  the
processor again, add 2 to 3 tabespoons more water, and process  until a
ball of dough forms. Once you have a ball of dough, process  for 1
minute more, no longer. Turn the dough out onto a lightly  floured
surface and knead for 30 seconds or so. Cover with plastic  wrap and
let rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees,  and place
two racks near the center of the oven. Divide the dough  into 8 pieces.
Work with one piece at a time, leaving the other  pieces covered. On a
lightly floured surface, with lightly floured  hands, flatten a piece
of dough with your palms. Then roll it out to  a very thin rectangle or
round, as even a thinness as possible to  ensure even cooking. Gently
lift the dough from your rollling surface  and place it on a large
baking sheet or pizza pan. Sprinkle on one of  the optional toppings or
leave plain. Using a knife or a pizza  cutter, cut through the dough to
make rectangular crackers. (Don't  worry if they are not all exactly
the same size. Variations in size  and flavor will make your crackers
interesting.) Spray the dough  lightly with water and place on the
upper oven rack. Begin rolling  out the next piece of dough, keeping an
eye on the crackers already  baking. (Crackers brown from underneath.)
Check on them 2 1/2 to 3  minutes after they go in. As soon as the
thinnest patches of the  dough have started to brown, take them out. If
necessary, continue  baking, checking every 30 seconds, but it is
better to take the  crackers out a little early than too late. You will
soon get a feel  for timing and degree of doneness. Variables that
affect timing are  the heat of your oven and how thin you managed to
roll out your  dough. When they come out of the oven, some of the
crackers will be  crisp, while others will need a little time in the
air to crisp up.  Transfer to a large bowl, breaking up any
incompletely separated  crackers. Roll out the remaining dough, season,
and bake. When  completely cool, crackers can be stored in a well-
sealed plastic bag  or cookie tins for up to a month. Yield:
Approximately 13 dozen very  thin crackers of varying size, averaging 1
1/2 by 2 1/2 inches Recipe  By : BAKERS' DOZEN (ALFORD AND DUGUID)SHOW
#BD1A30  Posted to EAT-L Digest  5 November 96  Date:    Wed, 6 Nov
1996 20:34:05 -0600  From:    Jackie Bordelon <jbord@PREMIER.NET>

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