O-N-E-L-E-S-S

Last week I eagerly scoured the New York Times' dining and wine selection in search of Mark Bittman's column--the minimalist. And it was one of the few weeks in recent history when I was actually happy with what I found: crackers.


That night my sexy husband was gone for the evening, so I got to enjoy a food network marathon. And what do you know? Alton Brown's show (Good Eats) that evening was all about making your own crackers...how they're incredibly easy, but no one thinks to make them...how they're incredibly cheap, but no one thinks to make them.


That night I vowed to be one less. O-N-E-L-E-S-S. One less person who forgets that at some point in history, people used to make crackers at home.


Bittman's crackers were buttery and cheesy and decadent. Alton Brown made three varieties including graham crackers. I wanted to start with the most basic.


I got this recipe from Bittman's "How to Cook Everything." It's most similar to a water-cracker. It tastes like crispy dough. One batch makes a one pan (equivalent to about one box of water crackers). I'm pretty sure the ingredients cost less than a quarter. Bittman says that it will take about 15 min to make these. I'm not great at rolling stuff out, so they probably took me 10-15 min to prepare...then 10 min to cook.


1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp butter

About 1/4 c water, plus more as needed.


Place flour, salt, and butter in food processor. Pulse until combined. Stream in water until the mixture forms a ball but is not sticky. (Of course, you could easily do this by hand.)

Roll out 1/8 thick. Score with knife. Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 min.

Cool.


Bittman claims that after batch number one, I'll have no problem figuring out how to create all of my favorite crackers. I could sprinkle them with salt or sesame seeds, or poppy seeds. I could work a tiny bit of garlic or herbs into the dough. I could substitute whole wheat or rye flour for some or all of the white flour. He's probably right. The problem is, my sexy husband loved them so much just the way they were. :)

You really have to try this (not that I would presume to tell you what to do).


And check it out! My new oven window is so beautiful and clean, that I could tell when the cracker's started browning without even opening the door. Ah...