Seeded Crackers

Directions

1. 1
   Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 450F.
2. 2
   Make the topping:.
3. 3
   In a small bowl, stir the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and fennel or caraway seeds.
4. 4
   Fill another small bowl with water and set it aside along with a pastry brush and the kosher salt.
5. 5
   Make the dough:.
6. 6
   In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, and table salt.
7. 7
   Add the olive oil and 1/2 cup water to the flour; stir with a rubber spatula until it collects into a soft, crumbly ball of dough.
8. 8
   Use the spatula or your hands to press the dough against the sides of the bowl to gather all the stray flour.
9. 9
   Set the dough on a lightly floured work surface and portion it into thirds.
10. 10
    Pat each portion into a square.
11. 11
    Set two squares aside and cover with a clean towel.
12. 12
    Roll the remaining dough into a rectangle about 1/16 inch thick and 7 or 8 inches wide by 14 or 15 inches long.
13. 13
    Whenever you feel resistance, lift up one edge of the dough and sprinkle more flour underneath before you continue rolling.
14. 14
    With a pastry brush, brush the dough lightly with water and sprinkle about a third of the seed mix evenly over the surface.
15. 15
    Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoons of the kosher salt.
16. 16
    With a dough scraper, pizza cutter, ravioli cutter, or sharp knife, cut the dough in half lengthwise and then cut across to make rectangles roughly 2 by 4 inches.
17. 17
    Dont bother trimming the edges; rustic edges add character.
18. 18
    Transfer to an unlined baking sheet.
19. 19
    Bake until nicely browned, about 10 minutes.
20. 20
    Let cool on a wire rack.
21. 21
    While each batch is baking, clean your work surface as needed and repeat the rolling and cutting with the remaining portions of dough.
22. 22
    Store the cooled crackers in a zip-top plastic bag.
23. 23
    Theyll keep for up to a week.
24. 24
    Variations.
25. 25
    Rosemary & Sea Salt Crackers: Add 2 Tbs.
26. 26
    chopped fresh rosemary to the dry ingredients in the dough.
27. 27
    Skip the seed topping and instead sprinkle each batch of crackers with 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt.