This recipe makes a home-baked cracker similar to the famous, wonderfully buttery tasting Ritz brand crackers. Recipe tester Pamela Schmidt, who worked long and hard on this one, determined that a little garlic powder in the dough made these taste even more like Ritz crackers. I don’t know if Ritz actually puts garlic powder in their version, but it does add a nice flavor, so I’m going with Pamela on this one.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 pans of crackers

　　1 1/4 cups (5.5 oz / 156 g) all-purpose flour

　　1 cup (4.5 oz / 128 g) cake flour

　　1 teaspoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) salt, or 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

　　1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) sugar

　　3/4 teaspoon (0.18 oz / 5.25 g) baking powder

　　1/2 teaspoon (0.13 oz / 3.5 g) garlic powder

　　10 tablespoons (5 oz / 142 g) melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil, plus 4 tablespoons (2 oz / 57 g) melted unsalted butter for garnishing (optional)

　　1 egg (1.75 oz / 50 g)

　　6 tablespoons (3 oz / 85 g) cold milk (any kind)

　　Egg wash (see page 135)

　　

Do ahead

Step 1

Combine all of the ingredients, except the optional butter for garnishing and the egg wash, in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, mix with the paddle attachment on low speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large, sturdy spoon and mix for 1 minute. The dough should form a firm ball and shouldn’t be sticky. Stir in flour or water as needed to adjust the texture.

　　

Step 2

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 30 seconds to be sure all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and that the dough holds together. It should be slightly tacky but not sticky.

　　

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C), or 350°F (175°C) for a convection oven, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. You don’t need to oil the paper or liner.

　　

Step 4

Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on the floured work surface, frequently lifting the dough with a metal pastry scraper or bowl scraper to be sure it isn’t sticking and dusting with more flour underneath if need be. You can also flip the dough over and continue rolling with the bottom side up. The goal is to roll it to about 1/8 inch in thickness. Use a fork or dough docker (a roller device with studs) and poke holes all over the surface of the dough. Brush the surface of the dough with an even coating of the egg wash and sprinkle with fine salt.

　　

Finishing the dough and baking

Step 5

Use a small biscuit cutter (a crimped cutter is preferred but not required) dipped in flour to make round crackers. Place the crackers about 1/2 inch apart on one of the prepared pans. Gather any scrap dough and repeat the rolling out, egg wash, and garnishing process until all the dough is formed into crackers. (You can also cut the dough with a pizza cutter into rectangles or diamonds, if you prefer.)

　　

Step 6

If making more than one pan of crackers, you can bake them all at once. Place the pans on different shelves and bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pans and bake for another 8 to 12 minutes, or until the crackers are firm and lightly golden. Remove the pans from the oven and brush the hot crackers with the melted butter, if garnishing. Immediately, turn off the oven, then return the pans to the hot oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and let the crackers cool on the pan. The crackers are done when they have a rich golden brown color and are fairly dry and crisp. If they don’t snap cleanly after they cool, return the pan to a hot oven for a few more minutes until they dry sufficiently to snap when broken.

　　"Reprinted with permission from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day: Fast and Easy Recipes for World-Class Breads by Peter Reinhart, copyright © 2009. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc." Photo credit: Leo Gong © 2009Peter Reinhart is a baking instructor and faculty member at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was the cofounder of Brother Juniper's Bakery in Santa Rosa, California, and is the author of seven books on bread baking, including Crust and Crumb, the 2002 James Beard Cookbook of the Year and IACP Cookbook of the Year, The Bread Baker's Apprentice, and the 2008 James Beard Award-winning Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads.