I’ve made crackers a number of times and while they don’t take as long to make as you’d think (about an hour), they do involve rolling and cutting, so they have to be pretty good for me to want to take the time to make them. These whole wheat Sriracha cheese crackers definitely makes my short-list of crackers that are worth it.
(The other worth-it cracker? Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers – crispy, tasting a bit like wheat-thins, but with a whole extra level of flavor delivered by the sourdough. Plus it’s a quick way – in the sourdough world, an hour is lightening-fast – to use up extra starter.)
And oh my, are these cheesy, slightly spicy crackers yummy! They also make an easy appetizer when spread with a bit of cream cheese and Spicy Rhubarb Chutney. So far my whole family has raved about them, eating the whole batch quickly and asking for more. I, um, ate my fair share, too – they’re a little bit addictive! Plus everybody is like, “you made crackers?” So you get major Martha points, too.
Trust me, these are really that good. If you’ve never tried your hand at crackers before, you’ll want to start now – like, right now. I hope you have some Sriracha and cheddar in the house!
- 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
- ¾ tsp. sea salt
- 4 Tb. cold butter, cut into pieces
- 1 c. grated cheddar cheese (though I think Parmesan would be tasty, too)
- 1 to 1-1/2 tsp. Sriracha (aka, "rooster sauce") (start with 1 and if you'd like more spice, increase with the next batch)
- 3 Tb. cold water
- coarse salt and oil for topping (optional)
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, salt, and butter pieces. Pulse until the butter is incorporated and no large bits remain. Add the cheese and process a to combine.
- Add the Sriracha and water and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Remove dough to a piece of wax paper, flatten a bit and wrap with the paper. Refrigerate for about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly flour a cutting board and roll half the dough out to an even ⅛-inch thickness (keeping the other half covered in the wax paper). Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares, triangles, or rectangles - I never worry too much about uniform shape.
- Spray the tops with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with pinches of coarse salt (I used kosher) before transferring the crackers to a parchment or silicone-lined cookie sheet. Leave just a bit of space between each - they don't spread, but shouldn't touch.
- Adding oil and salt to the tops is optional - but they taste better if you do.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes (mine only took 10), rotating halfway for more even cooking if needed. The crackers should be mostly golden brown, but there will be variety - some more brown than others. If you cared, you could remove the darkest ones and continue cooking the others, but I don't bother - just another sign that they are homemade and imperfect! The lighter ones will still be crunchy, though they might have some chew to them as well.
- Repeat with the other half of dough, rolling and cutting while the first batch is baking. Cool the crackers completely on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. I'm sure they'd last a week somewhere and still be crunchy, but not in our house!
Adapted from leitesculinaria.com
Hi Jami,
Just wanted to let you know that we still use this recipe for our house standard cheesy crackers every couple weeks! We don’t always do the sriracha–sometimes we play around with other spices and herbs–but we always love the results. Thanks!
Oh, Jon, I LOVE reading this – thanks for letting me know how much you are enjoying the crackers!
I’ve made these several times now, they are SO good, if you haven’t made them yet do yourself a favor and just make a double batch right off the bat, trust me! And may I suggest brushing or spraying with olive oil and sprinkling with salt BEFORE you cut them? Also, I left the salt out of the dough, finding the cheddar and salt sprinkled on top to be plenty.
Thank you for posting this recipe!
Yeah! These don’t last very long when I make them here, so my family agrees with you, Lisa. 🙂
These crackers are fantastic!! We ate them all the day they were made!! And you are right about the past machine, tried it before I read your response and it tore up the dough!
So glad you liked them, Shauna!!
When I try these, I’m going to spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt BEFORE I cut them! Bam!
We had these for dinner tonight with one of your soup recipes. They are wonderful. Thanks.
Yeah, Brenda! Aren’t they something? It’s like I never thought I’d bother making crackers and then I tried it and they’re SO good, now it’s why wouldn’t I make crackers, ha! Glad you enjoyed the soup, too. 😉
ok, Jamie I’m going to give these a shot. I’ve always thought about making my own crackers, but it looked like a lot of work. But it actually doesn’t look too bad. Well See!
Great, Jenelle! You’re right, they aren’t a lot of work, but they do take some time – worth it, I think you’ll see!
Just stumbled upon this recipe and had to try it. They are so great!!
I wonder if you could us a pasta machine – hand cranked – to roll out the dough? I am awful at rolling with a rolling pin!
I don’t know, Kellie. I think this dough might be too delicate, but that’s just my impression. You can always try. 🙂
i’ve done that with other cracker dough and it works wonderfully
Wow, this sounds very good, i will give it my attention very soon…have a vacation to go to.
Thank you for sharing Jami. C.N.
P.S. where do you find such recipes??? 🙂