Gluten-Free Cheese Crackers
I've said before that my criterion for a successful gluten-free product how good it tastes; if it's nasty, I just don't want to eat it. Thus far in my experimentation and explorations, that means I've found no wheat-free breads, pancakes, and similar recipes that pass my test. However, I did find a cheese cracker recipe that's based on rice flour. It produces delicious crackers; in fact, they're so tasty that I have to hide them from my children so that others can have a chance to enjoy them!
The recipe I offer below is a modification of a modification of a recipe that the first tweaker found in a book of cracker recipes (which I've been unable to find -- and now that I've lost my bookmarks, probably won't find). I've added several suggestions to the version I found.
Making these crackers are quite like making good pie crust; the dough is somewhat difficult to work with, because it walks a narrow moisture tightrope. Too much liquid and the crackers will be heavy and sodden rather than light and crisp; too little and the dough won't hold together, and will bake into hard little bits. However, unlike pie crust, you don't need to worry about gluten formation in these crackers, so relax and pay attention to the feel of the dough as you mix it and roll it. That will help you learn the proper amount of moisture in the dough to get the nicely-crisp crackers we're after.
Use the best quality cheese you can find, as it makes all the difference in the taste of the final product. I buy a brick of cheese, and grate it just before using it; pre-grated cheeses have less flavor (and moisture). Temperature and humidity affect this recipe, so be prepared to adjust ingredients for current weather conditions when you make it. The yield is about 6 dozen crackers.
Ingredients
2 C fine rice flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (more or less, to taste)
1 tsp. finely ground mustard seed
6 tbsp. (3/4 C) butter, cut into small pieces, and softened
12 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp. water
Additional salt to top the crackers (optional)
In a food processor or large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, cayenne pepper, and ground mustard. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Mix in the cheese, and blend until the cheese is evenly coated.
In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks and the water. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and blend to form a dough that will hold together in a cohesive ball. Add more flour if needed to make a workable dough; it should be mostly cohesive but somewhat crumbly. Divide dough into two equal portions and flatten into discs about inches thick; wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for about one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
On a lightly-floured surface or pastry cloth, roll out a dough disc into a circle approximately 1/2 inch thick. The dough will be somewhat crumbly; just do your best to keep sticking it together. Cut the dough circle into four equal segments. Without rotating each segment to align the cut and non-cut sides, stack the segments atop each other. Press the dough segments gently together, and re-flouring if necessary, roll the dough out again. Repeat the cutting, lifting, and rolling two more times. (It's this repeated stacking and rolling that gives the cracker its flaky, crisp layers.)
The last time you roll the dough, roll it to about 1/8-inch thickness. If desired, sprinkle top lightly with salt; press lightly into dough with rolling pin. Cut the dough into 1-inch squares; place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Prick each square once or twice with the tines of a fork.
Bake the crackers for about 8-10 minutes. If any crackers are browned through, remove them to a cooling rack. Turn the rest and bake an additional 5-8 minutes, or until medium to medium-dark brown. Cool on a rack; then store in an airtight container. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and baking for the second dough disc.
Notes: This recipe is highly flexible, as long as the cheese you use is not too wet (brie or other soft cheeses) or too dry (parmesan or romano, for example). Knowing how the dough should feel will help you gauge the likely success of your own experiments. A bit of salt helps boost the flavor of the crackers, but it can be reduced in the recipe, and omitted from the tops, without problems. Similarly, the cayenne pepper enhances the tang of the cheddar cheese, so I don't recommend omitting it altogether. To make these crackers a perfect accompaniment to a bowl of chili, omit the mustard powder, adjust the cayenne pepper to your taste, and add chili powder (or various components of chili powder, such as ground cumin seed, pepper, etc.).
First Variation -- Feta cheese crackers: Omit cayenne pepper and mustard powder. Substitute 12 oz. best-quality feta cheese, freshly crumbled fairly finely, for the cheddar. If desired, omit the salt and substitute some of the cheese's liquid (whey) for the salt and water. Dried, crumbled oregano or basil are excellent additions (start with about 1/4 tsp. and adjust to your taste). For a more Greek-style cracker, substitute lemon juice for the water (or a mix of the two), and add 1/4 tsp. dried, crumbled oregano and 1/4 tsp. black pepper to the dough.
Second Variation -- Mozzarella crackers: Omit cayenne pepper and mustard powder. Substitute 12 oz. freshly shredded mozzarella cheese for the cheddar. You can substitute up to around 1/2 C of parmesan and/or romano cheese for 1/2 C of the rice flour, if desired. Dried, crumbled thyme, oregano, and basil make excellent additions to this cracker. In fact, I once used this as an acceptable wheat-free pizza crust for a friend. I accomplished that by skipping the steps of dividing and repeatedly rolling out the dough. Instead, I rolled it into a "crust" of about 1/4-inch thickness, and prebaked it for about 15-20 minutes prior to topping it and baking the pizza. A good-flavored provolone cheese would be an excellent choice for a wheat-free pizza crust experiment as well.
http://www.sunnimaravillosa.com/pood/cheesecrackers.html