My journey that led me to this recipe began back in 2015, following a visit to Ottolenghi in Soho. Sheets of these crackers were being sold, dressed with caramel, hazelnut & chocolate, (which is a recipe for another day) and I puzzled over the nature of the base for a long while. It was only recently, in conversation with pastry chef & Ottolenghi author Helen Goh, that I discovered the cracker base was made from a matzo recipe.

Living rurally, a trip to the shops to source specific crackers isn’t always the quick option. So imagine my joy to discover the simplicity of ingredients and yet another use for my pasta roller.

Not only are these crackers a tasty accompaniment for lunch, they will also make a great centre piece to place upon your table.  

You’ll need a pasta roller & bake stone - although a lined baking sheet will do just fine.

Makes approx 16 large crackers

Source

270g plain flour

1 tsp of salt

15g olive oil

120g warm water

Action

Combine the flour, salt and oil with 90g of the water in a large bowl. Using your hand like a ‘claw’ roughly bring the dough together. It will be very dry. Add the remaining water and work into a smooth dough. Avoid the temptation to add additional water as you don’t want the dough to be sticky.

Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for at least 20 minutes.

When you’re ready to roll, divide the dough into four equal sized pieces. Keeping the remaining three pieces covered, pass the dough through a pasta roller to get it as thin as you can. I’ve made a video on IGTV to show a good technique for this.

Work in batches, roll & bake a piece of dough at a time.

To bake, place your bake stone in the oven before you switch on the heat. Bring up to 180c temperature and bake the crackers directly on the stone. They take just a couple of minutes each side. Alternatively, a lined bake sheet will do just fine.

Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.