Cheesy crisps

I'm a huge Alton Brown fan. HUGE.

I don't know if anyone else watches Good Eats on the Food Network but it has changed my views on cooking. Alton Brown teaches the science behind what you are cooking, the tools you are using and the reasons why you use certain ingredients along with the recipe. Every show I learn so much, even if a particular show is about cooking a type of food I would never make.

When I saw an episode about making crackers, I knew I had to give the whole make your own crackers thing a try. We eat crackers like there is no tomorrow at our house. I found this recipe to be much less crumbly (less mess!) and softer than regular crackers (but still a little crispy).

Alton Brown's version is called seedy crisps. The recipe for that can be found here. I have made his version before but I wanted to make a cheese version instead. It's more kid friendly and less expensive than seedy crisps.

So here it is. My version of seedy crisps I call cheesy crisps.

1/2 C Whole wheat flour
1/2 C All-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
2/3 C Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Aluminum-free baking powder (be sure to use the aluminum-free kind!)
3 Tbsp Olive or canola oil
3/4 C Water

In a medium bowl wisk together both flours, cheese, salt, and baking powder. I used my Kitchen-Aid mixer. I love this thing.

Add the oil and stir until combined. Add water and mix to create a dough. The amount of water you add can be tricky. If you add too much the dough doesn't stick together well. If this happens just add more flour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a few times.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and cover with a tea towel. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

During this time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. My oven takes 10 minutes to heat to this temperature.

Roll 1 piece of the dough out on a lightly floured surface to desired thickness. I usually roll mine out as thin as I can before it starts to get holes in it.

Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. The parchment paper makes the dough really easy to move once the dough is cooked.

If you can fit another piece of dough on the baking sheet, go for it. The baking sheet I used was too small for two pieces. At this point you can also make perforations in the dough if you want the crackers to be a certain shape. Just lightly trace whatever shapes you want in the dough with a knife or cookie cutter. I didn't bother because my kids are too young to care.

Cook for 4 minutes on the middle rack.

Flip the dough over and cook on the other side for 1-4 minutes depending on the thickness of your dough. You want it to be golden brown in color.

Place the crackers on a cooking rack. When they are cool, break into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Repeat until all your dough is cooked.

My two year old and ten month old both love these. They are softer than regular crackers and easy to eat.

And I love that they make so much less mess than regular crackers.