Sesame and Caraway Crackers

There is something really satisfying about knowing how to make items that you'd normally not think twice about buying at the supermarket. You might scoff at the idea of making your own crackers, but it is easier than you might expect (not to mention economical and tasty). My cracker recipe was inspired by a Nigella Lawson recipe for 'Hot Discs', which are a slightly puffed up tortilla chip/poppadom hybrid. They are yum and great for dipping, but I now prefer to make them as crackers (just prick them with forks before baking to prevent any trapped air from puffing them up. I also changed the seasoning because the original didn't have enough zing for my liking, and I added some seeds to give them more substance. Feel free to mix and match your own seasoning, perhaps you could come up with your own favourite combination.

Ingredients:

250g plain flour
1 heaped tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
3/4 tsp sesame seeds
25g cold unsalted butter, diced
100ml hot milk

Method:

Add the flour, salt, spices and seeds to a bowl. Rub in the butter (like you would when making pastry).

Gradually stir in the hot milk. Lightly kneed the dough.

Cut the dough in half and roll it out quite thinly, just a few millimetres thick.

Use a 5cm round cookie cutter and stamp out as many rounds as you can. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Prick tops with a fork.

Bake them for approx 5 minutes at 220 Celsius, however, keep an eye on them during baking as your baking time may vary. They will be done when they start to get a slight brown tinge.

Remove them to cool on a wire rack.

Repeat process with the rest of the dough.

Makes 60-70