Saltine Crackers

For Christmas, we were given brie and gouda cheese as a gift. It was decided that these mouth-watering cheeses that we cannot easily find in Tanzania would be saved for New Year’s Eve. Tanzania offers a different variety of cracker. They call it “biskuti” and is a copycat of British biscuits. In the past, for no reason than a lack of cracker, we tried combining cheese and biskuti. It’s not a good combination. The biskuti are too sweet and often sold stale. New Year’s Eve is a special evening. I decided that I am going to bake a saltine cracker for these delicious cheeses. The Peace Corps cookbook provides a saltine recipe, however, it calls for cream of tartar, an ingredient I will never find near me. I googled a substitute for cream of tartar and received varying responses. Some state there is no substitute. Others state that you can use lemon or lime juice with baking soda. In the end, I decided to just find a new recipe. I found one off cooks.com and it was exactly as I had hoped it would be.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Step 1: Combine all dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda)

Step 2: Cut in butter, then stir in milk

Step 3: Round into a ball and knead for a few strokes

Step 4: Divide dough into several pieces and roll out very thin on a floured board. Take care to use just enough flour as necessary to prevent your crackers from being too floury after baking.

Step 5: Lay sheets on ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with salt and prick with a fork. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.

Step 6: Bake at 375 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Variations: On my last batch, I put a few pinches of rosemary and thyme in addition to the salt before baking. The result was delicious! I will definitely do more rosemary and thyme variations when I do these next!

What other spice combinations do you think would make these crackers extra tasty?