Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Crackers

One of my favorite snacks to make is crackers. The first time I made crackers I got hooked. It was so easy and way tastier then the store bought ones. Plus I could make the flavors that I wanted and didn't have to hunt for the ones that are only close to what I like. Another great reason I make my own crackers is because I know what goes into them, I don't have to worry about unwanted ingredients that are bad for us or ones that I can't pronounce.

Today I decided that I needed to use some of the basil that has been growing like a wild child in my garden, before the snow hits this week. Mix that with my all-time favorite sun-dried tomatoes (that I dried from our garden tomatoes) and we have a Home Run!

You will notice that I use 2 different flours. The unbleached is for the "sturdiness" of the cracker, and the brown rice flour is for the "crispiness" of the cracker. I found that when I make crackers, brown rice flour really adds a lot of the cracker-like qualities that I enjoy in homemade crackers. I have tried whole wheat flour and I have found that it makes the cracker a little too tough - for my taste.

One more important tidbit I want to point out is that you want to make sure that you chop your sun-dried tomatoes really small. The bigger they are, the bigger the chance they will stick out on the top of the dough and get burnt. I learned that one the hard way. Burnt sun-dried tomatoes are really gross and yucky, so you have now been warned - LOL. Happy Baking! Would love to know if you make these and how you like them.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 Tbsp garlic salt
1/3 cup minced dry sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup minced fresh basil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup olive oil
1 cup water
Kosher salt for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together flours, garlic salt, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and basil. Slowly add olive oil and water and stir until just combined. Do not overwork the dough.
3. Line a 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide cracker dough into 3 equal parts. Starting with the first ball of dough, transfer it to a baking sheet and roll out dough to about an 1/8" in thickness. Use a knife to score the dough into rectangles. Prick each individual cracker with a fork a few times and sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat process with the other 2 balls of dough.
   
4. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until crisp and just beginning to brown. Baking time depends on thickness of crackers, so be sure to keep an eye on them.
5. Allow to cool completely and then break sheet into individual crackers. Store in an airtight container.
6. Spread some cream cheese or your choice of topping and enjoy. These are also great, just by themselves. Careful though...these are very addicting!