Baked Cheese Crackers that too with Wheat Flour...

Warning: These cheese crackers are highly addictive. Please try these at your own risk, because no matter how much you make, they have a tendency to disappear.

Yes, I mean it. So, if making for guests or for taking with you while travelling, I suggest that you make when kids are not around.

Here comes another treat for kids, none other than Cheese Crackers and that too with a healthy twist. Chocolates, cheese, muffins, crackers are some goodies which are liked by all children. You offer them any of these and see the smile on their faces.

For Blogging Marathon, while thinking of food for kids travels theme, I knew I had to include these. As Ragi Chocolate Muffins was my first choice, something cheesy followed next. But what cheesy? And then I decided on Cheesy crackers.

This recipe of Cheese crackers is totally different and is a result of my own experiment. So please, do share your feedback.

My children are fond of Cheese toast so taking inspiration from that recipe only I gave these crackers a try. Though somewhere I was confident that these would come out good but still until you have it in front of you the apprehensions prevail. So, keeping my fingers crossed, I started my experiment. Everything was going as expected, smooth cheese mix, supple dough, rolling it out thinly, cutting diamond shapes, preheated oven, putting these to bake in the preheated oven, cheese crackers puffing up beautifully in the oven and then...

Then, you know what, as the aroma of cheesy crackers sniffed into my nostrils, there appeared to be a Time machine like you must have seen in many movies, Jumaan Ji to name one. I was transported in the memory lanes of my childhood. The lanes where I used to go with my granny, Late Smt Kuntel Kumari and would buy bags of Cheeselings. Yes, I was, rather even till today, very fond of Cheeselings.

Though to be honest, these are not that bakery-style cheese lings, but still, something was the same.

The difference is mainly because of the flour, I think. As I have used whole wheat flour and then these are homemade, hand-cut and baked. So, you cant expect them to be like the machine cut ones but forget that part, and you have very healthy, very delicious, guilt-free cheese crackers.

Easy Recipe

This recipe of mine is a very simple recipe with very few ingredients. Only 3 ingredients, flour, cheese and milk, that's it. In addition, you have flavourings, which are completely optional. Besides this, no oil or butter, no leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda is used. As there is no oil, I was sceptical, whether it would be crunchy or not, but all fears faded away slowly. They were perfectly crunchy. A few hours later, my son Siddharth, at the gate only announced that he could smell that something had been baked/cooked.

Since making it so small may be a tedious task especially if making in large quantity therefore you can make these slightly big also. The big ones are also equally crunchy.

 

Step By Step Recipe

• Take processed cheese and milk in the grinder and make a fine paste.

 

• Take whole wheat flour, semolina, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and chilli flakes in a big bowl.

 

• Whisk everything nicely.
• Add the cheese mix into this flour mix and gather into a dough. Just gather without kneading it. If need be, add little milk. But make a soft dough. Soft, because, semolina will swell and the dough will get stiff.

 

• Cover the dough and leave it covered for 15 to 20 minutes. You can leave it longer also, say for an hour or so.
• Divide the dough into 2 or 3 parts.

• Start preheating the oven. Preheat it at 180 degrees for 15 minutes. Do not heat the baking tray. Line the baking tray with parchment paper.
• Keeping the dough between plastic sheets, roll it thinly. Do not make it too thin otherwise they do not puff up.
  Trim the edges and make cuts using a knife or pizza cutter.

 

• Keep these strips in the baking tray and start baking. As they do not spread while baking you can keep them close to each other also. These crackers do not spread rather they puff up.
• For the initial 10 minutes bake at 180 degrees and thereafter reduce the temperature to 170 degrees.
• Also, at this time, flip the crackers. As by now, the bottom gets golden brown whereas the top remains white only. So, for better taste and looks, flip it.

 

• Another 2 to 3 minutes and they are ready. Take out and let them cool down on a wire rack. As these are quite small in size, I used a wire mesh instead of wire rack.

 

• When completely cool, fill in an airtight container.

 

Baking in Air Fryer

1. To bake in the air fryer, preheat it at 180 degrees for 5 minutes.
2. Place the strips/crackers in the air fryer basket. Reduce the temperature to 160 degrees and bake for 7 to 8 minutes till golden brown.
3. When baking in an air fryer, keep the crackers slightly big and thick otherwise they tend to curl because of the rapid gush of air inside it.

 

Baking on Gas Stove

• You can bake these in a pan also. For details regarding this, check here.

Related Recipes

• Multigrain Crackers
• Hummus & Oats Crackers
• Digestive Biscuits

 

I am sure you will try out this easy peasy recipe and pamper your kids as well guests.

Sending this to Srivalli's Kid's Delight event, guest hosted by Renu themed on Travel Food for Kids.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#98 >

 

Happy Baking

Samira