I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather recently, so I’ve been on the hunt for some relatively easy recipes to make. This one doesn’t quite fit that bill, since it has a bit of labor involved, but it’s still a lot less elaborate than some of the other things I make, so it worked out.
Crackers are something I’ve been planning on making more, ever since I made some copycat Cheez-Its that turned out pretty good. A basic cracker recipe is easy enough, but I couldn’t decide on flavorings. That’s when my partner remembered we have a bag of za’atar that we’ve been looking for more excuses to eat.
In case you aren’t familiar with it, za’atar is a Levantine spice mix, common in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants. There are a bunch of different mixtures; ours a mix of oregano, thyme, sumac, sesame, and salt. It’s tangy from the sumac and herbal, and it goes great on all manner of breads and bread-like treats, like crackers.
If you can’t find za’atar locally, it’s available online (here’s an Amazon aff link), or you could mix up your own. I don’t have a recipe for the mix myself since our local spice stores carry it. There are several prominent, excellent Levantine restaurants around so it’s a popular flavor profile.
What’s interesting about these crackers in particular, at least to me, is how baking them changed the za’atar flavor. Since I was inconsistent with rolling them out (call it rustic, right?) some were thinner than others, and consequently cooked more. The toastier they were, the more the sesame flavor came through, while the less-baked crackers had more of the za’atar flavor coming through.
I also finished my crackers with some large-crystal finishing salt. It actually stuck better than I thought it would so a few of the crackers were a little intense, but you can easily dial it back or leave it out entirely if you prefer.
Za’atar Crackers
Equipment
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Sheet
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1 Tsp Sugar
- 1 Tsp Salt
- ½ Tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Za'atar Mix
- ⅔ Cup Water
- 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Finishing Salt Optional, for topping
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and za'atar.
- Stir in the water and 3 tbsp of olive oil and mix to start forming a dough.
- Once the dough comes together, turn it out onto a floured work surface and work it until it becomes a ball. Add more flour if necessary so it no longer sticks to your hands as you work it.
- Put the dough ball back into the mixing bowl and cover, letting it rest for about 10 minutes. There's no rise here, just resting.
- Preheat your oven to 425℉, and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Optionally, you can do the next step directly on parchment paper and transfer it to the baking sheet instead.
- Working with half the dough at a time, roll the dough out to be nice and thin, aiming for 1-2mm. Once it's evenly thin enough, cut it into cracker-sized pieces using a knife or pizza cutter. Transfer these to the parchment-lined baking sheet with a bit of space between them.
- Poke the crackers with a fork to prevent bubbling up or puffing. Brush them with the remaining olive oil, and sprinkle a bit of finishing salt (or more za'atar) over the top of them.
- Bake the crackers for 8-15 minutes, depending on how thin they are. Aim for lightly browned. Remove them from the oven and let them cool to crisp up, and enjoy!