linbakesbread | Bread #11 Lemon Parmesan Wafers

Good morning bread bakers!

I’m on vacation in sunny Florida at my parent’s condo. The question I’ve been asking myself this past week is, “Is a cracker a bread?” I don’t know the answer, but I really want to try this recipe. You see, no one here wants to eat bread! (What the heck??) but I think I can convince my family to eat crackers. I also want to see if this will be a good “do-ahead” recipe since I think it would be cool to offer home-made crackers when I make dinner for my old work friends in a couple of weeks. This recipe also happens to come from an adorable cookbook, Mary Englebreit’s Queen of the Kitchen Cookbook. So, I’ve made the executive decision that crackers (or wafers) are indeed a kind of bread. This is my trial run.

Here is the recipe. Please bake Lemon Parmesan Wafers with me.

Special Tools you will need:
None

The ingredients and adorable cookbook

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (6 ounces)
¾ cup flour
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon ground coriander
4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 ½ to 2 Tablespoons ice-cold water
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Mix dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the Parmesan, flour, zest, pepper and coriander. Add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the water and lemon juice over the mixture and toss lightly with a fork just until the dough comes together.

Knead and form dough: On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough several times, then transfer to a sheet of waxed paper (or Saran Wrap). Shape into an 11 x 1 ½ inch square-sided loaf. Wrap the dough in the waxed paper and chill for at least an hour, or until firm.

Slice & Bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut dough into ¼ inch slices and arrange 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until deep golden around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The finished crackers

Reflections on this bake: These are pretty good – not great. My parents seemed to enjoy them. The Parmesan is very pronounced and overshadows the lemon flavor which I was hoping would come through more than it did. I also envisioned serving these with cheese, but they are very rich by themselves. I think I’m looking for a more “plain” cracker. I’m still in search of a cracker recipe that is easy, do-ahead and that I love – this is not that recipe, but I have my eye on a few other cracker recipes that I will try in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned!

Rating Category	Rating out of 5
Taste	2
Texture	3
Likeliness to make again	0
Overall Rating	1.7