KELP CRACKERS

These are modeled on Crick Cracks, the crisp buttermilk crackers coated in nigella and sesame seeds that are served at Sofra Bakery & Cafe in Cambridge (MA). Without question, one of the world’s great crackers. Should you ever find yourself on a desert island with nothing but a cheese board for company, pray that Crick Cracks are on it. Boston pastry chef and restaurateur Maura Kilpatrick perfected the recipe over years, which you can follow in Soframiz, the cookbook she wrote with chef Ana Sortun, who runs the savory side of Sofra. A mentor of Ana’s in Turkey, Ayfer Unsal, gave Crick Cracks their name.

Our recipe hasn’t seen years of iterations, but it’s a start. In place of its sesame and nigella seed topping, we use Alaskan Everything Seasoning from Barnacle Foods, a kelp-based version of the bagel seasoning. Barnacle Foods also makes a spruce tip jelly, which is nice on these and even better on Pinescones.

The bull kelp harvest. The leaflike fronds are dried and ground, to be used as seasoning. The hollow, tubular stipes can be sliced and pickled, or used for makeshift plumbing.

Source: Barnacle Foods (Lingít Aaní | Juneau, AK): June 11, 2021.

• The basic idea

  Blend cold butter into a mix of wheat flour and oat bran with a little sugar and salt. Hydrate with buttermilk and let the dough rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, roll out the dough into very thin sheets. Dock it, score it, spray or brush with water, and apply a generous coat of kelp seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees F until golden and crisp.

• Ingredient list

  For about 36 crackers (1 pound, more or less)

  This recipe requires 2 half sheet trays (or similar baking sheets), parchment paper, and a good rolling pin. It takes one day from start to finish.

  • 180-200 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups): use the higher end for supermarket all-purpose flour, like King Arthur; use the lower end for a high-extraction flour, like all-purpose from Ground Up Grain, a favorite from Massachusetts

  • 100 grams (about 1 cup) oat bran

  • 1 tablespoon (12 grams) sugar

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (3 grams in either case)

  • 1 1/4 sticks (5 ounces or 140 grams) cold

  • 3/4 cup buttermilk

  • water, plus a spray bottle or pastry brush

  • 1/4 cup Alaskan Everything Seasoning, or another kelp-based blend

• Steps

  1. Combine 180-200 grams all-purpose flour and 100 grams oat bran in a prep bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

  2. Whisk in 1 tablespoon (12 grams) sugar and 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt.

  3. With a large-holed grater (like a box grater) grate 1 1/4 sticks (5 ounces or 140 grams) cold butter and add it to the flour. (Alternatively, use a knife to slice the butter thinly or cut it into tiny cubes.)

  4. (a) If using a stand mixer, blend the flour and butter on low speed until it resembles sand: the butter will no longer be visible.
     (b) If using your hands, quickly rub the butter into the flour until it resembles sand: the butter will no longer be visible. Transfer the bowl to the fridge or freezer for 5 minutes to remove any warmth before proceeding to the next step.

  5. Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and mix until the dough comes together.

  6. Turn the dough on to a work surface and shape into a 4 x 8 inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick.

  7. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

  8. The next day, divide the dough into two pieces.

  9. Roll out each piece between two pieces of parchment to a very thin sheet, about 1/16 inch thick. The thinness is necessary for a crisp cracker and requires a good rolling pin.

  10. Transfer each sheet of dough, still between parchment, to a half sheet tray. Refrigerate.

  11. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  12. When the oven is hot, remove the dough from the fridge and dock (lightly prick) the dough all over with a fork.

  13. Score the dough into cracker-sized rectangles.

  14. Spray or brush the dough with a light coat of water.

  15. Scatter 2 tablespoons of Alaskan Everything Seasoning on each sheet (1/4 cup total).

  16. Bake until golden and crisp, rotating the pans once, for 10-15 minutes total (the exact baking time will depend on how thin the dough is). If the crackers at the edges brown faster than the center, remove them as they’re done and return the rest to the oven to finish baking.

  17. Store the cooled crackers in a sealed container for up to 3 days.