Thursday, February 4, 2010

La Panzanella Style Croccantini (crackers)

My favorite crackers in the world (La Panzanella Croccantini) cost anywhere from $5.00 to $9.00 per 8 oz. package. That's insane! But they are sooooo good, and I paid the hefty price.

That is, until I found a recipe at The Fresh Loaf! I played with the recipe a few times and made some slight modifications, as you'll read below. Feel free to make them as per Jennie's recommendation.

LA PANZANELLA-STYLE CROCCANTINI

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup very cold water
1/8 cup olive oil


METHOD:

Preheat oven to 450°F with a baking stone. Place a pan in bottom of oven for water.

Put flour and salt in food processor fitted with cutting blade. Pulse to blend. Add oil, pulse. Add water in a stream until dough comes together. Process for about 20 seconds.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide into four pieces cover with a towel and let rest 5 minutes.

Roll each section with a rolling pin or in pasta roller. Sheets should be paper-thin.

Place on parchment paper. Spritz with water.

Put parchment directly into oven on baking stone, then add 1/2 cup hot water to pan in the bottom.

Flip crackers front to back after 2 minutes. Remove after about 45 seconds to 1 minute, when crackers display a hint of brown.

Crackers may be slightly limp when taken out at the right time. Additionally, I have experienced the need for longer baking times with certain batches.

Cool sheets on wire racks. Break into pieces and crunch to your heart’s delight!

Store crackers in an airtight container in pantry.

4 comments:

Lorie said...

I too love these italian crackers and I'm so grateful towards you for sharing the recipe. I can't wait to make them!

Sharine said...

Thanks for your comment, Lorie! Best wishes with your own batches.

Anonymous said...

I followed your recipe and they tasted great and had a nice crispy texture, but I had bubbles in most of my crackers. Do you know how to prevent that, so they look nice and flat like the La Panzanella?

BlipsWerx Productions said...

I didn't mind the bubbles, so I never tried to mitigate them ;) You could try using a thin-tined fork to pierce a few holes throughout the surface of the dough before baking. I hope this helps! -Sharine.