cheese and poppy seeds

At home we always have a jar of crackery type things to nibble on. Mostly I buy these from the local bakery, where they bake cracker bread out of the extra bread dough and top it with interesting bits and pieces, but I spotted a recipe in Alison Holst's Cake and Biscuit book for these crackers. She made them with Parmesan and sesame, but I only had a block of good stuff so used grated colby instead. These are very tasty. Next time I am going to try them with half polenta and half flour for a corn chip style cracker - like the Bluebird Tapas corn chips!

cheese and poppy seed crackers

1 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 c grated cheese

3 tbsp poppy seeds

1/4 c warm water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp hot water, extra

Heat oven to 160 c. Measure the first flour ingredients into the food processor and combine well so the cheese blends into the flour. Add the sugar and salt to the first measure of water and mix to dissolve. Add the oil to this too. Add this liquid in a slow stream to the dry mix, processing it in short bursts, until a soft dough forms. On a floured surface roll the dough out very, very thinly (it is easiest to divide the dough into three balls and roll out each piece separately). Prick all over with a fork and cut into triangles. Place on a metal cake rack to bake, I used a roasting rack that I sat over a roasting dish. They can overlap a bit, and poke down betwen the wires of the rack to fit more in, this gives them their crumpled shape. Bake for 10-15 minutes until dry, crisp and pale golden - watch closely at the end as they go from golden to dark brown in a flash!