THANKS TO NICOLE!!!! i went ALL out and ordered a “dough docker” (i had NO freaking clue what one was but i read that it will poke proper holes in the crackers so now i am a proud owner)…ordered tipo OO flour bc i couldnt find it in town…and ordered a REAL live Pizza baking stone from some commercial pizza equipment place..LOL…i am getting serious about mastering these crackers that i grew up LOVING at our local Darryl’s restaurant that is NO LONGER=(…My mom used to order them by the box so we always had HUGE sheets of them in our kitchen for as long as i can remember! So friends, here is that infamous recipe Nicole shared with us! i LOVE nicole! xo
CRACKERS:
This is a fantastic, reliable, everyday pizza dough, which can also be used to make bread. It’s best made with Italian Tipo “00″ flour, which is finer ground than normal flour, and it will give your dough an incredible super-smooth texture. Look for it in Italian markets and good supermarkets. If using white bread flour instead, make sure… See More… See More it’s a strong one that’s high in gluten, as this will transform into a lovely, elastic dough, which is what you want. Mix in some semolina flour for a bit of color and flavor if you like. They used to make this in giant trash cans everyday because they would go through it in no time.
7 cups strong white bread flour or Tipo “00″ flour or 5 cups strong white bread flour or Tipo “00″ flour, plus 2 cups finely ground semolina flour
1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
2 (1/4-ounce) packets active dried yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Sift the flours and salt onto a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. In a large measuring cup, mix the yeast, sugar and olive oil into the water and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well. Using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid. Keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands. Knead until you have a smooth, springy dough.
Place the ball of dough in a large flour-dusted bowl and flour the top of it. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place in a warm room for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size. I put mine on the top of the frig where is it is warm to double.
Now remove the dough to a flour-dusted surface and knead it around a bit to push the air out with your hands – this is called punching down the dough. You can either use it immediately, or keep it, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge (or freezer) until required. If using straightaway, divide the dough up into as many little balls as you want to make pizzas – this amount of dough is enough to make about six to eight medium pizzas or countless cracker size.
Timing-wise, it’s a good idea to roll the pizzas out about 15 to 20 minutes before you want to cook them. Don’t roll them out and leave them hanging around for a few hours, though – if you are working in advance like this it’s better to leave your dough, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator. However, if you want to get them rolled out so there’s 1 less thing to do when your guests are round, simply roll the dough out into rough circles, about 1/4-inch thick, and place them on slightly larger pieces of olive-oil-rubbed and flour-dusted aluminum foil. You can then stack the pizzas, cover them with plastic wrap, and pop them into the refrigerator.
THE KEY TO COOKING THEM! Pierce the dough with a fork and if you haven’t already brushed them with a light coating of olive oil do so now and sprinkle with kosher salt but I prefer a good sea salt. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees and I always use a pizza stone to make these on but you don’t have to. Preheat your pizza stone as well and get it super hot. If you prefer to not use a pizza stone place the thinly rolled out dough on the bare racks in the bottom shelf of your oven. Just make sure not to get them to big if you prefer this method or they are difficult to maneuver. Cook for 7-10 minutes until golden and crispy. watch them closely as they take no time to cook. I swear these look difficult but after you make them a few times it is a breeze!
*Bar-B-Q Sauce:*
3/4 cup canned iced tea
3/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons A-1 steak sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar, or more to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar (you can add more if you like)
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine the iced tea, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, cider vinegar, liquid smoke, onion and garlic powders, and pepper in a heavy saucepan with 1/4 cup of water and gradually bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium to obtain a gentle simmer. Let the sauce simmer gently until slightly reduced, thick, and richly flavored, 6 to 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding brown sugar or lemon juice as necessary; the sauce should be highly seasoned.
Transfer the sauce to a bowl or clean jar and let cool to room temperature before serving. Any leftover sauce (in the unlikely event that you have it) will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for several weeks. Let return to room temperature before serving.
Happy Cooking Em!
