These white cheddar cheese crackers are a terrific homemade snack! Poppy seeds give a nice crunch while olive oil adds richness – no preservatives or weird additives. A one-bowl recipe, you just need to mix, roll, and bake. Roll the crackers out by hand or use a pasta roller to make quick work of it.
Get your cheese quota in with cheese tea biscuits, prosciutto and blue cheese scones, and cheddar skillet biscuits, too.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Flour: use up to 50% whole wheat flour to replace some of the white flour, but note that you might need to add a splash more water.
- Olive oil: replace the olive oil with any neutral-tasting oil.
- Cheddar: the cheese can be substituted for any other hard cheese that can be grated, such as Gouda, Parmesan, or Monterey Jack.
- Add-ins: add fresh chopped herbs or your favourite spices to the dough.
Method
Step 1: whisk together the dry ingredients, then add the cheese and seeds.
Step 2: add the water and oil and stir into a shaggy dough.
Step 3: knead the dough gently until a soft, smooth ball forms.
Step 4: divide the dough into four pieces and roll out very thinly. Cut into small squares.
Step 5: transfer the crackers to a baking sheet and top with extra salt.
Step 6: bake until golden and cool completely before serving.
Top Tips
- Roll with a machine: you can use a pasta roller to roll the four smaller dough balls. With a KitchenAid attachment, we find rolling the dough through setting one twice, and then through setting three twice works well.
- Make other shapes: cut the crackers into any shape you like. It's an easy recipe to make with children, and you can use fun-shaped cookie cutters to cut the crackers.
- Use other toppings: Everything Bagel Spice is a delicious alternative to salt on top of the crackers, and you can use other spice mixes too.
Recipe Notes
For the crispiest crackers, bake all of them until deep gold in colour. You may have to remove some of the thinner crackers from the tray as they darken and keep baking any thicker, more pale crackers.
Double or triple the recipe if you want to make lots of crackers.
How to Store
Storage: keep the crackers in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week.
Freezing: transfer fully cooled crackers to an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature. The unbaked dough can be frozen for a month too, but should be thawed in the fridge before rolling and baking as usual.
FAQ
What do you top cheese crackers with?
Cheese crackers are a tasty snack without toppings, but you can use any toppings you'd usually use for crackers. More cheese, pickles, jam or chutney, hummus, and more.
Are crackers and biscuits different?
American biscuit are fluffy, leavened with baking powder, and British biscuits are flat, sweetened baked goods like digestives. Crackers are a savoury snack a bit like British biscuits, but without sugar added.
Do I need to top my crackers with extra salt?
If you're trying to avoid added sodium, you don't need to top the crackers with extra salt before baking. It adds an extra boost of flavour, but since there's already salt added in the dough, the crackers aren't bland without.
If you make this Cheddar Cracker recipe or any other savoury recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Cheddar Cheese Crackers
Equipment
- baking sheet
- Parchment
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- sharp knife
- Wire rack
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup white cheddar cheese grated
- 2 teaspoon poppy seeds
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Flaky salt for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the white cheddar and poppy seeds to the bowl. Stir to combine then make a well in the middle of the flour mixture.
- Pour in the water and olive oil and stir.
- After stirring, the mixture will turn into a shaggy-looking dough. Reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a few gentle kneads and turns to incorporate any remaining dry bits of flour.
- Place the dough on a work surface and knead it 30 to 40 times, or until smooth. Shape the dough into a ball and cover it with a tea towel for 5 minutes to rest.
- With a sharp knife, cut the dough ball into four equal portions. Roll out each of the four smaller balls, on a lightly floured work surface, as thin as you can, about â…›-inch (3-mm) thick. Add more flour as needed if the dough is sticking.
- Slice the rolled dough lengthwise into strips about 1-inch (2-½ cm) wide. Slice the strips widthwise into 1-inch (2-½ cm). The measurements don’t have to be exact. Repeat rolling and slicing the other three dough balls.
- Transfer all of the cracker squares onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops of the crackers with flaky salt if you like. Adding salt to the tops is completely optional.
- Place the tray of crackers in the preheated oven and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until they are golden and crisp. Fully cool the tray of crackers on a wire rack before storing or packaging.