The ingredients and technique for making richly cheesy and spicy crackers are similar to those used to make pie dough. Butter and flour (with added flavorings) are its bones. And, as with pie dough, as soon as you combine gluten (the protein in flour) with a liquid, you have to mix quickly and briefly or the end product will be tough. So be careful not to overmix the dough.
The stars of this recipe are its two cheeses: extra-sharp cheddar and Parmesan. The spice, which is added to the dough at the start, then dusted onto the outside of each cracker, is provided by Colman’s Mustard powder (a venerable English brand) and cayenne pepper.
Happily, this recipe is simple to make. The dough is mixed quickly in a food processor, then shaped into a cylinder and chilled for an hour, time enough for the gluten to relax and the dough to solidify, making it easy to slice and bake. The typical cracker recipe requires you to roll out the dough and cut it with a cutter, a method that takes a lot more time – and generates a bigger mess – than the cylinder method.
Another advantage of this method is that you can freeze the cylinder.Just take care to wrap the dough well, first in plastic, then in foil. Then, when guests show up unexpectedly, let the dough soften on the counter for a bit, then slice off and bake as many crackers as you need.
Or you can package the baked crackers in batches of 10 or 12, tie them up with a bow, and give them as gifts.
Spicy Cheese Crackers
1/2 pound extra-sharp cheddar, coarsely grated
5 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups (6 1/3 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 1/2 teaspoons Colman’s Mustard powder, divided
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne, divided
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ice water
In a food processor, combine the cheddar and 4 ounces of the Parmesan. Pulse until the cheddar is finely chopped. Add the flour, butter, 1/2 teaspoon of the mustard, the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne. Pulse until the mixture looks like small pellets. Add the Worcestershire sauce and ice water, then pulse until just combined.
Pour the dough onto the counter, divide it into two mounds, then use the palm of your hands to smear each mound across the counter several times, or until it comes together quickly when you press it with your fingers.
Transfer each half of the dough onto a 16-inch-long sheet of plastic wrap. Shape into a 12-inch log (about 1 1/2 inches around), using the plastic as needed, then wrap tightly in the plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two sheet pans with kitchen parchment and position one of the oven racks in the center of the oven.
On a large plate, combine the remaining 1 teaspoon of mustard and 1 teaspoon of cayenne. Remove one of the cylinders from the refrigerator. Unwrap the dough, then roll it in the spice mix, rubbing off the excess spice. Slice the dough crosswise about 1/3 inch thick. Arrange the dough rounds on the prepared sheet pans, about 1/2 inch apart.
Sprinkle each round with a pinch of the additional Parmesan cheese and bake on the oven’s middle and bottom shelves, switching places halfway through, until dark golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Start to finish: 2 hours 10 minutes (40 minutes active). Makes about 50 crackers.