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Sunflower Seed & Rosemary Crackers
© Wendell T. Webber

Sunflower Seed & Rosemary Crackers

Contributed by and
  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME:
  • SERVINGS: Makes about 2 dozen crackers
  • •MAKE-AHEAD
  • •VEGETARIAN

Rocca Kitchen & Bar, Boston

Rocca's consulting pastry chef, Ruth-Anne Adams, and her husband, Tom Fosnot, the restaurant's chef, sampled many breads while traveling through Liguria, Italy. A simple, sunflower seed–flecked cracker from the town of Chiavari was their favorite, and back at Rocca, they re-created it as a snack.

  1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
  3. 1/2 teaspoon minced rosemary
  4. 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
  5. Salt
  6. 1/2 cup warm water
  7. 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  1. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the sunflower seeds, rosemary, yeast and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in the water and 1/4 cup of the olive oil until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead until it becomes a smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 2 hours.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Turn 2 large baking sheets upside down. Divide the dough in half. Set 1 half on a baking sheet and roll it out to a 9-by-15-inch rectangle about inch thick. Trim the edges to make a neat rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips. Drizzle the tops with 1 teaspoon of the oil and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining dough and oil.
  3. Bake the crackers for about 28 minutes, until golden. Let cool completely before serving.