of Food and Friends: Onion Parmesan Cracker Bread

Rosemary from Ohio was the 1st Place winner
in the Festival of Breads

When most people think of a loaf of yeast bread, they probably don't think of a thin cracker Middle East type bread similar to "lahvosh" from Armenia. However, the winner at the Festival of Breads was "out of the (bread) box", and I'm sure this will be a popular recipe. Rosemary Leicht of Ohio crafted this recipe to be similar to a cracker bread her family was served at a restaurant and she came up with an easy to make tasty bread. I'm anxious to try this with humus dip, cheese spreads, or with other dips. I served it recently with a fresh meal of corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes and hamburger patties. It is so light and low in calories that we could fill up on the garden produce. The crunch of the bread was a compliment to the juiciness of just picked veggies. One serving (about a 3 x 4-inch piece) is only 37 calories. It is also flavorful enough for a crisp snack.
The mixing and kneading of the bread is done in a food processor and the rising time is 45 minutes. No need to plan hours ahead for this preparation. The recipe includes rye flour, but if you don't have that available in your cabinet, you may substitute whole wheat flour.

ONION PARMESAN CRACKER BREAD

I took the cracker bread to a salad lunch
where it was a nice side for a hot day

Ingredients:

⅓ cup warm water (100 – 110 degrees)

1 (1/4 oz) package Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast

1 teaspoon honey

1 ½ cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour plus extra for rolling dough

½ cup King Arthur Medium Rye Flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

⅓ cup water, room temperature (80 degrees)

2 – 4 tablespoons minced dried onion

1 large egg white, beaten

2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Place kneading blade in 8-quart food processor bowl. Add ⅓ cup warm water, yeast and honey; pulse a few times. Let stand 10 minutes.

2. Add all-purpose flour, rye flour, olive oil, salt, water and onion. Pulse 3 to 4 times to mix; process 1 minute. Dough should form a ball around the blade. If additional water or flour is needed, add by the tablespoon.

3. Place dough in lightly greased bowl, turning to grease surface of dough. Cover; let rise in a warm place 45 minutes.

4. Arrange oven racks at the top and bottom. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide dough into four equal balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll dough into a 12 to 13-inch circle. Place on a 16 x 14-inch piece of parchment paper; roll out the remaining dough, placing each on sheets of parchment paper. Dust any remaining flour off dough with pastry brush, otherwise the surface will become gummy when you brush on the egg white and reduce the crispiness.

5. Allow dough to rest 5 minutes. Brush egg white on dough; sprinkle with half the cheese.

6. Slide one parchment sheet onto a 16 x 14-inch baking sheet, and repeat with a second baking sheet and another bread portion on parchment. Place one baking sheet on top rack, the other baking sheet on bottom rack; bake 4 to 5 minutes, then reverse sheets top to bottom for another 4 to 5 minutes. Dough should puff up in places and turn golden. Remove breads from parchment paper and place on cooling rack. Repeat with remaining two pieces carefully. Break into pieces to serve or place in an airtight container to store.