Sesame Thyme Crackers

Sesame Thyme Crackers Excel ent eaten out of hand or paired with fresh vegetables, slow-roasted tomatoes, hummus, or baba ghanoush. The soul-satisfying base of the sesame is accented by the bright combination of sumac and thyme. Tahini is simply sesame seeds ground into a paste. It can be found, along with sumac, at Middle Eastern or specialty stores. If you can’t find tahini, substitute natural almond butter. If you can’t find sumac, substitute lemon juice. I make my crackers with whole durum flour, but you can use any kind of whole wheat flour. This recipe assumes your discard is at 100 percent hydration and is made with al -purpose flour. MAKES 1 QUART (1 LITER) OF CRACKERS TOTAL FLOUR: 250 GRAMS (0.6 POUND) PRE-FERMENTED FLOUR: 46% HYDRATION: 46% WHOLE GRAIN: 54% DOUGH: 422 GRAMS (0.9 POUND) AHEAD OF TIME Collect Sourdough Discard (up to 2 weeks) Store discard from established starter refreshments in a loosely covered pint jar in the refrigerator until you have enough. Don’t worry if it forms colored hooch or continues bubbling.

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Step 1

CRACKER DAY

Step 2

Mix the Dough (5 minutes)

Step 3

1. Whisk together vigorously with a fork until uniform consistency: 230 grams discard (1 cup)

Step 4

40 grams sesame tahini (2 tablespoons)

Step 5

2. Combine in a medium bowl:

Step 6

135 grams whole wheat flour (1⅛ cups; any kind of wheat) 8 grams sumac (2 teaspoons)

Step 7

2 grams dried thyme (2 teaspoons)

Step 8

7 grams salt (1 teaspoon)

Step 9

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Step 10

3. Mix in the discard mixture just until well combined and fold the dough in the bowl several times. The dough should feel smooth. Rest the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so.

Step 11

Roll the Crackers (10 minutes)

Step 12

1. Turn out half the dough onto a floured sheet of parchment paper. Pat the dough into a rectangle, sprinkle evenly with 12 grams (1 tablespoon) sesame seeds, and roll it out out with a rolling pin to ⅛ inch (3 millimeters) thick. Transfer the parchment paper and dough to a baking sheet and cut the dough into crackers with a pizza cutter or bench knife.

Step 13

Optional: sprinkle the crackers with a few shakes of additional salt.

Step 14

2. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Step 15

Bake the Crackers (20 to 30 minutes)

Step 16

1. Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and arrange two racks in the centermost slots.

Step 17

2. Bake the crackers 25 to 40 minutes, switching the position of the pans halfway through. Toward the end of baking, watch for the crackers on the

Step 18

edges of the baking sheet to finish baking earlier, and remove them so they don’t burn. Crackers are done when lightly golden brown. They may seem soft but will crisp up as they cool.

Step 19

3. Cool them completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight jar.