cracker

• In a big bowl, combine the discard, the two flours, oil, seeds, and kosher salt. It should be cohesive and slightly tacky.
• Dust with flour to shape into a disk, then wrap in plastic wrap. Place in fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
• Divide dough in half. Spread out a piece of parchment paper. Add a light sprinkle of flour. Use a rolling pin to roll out half the dough to about a consistent 1/16-inch thickness.
• Use a pizza cutter or other cutter to cut dough into squares or other small shapes; don’t separate. Use a fork to dock every cracker at least once. Sprinkle with pretzel or flaked salt. Repeat process with other half of dough.
• Bake until crisp and lightly browned, with the center of the dough firm, not spongy soft; this could be anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes.
• Use parchment to lift crackers off pan to cool, then separate crackers. Store in an airtight container up to one week.

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• Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Place parchment paper on a baking pan.
• Combine the discard, butter, seasoning, and salt in a bowl. It will be sticky–beat well to make sure the melted butter is incorporated.
• Dump batter into the middle of the parchment. Use an uneven spatula to create an even, thin layer about 11×15 inches. Sprinkle on the desired topping.
• Bake crackers for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven to use a pizza wheel or other device to form the bitesize cracker shapes. Don’t separate the pieces.
• Continue to bake for another 35 to 45 minutes. The crackers should not only be brown, but the very middle needs to be firm to the touch. If it is soft, bake a little longer, even if the edge pieces become a deeper brown.
• Remove from oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before breaking apart crackers. Store in a container at room temperature. They keep at least 3 days, but they are so tasty, they may not make it past one.

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• Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, toss together the flour, salt, sugar, and cheese. Add the herbs along with the olive oil and water, stirring until it just comes together as a dough. Add a touch more water if it’s too dry or flour if it is too wet.
• Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough briefly to smooth it out. It shouldn’t be sticky. Divide the dough in half.
• Roll out a portion on the floured surface. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the top with water. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Use a pizza cutter or other blade to portion the dough into rectangles or other shapes a few inches in diameter. Transfer pieces to prepared parchment. Repeat process with remaining dough.
• Bake for 18 to 21 minutes, until lightly browned. Let harden and cool for at least an hour. Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or immediately freeze portions for later enjoyment.

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• Line a 9×9 pan with foil, overlapping two long strips to cover all four side. Apply nonstick spray all over interior. Place 16 crackers in a single layer to form a base crust. On a plate, count out 32 more crackers to have ready to make the next layers quickly. Stage the uneven spatula nearby.
• In a saucepan on the stove, cook sugar and butter, stirring often, until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. That will take about 5 minutes. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk, half & half, corn syrup, and salt. Increase the heat to medium to bring the contents to a simmer. Stir constantly. Continue stirring–bringing the heat down as needed to keep it at a simmer, not a full boil–for about 6 to 8 minutes, until it obtains a deep golden color. Remove the pan from heat and add the vanilla extract.
• Carefully pour about 1/3 of the toffee over the crackers. Set down pan and quickly use the spatula to spread the toffee into an even layer. Place 16 more crackers on top. Add another 1/3 of toffee. Place the last of the crackers, and then pour the rest of the toffee on top and even it out. Let cool for a few minutes. Clean the uneven spatula.
• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate using a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave or a pot on the stovetop. Slowly pour the chocolate over the top of the of the cracker-toffee stack and use the spatula to even it out. Let it cool about 5 minutes. Measure out the flaky sea salt and sprinkle it all over the top.
• Place the pan in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Remove from fridge and let set at room temperature about 10 minutes, which will reduce the amount of crackling across the chocolate top. Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board. Use a knife to cut off the very edges to form neat sides, and then cut the rest of it into small bars.
• Store bars in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

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• Mix together the butter, cheddar, flour, paprika, and salt. Add the water. Continue to mix together until it forms a cohesive dough; add a touch more flour if it’s too wet, or a dribble of water if it’s dry.
• Use a food scale to weigh the dough and divide it in half. Roll out the plastic wrap to about 10 inches. Place half the dough on the plastic and shape into a thick tube, then wrap it in plastic to compress it and make it into an even log about an inch in diameter. Completely seal in plastic wrap. Repeat with other half of dough.
• The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen for several months.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven at 350-degrees. Place parchment paper on baking sheet. Place a chilled (thawed) dough tube on a cutting board and slice about 1/4-inch thick. Place with minimal spacing on the parchment. Add a pinch of flaked sea salt onto each cracker and gently press it into the surface.
• Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until edges are just starting to turn golden. Let set to cool on cookie sheet. Store in a sealed container. They are best eaten within 3 days.

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• Place the butter, cheese, salt, white pepper, and cayenne (if using) in the food processor. Pulse until the butter is broken into uneven pieces and the mixture begins to form small curds. Add the flour and mix until it looks like larger curds. If the dough is stubborn, pulse a bit more to distribute ingredients.
• Dump dough onto a flat surface and gently knead with hands to make cohesive. Divvy dough in half, forming each piece into a flat disk, and wrap in plastic. Tuck into fridge to chill for at least an hour or a couple days; it can also be frozen at this stage.
• When time to bake, preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or nonstick mats.
• Pull out a dough disk. Use two sheets of parchment to roll dough to about 1/4 inch thickness; if the dough is too hard to roll, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes before trying again. Use a small cookie cutter (about 1-inch) to cut dough into crackers. Place them spaced out on parchment on pan. Gather the scraps to form more crackers, using a touch of water, if needed, to make it cohesive again.
• If desired, sprinkle some Maldon sea salt atop crackers; only a few flakes are needed to add extra flavor.
• Bake for about 10 minutes. Rotate pan. Bake for another 4 to 7 minutes, until crackers are lightly golden and firm to the touch. Let cool on pan or on a rack.
• Crackers are great warm or at room temperature. They are best eaten within 3 days. After that, they soften and become more crumbly, but they are still tasty.

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