Paper-Thin Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers with Flaky Salt

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The kind of cracker that shows up on a good wine bar's cheese board: shattering-thin sheets of olive oil dough blistered in a hot oven, snapped into shards, and showered with rosemary and flaky salt. The dough comes together in five minutes with pantry staples, and the only real technique is rolling it thinner than you think you should. Rolling directly on parchment means no sticking, no transferring, and no torn sheets.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (225g), plus more for rolling
• 1/4 cup fine semolina flour (40g)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/3 cup good extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup cool water, plus 1-2 tablespoons as needed

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
• 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, very roughly torn
• Finely grated parmesan, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, semolina, chopped rosemary, fine sea salt, sugar, baking powder, and black pepper until evenly combined and no clumps of baking powder remain.
2. Pour in the 1/3 cup olive oil and rub it into the flour with your fingertips for about 30 seconds, until the mixture looks like damp sand. Add 1/2 cup cool water and stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms, then add 1 to 2 more tablespoons water only if there are dry patches at the bottom of the bowl.
3. Turn the dough onto a clean counter and knead for 2 to 3 minutes, just until smooth and elastic — it should feel like soft modeling clay and spring back slowly when pressed. Wrap tightly in plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes; this relaxes the gluten so the dough rolls thin without fighting back.
4. Arrange two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 450°F (230°C). Cut 4 sheets of parchment roughly to the size of your baking sheets.
5. Divide the rested dough into 4 equal pieces and keep 3 covered. Set one piece on a sheet of parchment, flatten it with your palm, and dust lightly with flour. Roll from the center outward, rotating the parchment as you go, until the dough is a thin, uneven sheet you can almost see the parchment through — about 1/16 inch (1.5mm) thick and nearly filling the parchment. Patch any holes by pinching them shut and rolling over them.
6. Brush the sheet very lightly with olive oil, then scatter with flaky salt and a few torn rosemary leaves. Press the toppings in with your fingertips or a gentle pass of the rolling pin so they stick. Prick the sheet all over with a fork, every inch or so, to keep it from ballooning.
7. If you want tidy crackers, cut the sheet into 1 1/2 x 3 inch rectangles with a pizza wheel, leaving them in place; for rustic shards, skip the cutting and snap the baked sheet by hand. Slide the parchment onto a baking sheet.
8. Bake two sheets at a time for 8 to 11 minutes, rotating the pans top-to-bottom and front-to-back at the 6-minute mark, until the crackers are dry, blistered, and golden with a few deep brown edges. Thin spots will color first — if some sections are done early, lift them off with tongs and return the pan to the oven for another 1 to 2 minutes.
9. Slide the parchment onto a rack and let the crackers cool completely, about 10 minutes; they crisp fully as they cool. Roll, top, and bake the remaining 2 pieces of dough the same way.
10. Snap the sheets into irregular shards (or separate the cut rectangles), dust with grated parmesan if using, and pile onto a board. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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