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Making homemade saltine crackers is easier than you might think, and the result is far superior to store-bought—incredibly crisp, flaky, buttery, and with a satisfying real-food flavor.
Here is a detailed recipe and guide.
Homemade Saltine Crackers
These crackers are wonderfully crisp, lightly salted, and perfect for soups, cheese plates, or snacking on their own.
Yields: About 48-60 crackers
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes per batch
Resting time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
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1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon sugar
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½ teaspoon baking powder
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¼ teaspoon salt (plus more for topping)
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2 tablespoons (28g) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
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⅓ cup (80ml) cold water (you may not need it all)
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2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil or melted butter (for brushing)
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Coarse sea salt or kosher salt, for sprinkling
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Optional: Everything Bagel Seasoning, sesame seeds, garlic powder, etc.
Instructions
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Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
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Cut in the Butter: Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, your fingertips, or two forks, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand with a few larger pea-sized pieces remaining. This creates flakiness.
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Add Water: Gradually add the cold water, starting with ¼ cup (60ml). Mix with a fork until the dough just begins to come together. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, if needed. You want a dough that is not sticky but holds together when pressed.
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Knead Gently: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead it 4-5 times just to bring it into a smooth ball. Do not overwork it.
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Rest the Dough: Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax, making it much easier to roll out paper-thin.
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Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Roll the Dough: This is the key step for crisp crackers!
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Divide the dough into two halves for easier handling.
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On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of dough out as thinly as humanly possible. You are aiming for less than ⅛-inch thick, almost translucent. The thinner you roll, the crisper the final cracker will be.
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Use a pizza cutter, pastry wheel, or sharp knife to score the dough into 1.5-inch squares. A ruler can help keep lines straight. You don’t need to cut all the way through; scoring helps them break apart easily after baking.
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Dock the Dough: This prevents the crackers from puffing up too much. Use a fork or a dough docker to prick each square several times. This is the signature “saltine” look.
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Transfer and Bake:
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Carefully transfer the rolled and scored dough onto the prepared baking sheet. You can often lift it by rolling it loosely around your rolling pin.
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Lightly brush the entire surface with olive oil or melted butter. This helps the salt adhere and promotes browning.
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Generously sprinkle with coarse salt or your chosen seasoning.
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Bake: Bake for 12-18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Watch closely! The crackers are done when they are light golden brown across the top and darker brown around the edges. Baking time depends entirely on how thinly you rolled the dough.
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Cool: Remove from the oven and immediately break the crackers apart along the scored lines. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet. They will continue to crisp up as they cool.
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Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Tips for Perfect Crackers:
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Thickness is Everything: Roll, roll, and roll some more! The single most important factor for a crisp cracker is rolling the dough extremely thin.
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Cold Butter is Crucial: Using cold butter creates little pockets of steam during baking, which contributes to a flaky, layered texture.
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Don’t Skip the Dock: Pricking the dough is essential to prevent large air bubbles and keep the crackers flat.
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Watch Like a Hawk: Because they are so thin, they can go from perfectly golden to burnt very quickly.
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Storage: Once completely cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Enjoy the incredible satisfaction of making your own delicious, wholesome crackers from scratch
