Easy Rosemary Crackers
These easy rosemary crackers are easy to make at home and perfect to include on your next cheese plate! Made with olive oil, rosemary, water, flour and yeast they are light, crispy and make a great snack.
Include these artisanal crackers with olive oil and rosemary on your next Italian antipasto charcuterie board along with some sun dried tomatoes and black olive tapenade.
If the thought of making bread sounds intimidating, start with these rosemary crackers! They are easy to make and add that special touch to any charcuterie cheese board or snack plate.
I rolled some of my crackers up to resemble Sicilian cannoli and thought it gave my normal cheese and crackers a little pizzaz. They taste just as good cut into cracker shapes, too!
These homemade crackers are thinner than my savory biscotti and perfect to top with some Italian roasted peppers or some smoked salmon spread like the Italian did!
Why You’ll Love These Homemade Crackers
- Light and airy: Using just a tiny amount of yeast instead of baking powder produces light crispy crackers!
- Easy to make: These artisanal rosemary crackers use just 6 basic ingredients and they would cost you so much more to purchase in a gourmet food store!
Easy Rosemary Crackers Recipe Ingredients
- Olive oil: I like to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. They key is to use one that you like.
- Fresh rosemary: Do not substitute dried rosemary as the fresh rosemary makes the infused olive oil.
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour
- Water: To add moisture to the dough.
- Active dry yeast: Ensure you are using fresh yeast.
- Salt: Use table salt for the dough and if you like some salty flakes to sprinkle on the dough before baking.
How to Make Rosemary Crackers
To start, infuse the olive oil with the rosemary by combining the olive oil and chopped rosemary in a small bowl then setting them aside.
Activate the yeast by adding water to a large mixing bowl then sprinkling the yeast on top, let sit then stir to combine. With a wooden spoon add flour, combine then add the oil mixture and salt. Move dough to a flat surface and knead until smooth.
Place cracker dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap then let rise in a warm draft free area until doubled.
Remove the smooth ball of dough to a flat surface, knead a few times then roll out to thin sheets. Cut into long thin strips using a pizza cutter or pastry wheel or use cookie cutters to make fancier crackers. Cut the strips into two squares, prick each square once or twice in the middle with a fork.
Place the rosemary crackers on the prepared parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake until golden, let cool, and serve.
Tips and variations
- Homemade rosemary sea salt crackers: Lightly brush cracker recipe with olive oil before baking and add a sprinkle of flaky salt.
- Leftover dough scraps: Bake the extra bits and pieces and use them to soups like I do with these savory Parmesan cookies or to serve with salad. Crush them and use them as breading!
- Use a rolling pin: You want to roll your crackers as thin as possible so they crisp up! The dough is durable and ideally should be pie pastry thin when rolled out.
- Prick with a fork: This allows air to escape and create an airy cracker.
- Fresh herbs or Parmesan: If you are out of fresh rosemary you can try another herb like thyme or oregano. You can sprinkle with Parmesan cheese half way through baking time if you would like.
Serving Suggestions
While these rosemary crackers are great on a charcuterie with some Italian breadsticks or served with soft cheeses like fresh goat cheese or brie, you can also serve them a variety of other ways!
- Dips: Baked ricotta or spinach ricotta pie
- Spreads: Mushroom cream cheese spread
- Topped with: Smoked salmon appetizer, prosciutto or salami
How to Store Easy Homemade Crackers
Cool completely then store homemade rosemary crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3-4 days up to a week. Store away from heat or humidity to ensure they stay crispy.
More Appetizer Recipes
When you are looking for the perfect homemade cracker recipe, I hope you give these Easy Rosemary Crackers a try. Buon Appetito!
Easy Rosemary Crackers
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ – 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup + 3 tablespoons water (165 ml total, if doubling the recipe then double this amount)
- ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix together olive oil and chopped rosemary, set aside.
- In a large bowl add the water, sprinkle the yeast on top, let sit 10 minutes, stir to combine. With a wood spoon add flour and stir a few times, add oil mixture and salt, stir a few more times, move dough to a flat surface and knead until smooth, approximately 5 minutes. (or use a stand mixer)
- Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, let rise in a warm draft free area until doubled, approximately 1-2 hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 400F/200C.
- Knead the dough a few times then roll half of it on a piece of parchment paper, until pie pastry thin (⅛" / 3-4 mm). Cut (with a fancy or plain cutter) into long thin strips 3 x 6 inches (6×12 cm). You could also use cut outs to make fancier crackers. Cut the strips into two squares, prick each square once or twice in the middle with a fork, spray or brush with a little olive oil, bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until golden brown, let cool on the pan, then serve. Enjoy!
So creative and clever!! I love this!
Thanks very much.
Yummy!! We could make entire meals out of appetizers. You are right that ricotta cheese doesn’t have a whole lot of taste. It may just be the creaminess of it and it takes on other flavors. I love the idea of your cannoli crackers — we tried cannoli once and that was the last time 🙁 If we want them we’ll just purchase them. Buona giornata.
These look amazing! I have really been enjoying your blog. This past weekend 2 of my Italian friends and my daughter canned 100 jars of local peppers and I made your Greek yogurt chocolate chip cake at 5:00 that morning so we could have it with coffee to sustain us through many hours of prep work. Thought you would get a kick out of such a typical Italian thing to do. Thanks for all the great recipes and stories. Wish I was there with you.