Okay, so I decided to try making those diamond soda crackers the other day. You know the ones, super simple, kinda plain but really hit the spot sometimes. I figured, how hard could it be? Just flour, fat, leavening, salt, water. Basic stuff.
Getting Started
First thing, I pulled everything out onto the counter. Flour, baking soda, a bit of salt, some butter, and cold water. That’s pretty much the list. I remember thinking, “This looks way too easy, something must be tricky later.”
I dumped the dry ingredients into a bowl. Gave them a quick whisk, nothing fancy. Then came the butter. I chopped it up cold, straight from the fridge, and worked it into the flour mix. Used my fingertips, you know, rubbing it in until it looked like coarse crumbs. Took a few minutes, made my hands cold.
Making the Dough & Rolling
Next up, the water. Added it bit by bit. The recipe said “just enough to bring it together,” which is always vague, right? So I added a splash, mixed, another splash, mixed. Got a bit too sticky at one point, had to add a tiny sprinkle more flour. Finally, it formed a shaggy ball. Didn’t knead it much, just enough so it wasn’t falling apart.
Then, the recipe said to let it rest. Covered the bowl with a cloth and walked away for about 30 minutes. Cleaned up my mess a bit, grabbed a coffee.
After the rest, came the rolling part. This was the bit I figured might be annoying. And yeah, it kinda was. You need to roll these things super thin. Like, paper thin if you want them really crispy. I floured my counter, put the dough down, floured the top, and started rolling. It kept wanting to spring back. Rolled it out, it shrunk a little. Rolled it more, it shrunk again. Patience, lots of patience needed here. Finally got it thin enough, probably not perfect, but good enough for a first try.
Cutting and Baking
Cutting the diamonds. I just used a pizza cutter. Made long parallel cuts one way, then long parallel cuts diagonally the other way. They weren’t all perfect diamonds, let’s be honest. Some were more like… stretched hexagons? Close enough.
Then, the poking. Grabbed a fork and poked holes all over each cracker. This is supposed to stop them puffing up like little pillows in the oven. Moved them carefully onto baking sheets. I didn’t use parchment paper the first time, big mistake. Some stuck later.
- Rolled dough very thin.
- Cut into diamond-ish shapes.
- Poked holes with a fork.
- Placed onto baking sheets (use parchment paper!).
Into the oven they went. Baked them at a fairly high heat, around 400°F (like 200°C). They bake fast. Watched them like a hawk. Started seeing the edges brown after maybe 5 or 6 minutes. Pulled them out when they looked golden brown all over. The smell was pretty good, nice and toasty.
The Result
Let them cool completely on a wire rack. This is important for crispiness. Don’t stack them while warm.
Finally, the taste test. Took a bite. CRUNCH. Okay, yeah, they were definitely crispy! Nice and salty, very simple flavor. Pretty much exactly what I expected. Not quite like the store-bought ones, maybe a bit more rustic, but good in their own way. Some were crispier than others, probably because my rolling wasn’t perfectly even.
Was it worth it? Yeah, it was a fun little project. Pretty satisfying to make your own crackers. They didn’t last long, which is usually a good sign. Definitely using parchment paper next time, and maybe try rolling even thinner if I can manage it.
