Streghe or Crunchy Crackers Recipe

How to make it

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• Whisk the yeast into the warm water in a large bowl, and leave until it's creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Add the flour and salt in two additions, mixing ONLY UNTIL the dough comes together, and then knead on a lightly-floured surface for about 4 or 5 mintues, until firm. This whole process should take no more than 10 minutes.
• (If you are using a mixer to do the dough, stir in the flour and salt with a paddle attachment, then change to a dough hook and knead only a minute and a half to two minutes on SLOW speed. The dough will be firm and slightly blistered.)
• Set the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
• Divide the dough in half and use a rolling pin to roll each half out on a lightly-floured surface to form a 10 1/2 by 15 1/2 rectangle.
• If the dough tears or is stiff, don't worry about it. You can re-roll and patch it like a quilt and it won't get tough.
• Each half of the dough should fit an oiled 10 1/2 by 15 1/2 baking sheet.
• Be sure that each piece is of uniform thickness all over, so they will cook and brown evenly.
• Brush the dough in the baking sheets with oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.
• Using a serrated ravioli cutter, cut on the diagonal into 1- or 1 1/4-inch diamonds.
• Preheat the oven to 425-degrees F, HOT. If you are using baking stones, preheat them for 30 minutes. Place the baking sheets directly on the stones and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bubbles that rise to the surface of the dough are a deep golden color and the streghe themselves are lightly golden.
• These go nicely by themselves, with prosciutto or with taleggio.