Super-Crisp Flatbread That Tastes Like Cheez-Its

Ingredients

1cup (120 g) unbleached all- purpose flour icup (120 g) whole wheat flour

Iscant cup (110 g) finely grated

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Iscant cup (110 g) finely grated pecorino cheese

Itablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1tablespoon garlic powder

1teaspoon dried chile flakes or other dried hot chile, such

as Aleppo pepper

About ½ cup (120 ml) cool

water

Flaky salt

Directions

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or in a bowl using a wooden spoon, mix the all- purpose flour, whole wheat flour, Parmigiano, pecorino, salt, turmeric, garlic powder, and chile flakes.

Slowly stream in ½ cup (120 ml) cool water O. Mix a few times and then drizzle in up to another 3 to 4 tablespoons water, just until the dough holds together. It will still look shaggy, but it shouldn't be powdery.

Dump the dough onto a work surface and knead it by pushing away with the heel of your hand and then turning and folding. Continue to knead until the dough is smoother, though it will still be very stiff and not super smooth . Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. This you would when making pasta, number 4, or whatever setting gives you a very thin, translucent sheet. The actual thickness isn't lets the flours fully absorb the liquid and develop a smoother consistency.

Take the dough from the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to roll and bake it.

Fit a stand mixer with the pasta rolling attachment (see Note) set to the widest setting. Cut a small chunk of dough and pass it through the rollers. (Once you see how long a sheet that size chunk produces, you can cut the remaining dough into the size that is easiest to handle.) Fold that sheet crosswise in thirds and roll again. Adjust the pasta roller to a tighter setting after each couple of passes, as you would when making pasta, stopping after you use setting number 4, or whatever setting gives you a very thin, translucent sheet. The actual thickness isn't critical, though the thinner the dough, the crispier the cracker. It's important that each sheet be a consistent thickness, however, so that it bakes evenly.

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Arrange the dough sheets in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush or spritz each sheet with a tiny amount of water and sprinkle with flaky salt.

Bake for about 8 minutes. Switch the pans from the top rack to the bottom and at the same time rotate the pans front to back; these gyrations are to promote even baking. The crackers are done when they are gently browned along the edges and smell good. Take care not to overbake, which can make the crackers bitter.

Let the crackers cool on a rack (they won't get fully crisp until cool) and then break them into groovy shapes. You can store the crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

The dough for these crackers is very stiff and dry; you may think you've done something wrong at first, but just press on, it'll all be fine. And to roll this stiff dough to the thinness that you need, you really should have a pasta roller. You can use the hand- crank kind, or if you're lucky enough to have a pasta attachment for your stand mixer (or your neighbor does), use that, which will leave both hands free to feed the dough strips in and out. You should bake off a few smaller test crackers in order to get the timing right, because so much depends on your oven and your baking sheet. You want the crackers just browned on the edges, ombréing their way into a golden center. If the crackers are underbaked-too golden-they won't be crisp, but

if they are too browned, they will be extremely bitter-from the

turmeric, among other things. Just try a few and then you'll get the precise timing for your equipment. —Makes about 16 large

freeform crackers

Note: If you don't have a pasta roller, you can roll the dough using a rolling pin, but it will require some muscle and you likely won't get it paper thin. But your crackers will still be delicious!