Lemon Rosemary Flatbread Crackers

So thin and crispy. Perfectly salty with barely a hint of lemon. Savory rosemary. Flatbread (because it contains yeast) perfection? Or, cracker (because they're thin, crisp, salty, and savory) perfection? These are flexible enough to be served either way.

I am confessing up front that these are labor intensive. They are definitely worth it, but don't decide to tackle this recipe on a day that you have a lot to do, or you're just plain tired. Making dough is easy. Letting it rise takes an hour. Rolling out the flatbread crackers takes muscle. If you don't have a mixer with a dough hook, you get to knead, too. I manage to get into a rhythm. I have two baking sheets in the oven cooking. Then, I just finish rolling out another two baking sheets when those in the oven are finished baking. I'm steady rolling and filling baking sheets. 

Add yeast to sugar and hot water. 

Yeast is dormant until it is hydrated and has some sugar to feed on. This is important. If the yeast is dead, there is no bread. It won't rise.

  
Yeast shows life by bubbling and and looking foamy. This is good.

While yeast is coming to life, combine flour, lemon zest, rosemary, and salt, in a mixing bowl with a dough hook. When yeast is bubbly and foamy, add it, and oil, to the dry ingredients and mix for 4-5 minutes. It will all come together into a ball. Otherwise, flex your muscle and knead 10-15 minutes.

Coat with olive oil and let rest in the bowl, covered, for an hour. When it's doubled in size, roll it out.

Pinch off a small ball. The size of a quarter.

It doesn't take much dough to make a cracker. Roll them thin.

Keep the rolling pin and rolling surface dusted with flour. Roll them until you think there's no way that they will come up off of the surface, If you keep it dusted with flour, it wont stick, so roll it thin.

This looks good. See the edges? You can almost see through them. Place it on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush with olive oil.

Sprinkle with a big, flaky salt and pepper. If you don't have a big flaky salt, Kosher salt is a good substitute.

Bake at 325 degrees for 7 minutes. Turn sheets around and bake another 7 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Look at those tiny little bubbles! These are the flatbread crackers that you take a bite of, push up against the roof of your mouth with your tongue, and then chew. If you don't understand that, you're missing out. Either way, you will enjoy that thin crunch.

These crackers are from the cafe sucra farine, and make anywhere from 30-60 crackers depending on the size you roll. Serve with Olive Almond Tapenade and parmesan, vegetables, fruit, hummus, or any charcuterie you prefer.

• 3/4 C tap-hot water
• 1 t active dry yeast
• 2 t sugar
• *
• 2 C all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 T chopped rosemary
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/4 t kosher salt
• *
• 1/4 C olive oil
• flaky sea salt, or kosher salt
• black pepper, optional