Middle Eastern Sesame Crackers to Liven Up a Dip
I got the idea for these ‘crackers’ – they’re more hard-baked flat breads really – from the French Canadian chef, Madame Benoit. I suspect the only ‘middle-eastern’ thing about them is the use of pitta bread.
These crackers are excellent with dips of all kinds – miles better than crisps – sturdier and more interesting. The only problem with the ‘sturdiness’ is that they can be somewhat disconcertingly, noisily crunchy!
Thanks to one of the Saucy Dressings’ heroic recipe testers, by using this method (coating with melted butter before cutting and splitting) they take only minutes to make. Her acid comment about the original method was “if you have time to spread 288 triangles of pitta bread with butter and find this therapeutic, this is exactly what you should do…unless, of course, I am missing something and they are much better being buttered individually. I can’t comment having never done them this way”.
The crackers will keep for a couple of weeks in an air tight container.
If you are looking for dip ideas, try mustardy mayonnaise; or traditional but fresh pesto: or convenient onion dip; or humous with walnut oil and cummin.
Recipe for Middle Eastern Sesame Crackers to Liven Up a Dip
makes 24
- 12 oval pitta bread
- 1 lb/500g soft butter
- ½ cup/70g sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- In a saucepan beat the butter with an electric whisk, and mix in in the sesame seeds and coriander until they have mixed in evenly, melt gently over a low heat.
- Put the pitta on an oiled or non-stick baking tray.
- Brush the butter over the pieces of pitta – there should be a little butter left over.
- Then, you can, if you want, split the pitta open to make two oval sheets and cut each sheet into about eight triangles – bit messy this, don’t worry if not all the pitta splits easily. Otherwise simply cut into triangles.
- Brush any butterless insides with the remaining butter.
- Bake for about five minutes until they are crisp and turning golden.
- Cool on cake racks and then store in airtight containers.
Music to listen to
Whip Crack Away seems to be the appropriate thing to listen to as you crunch…
