Sesame Free Classic Saltine Crackers
Store-bought crackers are one of those sneaky products where sesame can show up in unexpected ways — as an ingredient, a flavoring, or through shared production lines. Making your own from scratch puts you fully in control, and this recipe keeps things beautifully simple with pantry staples you can trust. The dough comes together from flour, a little shortening or cold butter, baking powder, and water, then gets rolled paper-thin for that signature snap. Docking each square all the way through to the parchment is the key step that keeps them flat and gives them those classic little holes. A brush of melted butter and a pinch of flaky salt on top before baking means the flavor payoff is real — salty, buttery, and deeply satisfying in a way that plain store crackers rarely manage. They crisp up even more as they cool on the rack, so resist the urge to eat them straight from the oven (or don't, honestly). Pile them with cheese, dip them in soup, or just snack on them plain — either way, you'll wonder why you ever bought the box.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp vegetable shortening butter or unsalted butter, cold butter and cut into small pieces
- ½ cup cold water
For brushing
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For topping
- ½ tsp flaky sea salt or coarse salt
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, fine salt, and sugar until evenly combined.
- 2
Add the cold shortening (or butter pieces) to the flour mixture and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse, slightly sandy crumbs with no large pieces remaining.
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