There were times over the last two years, where I contemplated changing my spending habits so that I could spend more money on Trader Joes's Fig & Olive crisps. Then, one day, I had a stroke of genius - prompted by my new years resolution of not eating processed foods. I set out to recreate the addicting crisps.
It's a very simple recipe of mixing everything together and putting it into loaf tins. But there are a few steps that you need to watch out for - like not over mixing the batter and creating buttermilk from scratch (if you don't have buttermilk on hand).
Bon appétit and happy cooking!
Author: Serena Moroukian
Prep Time: 20 min. (+ 3 hours of freeze time) Cook Time: 30 min. Total Time: 50 min (+ 3 hours of freeze time)
Yield: serves 4 mini loafs
Ingredients
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup AP flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup buttermilk (or 2 cups of whole milk + 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
1/4 cup whole cane sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup almonds, whole
1/4 cup flax seeds, ground
1/2 cup dried figs, halved
Add-ins (substitute as desired)
1/2 cup apricots (whole)
1/2 cup almonds (or other nut)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or dried)
Equipment
Four 2x6 mini loaf pans. The smaller the loaf tin, the smaller the crisp.
Directions
Preheat oven to 200°
Stir flours, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk (or milk/lemon mixture), sugar, and honey until fluffy.
Fold dry ingredients into wet with a spatula until incorporated, as few strokes as possible. It should look like lava. Be careful not to over mix batter at this point because you want the bread to be a little more fluffy than dense.
Add seeds, nuts, and dried fruit to the batter until combined. About 10 folds around the bowl should suffice. Just enough to make sure the nuts and fruits are evenly spread out.
Spray loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.
Fill the tin halfway with batter, and place all 4 tins on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 22 minutes, or golden brown. Check that the loafs are cooked through by placing a toothpick into the center - if it comes out clean then they are done.
Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, and then transfer to a baking rack. At this point you can chose to turn into crisps, or freeze for later. If you want to freeze for later and want the bread to stay moist, wrap it tightly with cling wrap before freezing. If you are turning into crackers, let cool completely, and continue to step 9.
Let the loaf freeze slightly, about 3 hours - this will help keep the bread together when you begin slicing into thin sheets.
Slice the loaf about 1/8 inch thick and place on an un-greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 min, or until golden brown, then flip each crisp over and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and move one cracker to a cooling rack to 'test'. After 5 minutes if the cracker snaps when you bend it in half, then the baking is complete! If not, add the crisps back to the oven for 5 more minutes.
TIPS:
Line your loaf tins with parchment paper before adding the batter to get an even bake - there will be less rising and cracking this way.
f the loafs are browning too much and the bread isn't completely cooked, you can add foil on top of the loaf tins to prevent more browning
I'd love to see how the recipe came out if you tried it. Tag #whatsyourcheatday on your post and I'll be sure to give you a shoutout!
xoxo
Serena
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