Recipe - Saltines And Family

3 tablespoon Shortening
2 tablespoon Butter
About 3 One half cup unbleached
flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
Three fourths teaspoon Salt
One fourth teaspoon Sugar
1 Egg white, beaten to a loose
froth
1 cup Whole milk

Makes about 11 dozen 2" saltines From "Make Your Own Groceries" by Daphne
Metaxas Hartwig.

Use this dough to make a whole range of crackers saltines; oyster
crackers; and big, round sea toast crackers.

kosher, sea, or table salt

Melt the shortening and butter together; let cool. Sift 1 Three fourths cup of the
flour into a lg mixing bowl along with the baking powder, salt, and sugar;
make a well in the center and pour in the shortening and butter; stir to
combine, then stir in the egg white. Add the milk and beat vigorously to
smooth out some of the lumps, then gradually sift in enough flour to make a
dough that will be stiff enough to roll out. Form the dough into a ball;
knead it for 10 min on a floured surface until it is smooth and satiny.
Divide the dough into 2 equal balls, wrap each in wax paper and let them
rest at room temperature for 20 30 min.

On a floured surface, roll the first dough ball out as thinly as you
possibly can. Cut the dough into 2" squares using a pizza cutter, a
ravioli wheel, or a very sharp, greased knife; save the scraps. Place the
dough squares just slightly apart from each other on ungreased cookie
sheet. Sprinkle the squares with salt to taste and pat them to embed the
salt. Prick each square several times with a fork. Bake in a preheated 375
F oven for 15 to 20 min until just slightly browned. Repeat for remaining
dough ball and scraps.

SEA TOAST

After the dough has rested, pinch off pieces about 1 One half to 2" round. On a
floured surface, roll each piece into the thinnest freeform circle
possible. Place the circles on an ungreased cookie sheet; prick with a
fork and bake at 375 F for about 15 min. Very crispy and perfect for
cheese or soups. Makes about 2 dozen.

OYSTER CRACKERS

One rested dough ball at a time, roll the dough out as thinly as possible;
transfer to a cookie sheet. Cut the dough into diamond shaped, 1" crackers
with a ravioli wheel or a pizza cutter; there is no need to separate the
crackers as the dough's elasticity will do the job. Salt, embedded and
gently prick the diamonds as previously described. Bake as directed for
about 10 min.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini