Old-Fashioned Soda Cracker Recipe
This classic soda cracker recipe will have you enjoying homemade common crackers in no time. Just add the chowder!
By Yankee Magazine|Sep 07 2022|
Soda crackers are the usual Yankee accompaniment to chowders, eaten with and crumbled in the soup. If you would like to make your own common crackers, here’s a classic old-fashioned soda cracker recipe. Just add chowder!
Favorite Chowder Recipes:
Classic Lobster Chowder
Clear-Broth Clam Chowder
Gloucester “Old Salt” Fish Chowder
New England Clam Chowder
Yield
40-50 crackers
Total Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup whole milk
Coarse kosher or sea salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the cold butter, working it into the dry ingredients with your fingers until it resembles coarse meal.
Slowly add the milk and gently mix the dough, then knead it, until it just comes together and is tacky but not sticky. (If necessary, add more flour.) Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Divide in half, and return one half to the refrigerator. Roll out the other half 1/8 inch thick, sprinkling with more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Use a pizza cutter to cut it into 2-inch squares.
Transfer the squares to the baking sheets, leaving an inch of space between squares; then sprinkle with coarse sea salt, and prick them all over with a fork.
Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes, depending on size.
Repeat with the second half of the dough.
I love everything about New England. I was born and brought up there. I wish I still lived there.
I read an article about common crackers a few months ago. I remembered Vermont Country Store sold them. I bought two boxes. I’ve been buying them everytime I place an order. They are addicting.
I would love to know if anyone knows where to find the round, very hard soda crackers that used to appear on the table of every seafood restaurant in New England, along with a pot of horseradish. Of course you could put them in your chowder, but with a dab of the horseradish–yum! Addictive.
I’m going to “reclaim America”. Back to basics: Baking old recipes, cursive letter writing to old friends and using good old American Greenbacks and silver coins. I can’t wait to get this soda cracker recipe going again. They had to do it ALL in the olden days! Also just finished reading about another First: Well, two actually: The Morgan horse origin, and the 1rst Vermont Calvary, which used ALL Morgan Horses in the Civil War. I’ll bet they ate plenty of crackers!