Bite Of Minnesota: Whole Wheat Blue Cheese Crackers

We're just a couple of weeks into football season, so it's time to think about dishes that are easy to eat while watching the game. Football season or not, we tend to graze in our house on Sundays, using up odds and ends of what is left in the fridge and pantry, so we're well conditioned for the graze-fest that the football season brings.

One of my all-time favorite grazing plates is a robust cheese platter. I absolutely love picking the variety of cheeses, fruits, and accompaniments and as long as you aren't ravenous when the game starts, the platter can last well into halftime.

Although cheese is the main focus, attention should also be paid to the cracker selection. Mostly, I serve water crackers as to not interfere with the natural flavor of the cheese. However, cheeses like chevre, buffalo mozzarella and brie are great palates for supplemental flavors and were perfect with these whole-wheat blue cheese crackers I recently made.

Yes, making your own crackers can be a lot of work but as with any cooking project, the satisfaction comes at the end while enjoying the fruits of your labor, and boy were these crackers delicious. Nutty and earthy from the whole-wheat and pungent from the blue cheese, they were good with or without a smear of cheese on top.

Whole Wheat Blue Cheese Crackers

2 tbsp yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes (optional)

In a large bowl, combine warm water and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, cornmeal, blue cheese crumbles and salt. Add the flour mixture to the yeast and water mixture. Mix well until dough is pliable but not sticky. Place dough in a large oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise for one hour.

Punch down dough and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide dough into 6-8 smaller batches and flour a large working surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and bake 6-8 minutes until lightly browned (watch closely as you don't want the crackers to burn). Remove from oven, set on a cooling rack, and repeat with remaining dough pieces. Once cooled, break into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container.