August is......

National Goat Cheese Month!!!

Get ready for a month full of some deliciousness!  Goat cheese is quite possibly my favorite type of cheese.  From a light and creamy French Chevre to a tangy Greek Feta, goat cheese is such a versatile item to have in the kitchen.

I love to pair this type of dairy item with poached fruits, fresh figs and house made crackers.  It is wonderful tossed with cranberries or strawberries in a fresh spinach salad or used with slow roasted garlic on a pizzetta.

Here is a recipe for some house made crackers.  A bit time consuming, but well worth the effort!

1 Tablespoon dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
3 1/2 cups flour

Mix yeast with water and let sit for 2-3 minutes in the bowl of an electric mixer (KitchenAid).  Add the oil, salt and flour and mix with a dough hook for about 6 minutes.  This will help develop the gluten in the dough and will give you a crunchy cracker in the end.

You will need to let the dough rest, in a covered, oiled bowl for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Now, here is the fun part.  Rolling out the dough to make crackers!  If you have a pasta sheeter, whether it be one that attaches to the KitchenAid or a hand crank one, use it!  A rolling pin works, but not as well.

Cut the now proofed dough into small pieces.  Make sure you have a well floured board so the thin dough doesn't stick to anything!  Starting out on the widest setting of the pasta sheeter, put the dough through twice.  Set the sheeter on the next thinnest setting, and repeat with the dough.  Do this until you have a thin, cracker like  strip of dough.  Remember, the bigger your piece of dough you start with, the longer your final sheet of cracker will be, so adjust accordingly!  My pasta roller went to a #4 size for a good thin cracker thickness.  Your setting will vary, so just keep rolling until the desired thickness is reached.

Cut the dough to length (make sure it will fit on whatever size baking sheet you use).  Place it on a baking sheet (like a 1/2 sheet pan) lined with parchment paper.   I leave the dough in the rectangular form (it makes for a great presentation when you break the crackers after baking) but you could at this point cut the dough into whatever shapes you want.  Brush it with an egg wash (gently whip one whole egg with a bit of water) and then sprinkle whatever you want on top!  I recommend sesame seeds, herbs, cumin seeds, or just plain old sea salt and black pepper. (But remember, there is already salt in the dough, so don't put TOO much on).

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown (I am hesitant in giving a time as each oven will bake differently.) So, that being said, check it after 5-10 minutes or so and continue until ready.  Let cool and then break open that log of Chevre you've had in the fridge and enjoy!