Author Notes: Adapted from Epicurious and Serious Eats.
While it’d be hard to make pretzel wheels, Fritos, or Cheez-Its (never Cheese Nips—never!), sesame sticks are the child’s play of the DIY snack food world: If you can make crackers (and you can), you can make sesame sticks. These don’t taste exactly like the kind you’ll find in the bulk section of your grocery store (probably because they have 8 ingredients instead of 30), and they’re baked, not fried, but they still tick off all the nutty, crunchy, salty boxes. —Sarah Jampel
Makes: about 3 cups
Ingredients
-
2
cups whole-wheat flour
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1/4
cup buckwheat groats
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1/2
cup toasted sesame seeds, plus more for sprinkling
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1/4
teaspoon ground turmeric
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1
teaspoon garlic powder
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1 1/2
teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
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1/3
cup sesame oil (untoasted), plus more for brushing
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1
tablespoon honey
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2/3
cup water
Directions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, pulse the flour, groats, sesame seeds, spices, and salt to combine.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the oil, honey, and water.
- With the mixer running, stream in the liquid and mix until the dough has come together and all of the flour has disappeared. Transfer the dough to a work surface and split in half.
- Working with one half at a time, roll the ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper into a thin rectangle, roughly 10 inches by 15 inches. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, score the dough into many little stick-shaped crackers and transfer, parchment and all, to a baking sheet. Repeat with second half of dough, then transfer both to the freezer until firm and cold, at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. When the crackers are cold, brush them with additional sesame oil and sprinkle with more sesame seeds and salt. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes—I find that the darker they are (before being burnt, of course), the more flavorful they’ll be! You can choose to baste them with additional oil if you’d like them to be a bit richer. Let the crackers cool completely (they crisp up as they cool), then break them apart into sticks with a spatula, butter knife, or your hands. Snack of them as is or incorporate into mixes, eat them as croutons, etc.
Photo by Alpha Smoot