Experimenting with new Whole Grains is something that I have taken upon myself this year. This Month long Mega BM is helping me quite a bit with it as one of the themes for this month is Whole Grains. Jau Ki Papdi is a Baked Barley Crackers that I tried with Barley flour. I have worked with Barley before and used it to make this Barley Dosai / Barley Crepe. This is the first time I have used barley flour to make this very flavorful and spicy cracker. Jau Ki Papdi is typically deep fried like the Thattai, but the recipe I referred to had it baked and I was thinking why not? Baking them is definitely a guilt-free way to enjoy these very addictive spicy crackers. It does have a distinct flavor of the barley and the spices sort of help mask it. Not that I mind the flavor of the whole grain, but I was concerned if the boys would like it. Like I feared they did not like it just as is, not because of the flavor of the barley, but because they felt the flavor of the spices were overwhelming. The crackers still managed to disappear within a day because they found a great way to eat them. My boys ate the crackers spreading it with a generous layer of strawberry preserve and said it was the best thing ever. The idea of using the jam as a savory snack came to them when they first did a jam-tasting tour in the Amish region in Pennsylvania. They had put out some pretzel sticks to dip into various jams, jellies, and preserves for tasting them and the boys fell in love with the idea. Ever since then, pretzel sticks with preserves have been one of their favorite snacks. My older one tried exactly the same and could not stop eating these crackers. Next time, I make it, I would definitely go easy on the spices. My husband does not agree with me on this as he likes the spices. Baked Barley Crackers, are quick to make and store really well. These crackers also work great as travel food.
My Other Posts in the A – Z Explore the Flavors Series
A for Akki Roti B for Baghrir with Orange Butter Sauce C for Chickpeas Shawarma D for Double Ka Meetha E for Esquites F for Farro Salad G for Gur Papdi H for Hayagreeva Maddi I for Idli Preparation time - 10 minutesBaking time - 15 to 18 minutesDifficulty level - EasyRecipe adapted from - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen
Ingredients to make Jau Ki Papdi - Makes 15
Barley flour - ½ cup Whole wheat flour - ½ cup Chickpea flour / Besan - ¼ cup Baking soda - ½ tsp Salt - to taste Vegetable oil - 3 TBSP Warm water - to make the dough Peppercorn - 5 Fennel - ½ TBSP Cumin - ½TBSP Red chili powder - ½ tsp Asafetida - ¼ tsp
Procedure to make Baked Barley Crackers
Using a mortar and a pestle, crush the whole spices (peppercorn, fennel, and cumin) to a coarse powder.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Layer a baking sheet with parchment paper and keep it ready.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients including the crushed spices, oil, and salt. Add warm water and knead to a stiff dough.
The dough will be a little crumbly and hard to knead, but keep kneading for about 5 minutes.
Roll the dough using more wheat flour or barley flour to keep it from sticking. Keep the thickness of the rolled dough uniform to about ¼ inch. Keeping it uniform helps in even baking.
Using a cookie cutter or a round lid or a bowl, stamp out the rolled dough.
Using a fork prick the dough evenly all over the surface. This helps to cook the cracker well on the inside.
Place them on a prepared baking sheet and liberally brush them with oil. Bake the crackers for 15 to 18 minutes. Keep an eye on the crackers for 15 minutes. The crackers will be golden brown when ready. At this stage, you could also deep fry the crackers in oil.
Once the crackers come out of the oven, cool them on a wire rack and store them in an airtight container when completely cool.
Serve as is or with jam/preserve or cheese.
Other Ideas
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