Tea has been so popular all across the country and it is a cultural practice to offer tea to visitors. Tea or ‘chai’ for breakfast and evenings are customary. Masala chai has turned a big hit all over the world, the Indian roadside tea stalls serves this tea to thousands of people every day. Tea has turned out to be the reason people meet up together to talk about anything from daily chit chats to tips and wages to bribery. This daily ritual of tea now simply boasts about the hospitality of every Indian home. Tea should always be accompanied with some savory or sweet ‘something’, if you have something to munch with it; the pleasure of each sip of this beloved beverage makes a difference.

Baking becomes easy once you learn the simple basics. These wheat crackers make a good tea time snack; have no lengthy preparation and no careful tricks or twists. The entire process takes very less time with minimal ingredients and you’ll get a plate full of crackers to keep munching. These crackers will highlight your tea table or anytime. You will be satisfied making your own crackers with both its texture and flavor. Use any other flour or your favorite seeds with any oil of your choice to best suit your taste. I have used healthy whole wheat flour and carom seeds to make these crackers.

Carom seeds have a beautiful strong flavor and used widely in Indian cooking. It looks similar to cumin and almost tastes like thyme. I toasted the seeds in pan and lightly crushed them to bring out more flavor. Once the dough is made, roll it and cut out into desired shapes and then bake. These baked healthy seedy crisp bites go very well along with soups or with a dip too. If you don’t want to bake them go ahead and deep fry them in oil making it more delicious.  So grab all the ingredients and take out your rolling pin…….

Ingredients:-

1. Whole wheat Flour- 2 cups.
2. Carom seeds (Ajwain) – 1 tablespoon.
3. Vegetable oil- 3 Tablespoons.
4. Salt- to taste.
5. Lemon juice – 2 teaspoons
6. Baking Powder- 1 teaspoon.
7. Cold water as required.

Method:-

• Mix wheat flour with salt and baking powder. Add the lightly crushed carom seeds and lemon juice to it.
• Add oil and rub into the flour. Slowly add cold water to combine and form soft dough. Knead very well and allow it to rest for ten minutes. (Make sure the dough is not sticky).
• Preheat your oven to 200 degrees centigrade.
• Divide the dough into small sized balls and roll them out into flat thin sheets slightly dusting with flour. Prick them with fork.
• Take a pizza cutter or a cookie cutter and cut into desired shapes.
• Transfer these onto a baking tray and bake for 15- 20 minutes or till they are golden brown.
• Turn off the oven and allow it to rest inside the oven for ten minutes. Take them out and cool them at room temperature. Store in airtight containers and use within a week.
• Serve with tea or with soups or dips.

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