When I travel, I can't leave home until I have two things securely packed within easy reach: (1) a book that can hold my attention for an extended period of time; and (2) plenty of snacks. This weekend my husband and I are California-bound. Our scheduled flight time from New York to San Francisco is a very long 6 hours and 49 minutes, followed by a 2 hour drive to Napa Valley. Given the duration of our travel time, and the fact that I plan to consume copious amounts of wine from arrival through departure, I decided to pack something a bit more substantial than my usual airplane snacks (in my opinion different modes of transportation require different snack planning). In addition to one medium sized bag of m&m's, one sandwich sized baggie filled with roasted and salted almonds, and one pack of Trident strawberry-lime flavored gum (my staple snack-trio for flights 3 hours or less), I packed a batch of hearty, nutritious crackers I made using whole grain spelt flour, toasted wheat germ, a generous amount of sunflower kernels, and dried cranberries for a touch of sweetness. My recipe for "California Crisps" is below. Note- baking time is dependent upon desired thickness and shape.
California Crisps (Yield, approx. 16 14in.x1in. crackers)
Ingredients:
1 cup whole grain spelt flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup roasted and salted sunflower kernels
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup warm water
Preparation:
1. Whisk together flours, wheat germ, dried cranberries, sunflower kernels and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook attached.
2. Add extra virgin olive oil and warm water. Mix on medium speed for approximately 5 minutes.
3. Remove dough ball to a separate bowl and allow to rest, covered, for 30 minutes. While the dough rests, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
4. On a floured surface, roll dough into a thin layer and cut individual crackers into desired shape.
5. Using a fork poke small holes in each cracker.
6. Bake on a lightly floured cookie sheet for approximately 15 minutes (or until crispy brown).
7. Allow crackers to cool on a cooling rack.
Dough, before covering to rest
Rolled out dough
Individual crackers cut 14in.x1in., ready to bake
After baking, cooling on a wire rack
Have fun in California!
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