Romanian Saratele - Cheese Caraway Crackers

This is the best Romanian saratele recipe: short crust cheese crackers sprinkled with caraway seeds, they are the perfect appetizer or snack.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Romanian

Servings: -60

Calories: 68kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

Food processor optional
2-3 Baking sheets
Parchment paper

Ingredients

Dough:

9 oz Gouda or Cheddar, Note 1
1¾ sticks butter very cold, Note 2
1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Topping:

1 small egg
caraway seeds Note 3
½ cup cheese or just enough to lightly top the crackers
a sprinkle of flaky salt

US - EU

Instructions

Saratele dough:

In a food processor: Grate the cheese and cut the very cold butter into small cubes. Place the cheese, butter, flour, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture is crumbly. The butter should not be fully blended into the dough; you should still see tiny butter dots, which will make the crackers flaky and delicious.
9 oz Gouda + 1¾ sticks butter + 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour + ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Make the dough by hand: Freeze the butter for 15 minutes, then grate it. Grate the cheese, too. Quickly combine the ingredients, using cold hands to knead the dough briefly with your fingers.
Chill the dough: Form a ball, flatten it, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cut saratele:

Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. I actually have to bake the crackers in 3 batches, but most people only have 1 or 2 baking sheets.
If using a convection oven, preheat it to 320°F/ 160°C. This type of oven will allow you to bake two trays at a time. In a regular oven, only bake one tray at a time.
Roll the dough: Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Flour your work surface and rolling pin. Press one piece of dough into a rough, thick rectangle, then roll it out to a size of about 13x7 inches/ 32x22 cm and a thickness of about ⅛ inch( 3-4 mm. Lift and turn the dough a few times while rolling, and sprinkle a little more flour on the work surface if needed. This will help prevent the dough from sticking.
Top saratele: Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl. Brush the pastry rectangle with the egg and generously sprinkle it with caraway seeds and just a little bit more grated cheese and flaky salt - not too much! You can brush and top the strips before or after cutting them.
1 small egg + caraway seeds + ½ cup cheese + a sprinkle of flaky salt
Cut the pastry into strips using a very sharp knife. Carefully lift the strips and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake saratele: Set the timer for 17-18 minutes. Check if the crackers are golden - if not, give them two more minutes. Avoid overbaking; they should be shiny and golden, not brown.
Rest crackers: Once done, let them rest on the tray for 5 minutes to firm up. Lifting them immediately may cause them to break.
Cool saratele: Carefully transfer them to wire racks with a plastic spatula and let them cool completely.
Bake remaining batches: While the first batch is baking, roll out and cut the second piece of dough.

Notes

Cheese: I prefer to give the amount of cheese in ounces and grams because accuracy is important. The cup measurements can vary significantly depending on how finely you grate the cheese.
Butter: You can use either salted or unsalted butter. If using salted butter, reduce the added salt slightly.
Topping: You can replace the caraway seeds with esame seeds or flaky salt.

Nutrition