Recipe: Zelniky (Czech Sauerkraut Crackers)

Zelniky

Makes about 3 dozen crackers

Delicious served with soup or salad, these unusual sauerkraut crackers are easy to make and surprisingly tasty. During the Czech Days Festival in Tabor, South Dakota, zelniky are consumed in prodigious quantities. Serve these as cocktail nibbles or to accompany a good microbrewed beer, spread with hearty mustard and topped with slices of cooked Polish or kielbasa sausage. These keep well.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 cup shortening
2 cups sauerkraut, drained

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease two baking sheets and set aside. Combine the flour and white pepper in a food processor, add the shortening, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sauerkraut and pulse until the dough starts to form a ball.

2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Pinch off tablespoon-sized pieces of dough, roll each piece into a ball, and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the balls with the bottom of a drinking glass to about a 1/4-inch thickness.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the crackers are golden brown and crisp. Let cool, then store in an airtight container.

Buy the Book!

Prairie Home Breads
150 Splendid Recipes from America's Breadbasket
By Judith M. Fertig
Harvard Common Press, 2001
Hardcover, $ 18.95
ISBN: 1-55832-172-1
Recipe reprinted by permission.