Every time I pick up a package of crackers, the minute I see the ingredient list, alarm bells go off in my head. All those multi-syllabic words on a never-ending list that ultimately makes me mechanically return them back to the shelf where they belong. What’s funny is that I’d never thought to make my own sesame crackers until I came across this recipe on a Chinese website. My mother loves a similar kind of scallion sesame cracker that she buys all the time, which I’m sure aren’t the healthiest thing she could be eating. So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it, and was surprised at how simple and easy they were. They’re guilt-free and perfect for snacking! You’ll need:
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1 cup very finely chopped scallion (make sure you wash and thoroughly pat the scallions dry before chopping)
- 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (or vegetable shortening)
In a bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, yeast, baking soda, salt, sesame seeds, and scallions. Add the milk and melted butter and stir to form a dough. Work the dough for a minute or two, until you have a smooth ball. Let rest for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Divide the dough in half and take out a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Brush some oil on your rolling pin to prevent sticking. On the parchment paper, roll the dough to the thickness of a quarter (about 2 millimeters). The thinner the dough, the crispier the cracker. 
Choose whatever shaped cutter you’d like to use to cut the crackers (we just used a small glass), and place them on a baking sheet. Use a fork to poke holes in the crackers, to prevent them from puffing up while baking. Bake the crackers for 12-15 minutes, until golden. 
- 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1 cup very finely chopped scallion
- ½ cup milk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- In a bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, yeast, baking soda, salt, sesame seeds, and scallions. Add the milk and melted butter and stir to form a dough. Work the dough for a minute or two, until you have a smooth ball. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Divide the dough in half and take out a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Brush some oil on your rolling pin to prevent sticking. On the parchment paper, roll the dough to the thickness of a quarter (about 2 millimeters). The thinner the dough, the crispier the cracker.
- Choose whatever shaped cutter you'd like to use to cut the crackers (we just used a small glass), and place them on a baking sheet. Use a fork to poke holes in the crackers, to prevent them from puffing up while baking. Bake the crackers for 12-15 minutes, until golden.
Connie Crowley says
Looks great! Can you tell me how long the crackers will store for?
Judy says
Hi Connie, mine did not last very long before they were all gone, so I can’t provide an exact timeline on how long they will store for.
Jocelyn says
Hi there,
Would it work to use rice flour instead of wheat?
Thanks so much. They look great!
Bill says
Good question Jocelyn, I bet rice flour would work…yielding a crunchy rice cracker. Not sure how exactly to make the substitution though. I’ll have to ask Judy to try it :)
Sally says
Just made these today! It came out great! I tried my best to air out the green onions, but it was still a little sticky. However, I had no problem rolling it out once I oiled up my rolling pin.
My oven is a little old so I baked it for 15 mins then flipped crackers to bake for another 5 mins. It came out extra crispy! Thank you so much for this recipe. :)
Judy says
Wow, so awesome! Thank you for sharing, Sally.
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says
I remember how I used to buy this from Chinese grocery stores all the time! I’ll try to make this soon with the notes from other readers!
Sarah says
Thanks Lisa! We’re going to give them another go and make some updates to the recipe soon as well!
mila furman says
As always…another gorgeous post from you guys! Thank you so much for linking with us at #foodiefridays!!! We look forward to see what you are cooking up this week!
Natasha says
This look like a lot of fun! My husband adores sesame seeds, to I’m sure these would be a hit at home. Visiting from SNF!
Judy says
Hi, Natasha, thank you so much for commenting. I am certain it will be a hit.
Ashley says
My dough came out so sticky…I couldn’t even roll it and work with it. Had to scrap the whole thing. I’m definitely a novice with dough making, but how do get it to not be sticky????
Judy says
Oh, Ashley, so sorry to hear that. The dough is kind of sticky in the beginning, you just have to knead it a little longer and coat your hand with just a little bit of flour (if you are kneading it by hand like I do). Just a little bit of extra kneading and flour makes a big difference. Do resist the urge to add too much flour to the dough. Also, make sure the scallion is dry before cutting. The finished dough (before rolling out) should be as smooth and soft as a baby’s bottom!
Kat says
Just attempted these too…like Sophie – they only turned out mildly successful…
I think an instruction as important as making sure your scallions are dry should be made clear at the very beginning – the first thing I did was wash my scallions!
This resulted in my dough being very sticky and impossible to roll. I ended up having to flour a worktop (lots!!) and rolling it on that to be able to do anything with it.
Oh well….next time hopefully they will turn out better!
Sarah says
Hey Kat, thank you so much for sharing your experience. You’re totally right…we forgot to add the instruction about drying the scallions thoroughly before chopping and adding to the dough. We’re actually going to make these crackers again, so that we can adjust the recipe if needed. Thank you for alerting us to this, and for being a pioneer for all of our other readers. : )
Rie says
These look delish! Can’t wait to try. I’m sure my husband will love them.
Judy says
Thanks, Rie.
Sophie says
Those are gorgeous! How fun! Cracker-making, yes….. I tried my first this summer…. it was only mildly successful. Time to keep practicing, and I love the sesame in these!
Judy says
Hi, Sophie, the trick is to roll the dough as thin as possible. Next time, I’ll try to make them with whole wheat flour so they’ll be completely guilt-free. :-)