I sometimes run across recipe that call for common crackers and
have had NO idea how large they were, which made it hard to
estimate that quantity of crumbs needed. I am flipping through a
book and just came across this, written by Ralph E. Flanders, the
then-Senator from Vermont: "The cracker called for in this recipe
is the old-fashioned 'common cracker' which in the old days filled
the cracker barrel at the country store. It goes under various
aliases such as St. Johnsbury cracker, Keene cracker, Montpelier
cracker, Hanover cracker, etc. It is the grandfather of the
regular oyster cracker, being however about three inches in diameter."

Source: The All American Cook Book: Favorite Recipes of Famous
Persons. Sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Schuetz-Hermann
Unit 283, Lebanon, Illinois. Marceline, Missouri: Walsworth
Bros., 1954. Page 46.
--
Jean B., who feels compelled to set such things down for posterity

Wow! I apparently type OR read. Here is an amended version.

Jean B. wrote:
> I sometimes run across recipes that call for common crackers and have had
> NO idea how large they were, which made it hard to estimate the
> quantity of crumbs needed. I am flipping through a book and just came
> across this, written by Ralph E. Flanders, the then-Senator from
> Vermont: "The cracker called for in this recipe is the old-fashioned
> 'common cracker' which in the old days filled the cracker barrel at the
> country store. It goes under various aliases such as St. Johnsbury
> cracker, Keene cracker, Montpelier cracker, Hanover cracker, etc. It is
> the grandfather of the regular oyster cracker, being however about three
> inches in diameter."
>
> Source: The All American Cook Book: Favorite Recipes of Famous
> Persons. Sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Schuetz-Hermann Unit
> 283, Lebanon, Illinois. Marceline, Missouri: Walsworth Bros., 1954.
> Page 46.


--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:25:31 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> Wow! I apparently type OR read. Here is an amended version.
>
> I only caught the "recipe" mistake. Everything else read fine at
> first glance.
>
> So I guess it sounds like the 'common cracker' is really the
> predecessor to a Saltine (now square for efficiency's sake).
>
> -sw

Yuck. When you put it THAT way.... I HATE Saltines.

--
Jean B.

In article >,
"Jean B." > wrote:

> I sometimes run across recipe that call for common crackers and
> have had NO idea how large they were, which made it hard to
> estimate that quantity of crumbs needed. I am flipping through a
> book and just came across this, written by Ralph E. Flanders, the
> then-Senator from Vermont: "The cracker called for in this recipe
> is the old-fashioned 'common cracker' which in the old days filled
> the cracker barrel at the country store. It goes under various
> aliases such as St. Johnsbury cracker, Keene cracker, Montpelier
> cracker, Hanover cracker, etc. It is the grandfather of the
> regular oyster cracker, being however about three inches in diameter."
>
> Source: The All American Cook Book: Favorite Recipes of Famous
> Persons. Sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Schuetz-Hermann
> Unit 283, Lebanon, Illinois. Marceline, Missouri: Walsworth
> Bros., 1954. Page 46.

Did a real quick web search and found this recipe, and some info at
http://cookandbemerry.com/homemade-n...mmon-crackers/


Homemade New England Common Crackers
Adapted from a recipe by Kathleen Annino
Makes about 100 crackers

Equipment

Rolling pin
Kitchen Aid or other heavy-duty mixer
Paddle and hook attachments for mixer
Hand-cranked pasta machine
Ingredients for Yeast Starter
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105*F to 110*F)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup bread flour

Ingredients for Cracker Dough

1 cup yeast starter
1 to 1 1/4 cups bread flour
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) vegetable shortening or lard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon instant potato flakes
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
An additional 1 1/2 to 2 cups bread flour

Instructions

1. Make the starter: Whisk together the yeast, water, brown sugar, lemon
juice and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the flour to make a batter.

2. Transfer batter to a large container with a snap-on cover and set out
at room temperature for 24 to 60 hours until it rises and forms large
bubbles. If left long enough it will deflate and separate. This is ok.
The gases formed may blow the cover off. Just put it back on.

3. Make the cracker dough: Put 1 cup of starter in a large bowl and
sprinkle with the 1 cup of flour. Begin incorporating the flour with a
fork and finish with your hands, kneading it in the bowl. Cover and let
rest for 1 hour.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together with a fork the shortening, salt,
potato flakes, brown sugar and baking soda. Mix in the water and lemon
juice, mixing thoroughly until very little water remains in the bowl.

5. Place the dough ball in the bowl of a Kitchen Aid or other heavy-duty
mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the shortening/water mixture and
knead it into the dough ball on medium speed.

6. Gradually add the additional 1 1/2 cups flour, switching to the dough
hook as the dough stiffens. Knead on medium speed with the hook for
about 5 minutes until you have a smooth ball. You may need to stop and
reposition the dough ball onto the hook.

7. Cut the dough ball into quarters and put three of them in a zip-lock
bag so they don¹t dry out.

8. With a rolling pin, roll one piece of dough into a rectangle 3/8-inch
thick. Put through rollers on pasta machine on widest setting, starting
with a short end.

9. Fold rolled dough into thirds like a business letter, pressing layers
together slightly with your fingers. Give the dough a quarter turn and
roll again. Repeat folding and rolling a total of six times. The final
dough sheet should be no thicker than 1/4 inch.

10. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment
paper.

11. Cut 1 1/2-inch rounds from the rolled dough and place on baking
sheet 1/4 inch apart. Repeat with remaining 3 quarters of dough. Reserve
excess dough scraps from cut-out in zip bag after each quarter is rolled
out.

12. Form the four leftover dough scraps into a ball, roll out as with
previous quarters.

12. Bake dough rounds for about 8 minutes, until they have risen, are
light brown and firm to the touch. Set first baking sheet aside while
you bake the second sheet. When it is finished baking, set second sheet
aside.

13. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees F. Place the two sheets back
in oven and dry out the crackers for about 2 hours.

14. Store in an airtight container when completely cool. Re-crisp in a
400 degree F oven for 5 minutes if necessary.

Note: For traditional use, split the crackers in half with a small sharp
knife, spread with butter and toast under the broiler, then crumble into
chowder.

In article >,
"Jean B." > wrote:

> I sometimes run across recipe that call for common crackers and
> have had NO idea how large they were, which made it hard to
> estimate that quantity of crumbs needed. I am flipping through a
> book and just came across this, written by Ralph E. Flanders, the
> then-Senator from Vermont: "The cracker called for in this recipe
> is the old-fashioned 'common cracker' which in the old days filled
> the cracker barrel at the country store. It goes under various
> aliases such as St. Johnsbury cracker, Keene cracker, Montpelier
> cracker, Hanover cracker, etc. It is the grandfather of the
> regular oyster cracker, being however about three inches in diameter."
>
> Source: The All American Cook Book: Favorite Recipes of Famous
> Persons. Sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Schuetz-Hermann
> Unit 283, Lebanon, Illinois. Marceline, Missouri: Walsworth
> Bros., 1954. Page 46.

Also found this at-
http://www.food.com/recipe/common-crackers-273527

Looks a little less complex

Ingredients:

Yields: 24 crackers

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup plus milk
plus extra milk, to brush on crackers
Directions:

1
Sift together flour, salt and sugar.

2
Cut in butter until mixture has the consistency of corm meal.

3
Stir in enough milk to make a stiff dough.

4
Roll to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board.

5
Cut into 3-4 inch rounds.

6
Prick surface with a fork.

7
Brush surface with milk.

8
Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in a 425°F oven for 15 to 18
minutes or until light golden brown.

9
Store in an airtight container.

10
Split crackers and serve with chowder

K wrote:
> In article >,
> "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> I sometimes run across recipe that call for common crackers and
>> have had NO idea how large they were, which made it hard to
>> estimate that quantity of crumbs needed. I am flipping through a
>> book and just came across this, written by Ralph E. Flanders, the
>> then-Senator from Vermont: "The cracker called for in this recipe
>> is the old-fashioned 'common cracker' which in the old days filled
>> the cracker barrel at the country store. It goes under various
>> aliases such as St. Johnsbury cracker, Keene cracker, Montpelier
>> cracker, Hanover cracker, etc. It is the grandfather of the
>> regular oyster cracker, being however about three inches in diameter."
>>
>> Source: The All American Cook Book: Favorite Recipes of Famous
>> Persons. Sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Schuetz-Hermann
>> Unit 283, Lebanon, Illinois. Marceline, Missouri: Walsworth
>> Bros., 1954. Page 46.
>
> Also found this at-
> http://www.food.com/recipe/common-crackers-273527
>
> Looks a little less complex
>
> Ingredients:
>
> Yields: 24 crackers
>
> 4 cups all-purpose flour
> 2 tablespoons sugar
> 1 teaspoon salt
> 1/4 cup butter
> 1 cup plus milk
> plus extra milk, to brush on crackers
> Directions:
>
> 1
> Sift together flour, salt and sugar.
>
> 2
> Cut in butter until mixture has the consistency of corm meal.
>
> 3
> Stir in enough milk to make a stiff dough.
>
> 4
> Roll to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board.
>
> 5
> Cut into 3-4 inch rounds.
>
> 6
> Prick surface with a fork.
>
> 7
> Brush surface with milk.
>
> 8
> Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in a 425°F oven for 15 to 18
> minutes or until light golden brown.
>
> 9
> Store in an airtight container.
>
> 10
> Split crackers and serve with chowder

I am betting the common crackers of yore were pretty plain. I was
mainly interested in their size, because one comes across very old
recipes that call for a certain number of common crackers. That
is pretty meaningless now. And that type of phenomenon is one
reason why I try to document some things on this group. It is now
very hard to come by, virtually lost.

--
Jean B.

On Fri, 26 Jul 2013 23:44:24 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:

>K wrote:
>> In article >,
>> "Jean B." > wrote:
>>
>>> I sometimes run across recipe that call for common crackers and
>>> have had NO idea how large they were, which made it hard to
>>> estimate that quantity of crumbs needed. I am flipping through a
>>> book and just came across this, written by Ralph E. Flanders, the
>>> then-Senator from Vermont: "The cracker called for in this recipe
>>> is the old-fashioned 'common cracker' which in the old days filled
>>> the cracker barrel at the country store. It goes under various
>>> aliases such as St. Johnsbury cracker, Keene cracker, Montpelier
>>> cracker, Hanover cracker, etc. It is the grandfather of the
>>> regular oyster cracker, being however about three inches in diameter."
>>>
>>> Source: The All American Cook Book: Favorite Recipes of Famous
>>> Persons. Sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Schuetz-Hermann
>>> Unit 283, Lebanon, Illinois. Marceline, Missouri: Walsworth
>>> Bros., 1954. Page 46.
>>
>> Also found this at-
>> http://www.food.com/recipe/common-crackers-273527
>>
>> Looks a little less complex
>>
>> Ingredients:
>>
>> Yields: 24 crackers
>>
>> 4 cups all-purpose flour
>> 2 tablespoons sugar
>> 1 teaspoon salt
>> 1/4 cup butter
>> 1 cup plus milk
>> plus extra milk, to brush on crackers
>> Directions:
>>
>> 1
>> Sift together flour, salt and sugar.
>>
>> 2
>> Cut in butter until mixture has the consistency of corm meal.
>>
>> 3
>> Stir in enough milk to make a stiff dough.
>>
>> 4
>> Roll to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board.
>>
>> 5
>> Cut into 3-4 inch rounds.
>>
>> 6
>> Prick surface with a fork.
>>
>> 7
>> Brush surface with milk.
>>
>> 8
>> Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in a 425°F oven for 15 to 18
>> minutes or until light golden brown.
>>
>> 9
>> Store in an airtight container.
>>
>> 10
>> Split crackers and serve with chowder
>
>I am betting the common crackers of yore were pretty plain. I was
>mainly interested in their size, because one comes across very old
>recipes that call for a certain number of common crackers. That
>is pretty meaningless now. And that type of phenomenon is one
>reason why I try to document some things on this group. It is now
>very hard to come by, virtually lost.

Well, based on the above recipe, they were 1/4 inch thick and 3/4 inch
in diameter prior to cooking and contained about 2 tbsp of flour each.