These delicious and easy to make crackers taste even better thanks to a special Swiss grain—Dinkel, spelt.

Spelt in Switzerland

Like much of Europe, spelt production decreased in Switzerland throughout the 20th century and it was only in 1995 that concerned farmers and millers banded together to preserve this unique grain. They formed an organization to protect it: UrDinkel/EpeautrePur/SpeltaPura/PureSpelt.

It's not possible to fertilize the soil used to grow spelt, otherwise the stalks grow too quickly, buckle, and break in half. That means that the yield is lower, which was one reason the spelt began to be crossed with wheat. But UrDinkel wanted to preserve the original grain, so they established criteria for growing pure spelt.

What makes UrDinkel?

• The spelt must be a pure strain and not crossed with wheat.

• It must come from a region that traditionally produced the grain.

• It must be organically farmed.

• The finished product must contain pretty much no trace of any other grain.

Today protected UrDinkel is grown throughout the country—even in two fields across the street from our house in Trubschachen.

More on UrDinkel here.

These crackers are easy to make, satisfyingly crispy, and great plain for an Apèro, or the perfect accompaniment to a cheese platter and crudités.

200 g spelt flour

1 tsp salt

40 g butter, cold

120 ml water

Garnish:

a little oil or egg yolk

caraway seeds and coarse salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

Add the butter and rub in until you have a sandy consistency.

Add the water and stir until it comes together into a dough.

Let rest for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F / gas mark 4

Roll out the dough into a very thin, large rectangle, then carefully place on a lined baking sheet. Brush the dough with oil or yolk, then sprinkle with salt and caraway seeds.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the top is starting to brown.

• You can top these crackers with whatever seasonings you like—my other favourite is black and white sesame seeds.

• You can use other types of flour (or a mix) if you don’t have spelt.