Copycat Old Edwards Inn Buttermilk Crackers

Buttery, shatteringly crisp and addictively delicious, these buttermilk crackers are great for dips and spreads and are fabulous on charcuterie boards. They're also delightful served with soups and salads.

Scott and I spent a week in Highlands, NC last month, celebrating our 47th (yes!!) anniversary. Highlands is an adorable little mountain town about 2 hours west of where we live near Asheville. We enjoy so much about this touristy little town... lots of great hiking and biking, interesting little shops and boutiques and a beaucoup of wonderful restaurants. I got lots of great culinary inspiration on our little getaway, one of them being these fabulous buttermilk crackers.

The crackers are served at a beautiful historical (1878) inn located right in the heart of Highlands, The Old Edwards Inn. It's on the National Register of Historic Places and is bursting with charm and rustic elegance. Old Edwards Inn has a popular restaurant on its lovely premises that serves these delicious buttermilk crackers as an appetizer choice. The crackers are also sold in pretty little bags at some of the local shops.

I couldn't resist buying a bag of the super thin golden crackers and couldn't wait to see if they tasted as great as they looked. The first bite (and many thereafter) didn't disappoint. The crackers were buttery, shatteringly crisp and had just a touch of heat. They made a great little crunchy snack, were delicious with hummus or a cheese spreads and paired nicely with a charcuterie board and a glass of wine or sparkling water.

One small (solvable) problem

The only problem was the price. $10 for a small bag was hard for me to swallow but I purchased a second bag, for research purposes (with you in mind... okay, me too) as I HAD to figure out how to make the delicious crackers myself!

I couldn't wait - the morning after we returned home from our anniversary trip, I was in the kitchen busy at work. It took a little tinkering and Scott laughed later that morning when I presented him with a plate of shattering thin, super crisp, deliciously buttery Buttermilk Crackers.

He loved them! We still had a few of Old Edward's Inn crackers so I asked him to do a little comparison.

The results? Drum roll... known for being ruthlessly honest with me regarding my culinary endeavors, Scott LOVED the crackers and thought they were even better than the Highland's crackers! 🙌

And a BIG bonus? A whole batch of my buttermilk crackers can be made for WAY less than $10!

Two options

I decided to go with two options for the rolling out of these buttermilk crackers. You can either divide the dough into small portions and roll out each one individually (like the crackers shown in this post) OR, if you're in a hurry or just prefer a more rustic look, you can roll the dough out into large sheets, bake and then break the large crackers into serving size portions (that's how they serve them at The Old Edwards Inn). Either way works great!

What to serve with these butermilk crackers

Well, there are SO many things you can serve with these crackers. Here are afew ideas:

• They're delicious with hummus. We LOVE them with our delicious, herb-laded Green Goddess Hummus (pictured in this post).

• They pair nicely with pimento cheese (that's how they serve them at The Old Edwards Inn) and other cheese spreads.
• Pair these buttermilk crackers with any cheese or charcuterie board for a nice crunchy addition.
• This Mediterranean Feta Dip is fabulous served with these crisp buttery crackers.

• Serve these crackers in a basket when serving soups like this Roasted Red Pepper Soup or this Greek Chicken Pasta Soup.
• Add a little crunchy side to a salad like this French Bistro Salad.
• They're quite addictive on their own for an anytime-of-day snack!

Make a batch of these Buttermilk Crackers and pretend you're staying at a fancy inn tucked away in the beautiful southern Appalachian mountains. You can smile and keep it a secret that you didn't pay a fancy price and you have lots of extras to stash away for easy snacks and entertaining!

Café Tips for making these Copycat Old Edwards Inn Buttermilk Crackers

• There's a dash of cayenne pepper in these buttermilk crackers. The crackers aren't hot/spicy, there's just a tiny bit of heat. If you prefer spicier crackers, double the cayenne to ¼ teaspoon.
• You'll need one or more 12x18-inch sheet pans for this recipe. It's nice to have 2 or 3 sheet pans so you can work efficiently and not have to let them cool in between batches. I love these OXO Good Grip Sheet Pans. They're super sturdy and will last a lifetime (unless, of course, you're a crazy baker like I am. 🤷‍♀️)
• Don't worry about using extra flour when rolling out these crackers. Use as much as you need so the dough isn't sticking to the counter or your rolling pin.
• I'm not great at portioning out anything, whether is's cookie dough, bread dough or this buttermilk cracker dough so I often use a scale to keep things more proportionate. It's fine to eyeball this dough as it really doesn't matter if some of the crackers are larger than others, but if you prefer them to be similar in size, just use a kitchen scale.
• It's best to bake these buttermilk crackers on a parchment paper lined pan. I love these time-saving, pre-cut parchment papers, just the size of a 12x18-inch sheet pan.
• These crackers will keep well in an airtight container for several weeks. If you notice that they're not quite as crisp as you'd like, you can alwsy return them to the oven to recrisp them at 300˚F (149˚C). for 10 minuters.

Thought for the  day:

And I saw heaven standing open
and there before me was a white horse,
whose rider is called Faithful and True.
Revelation 19:11

What we're listening to for inspiration:

Faithful

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Copycat Old Edwards Inn Buttermilk Crackers

Chris Scheuer

Buttery, shatteringly crisp and addictingly delicious, these buttermilk crackers are great for dips and spreads and are fabulous on charcuterie boards. They're also delightful served with soups and salads.

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings 60 crackers

Calories 26

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

.5x1x2x

For the dough:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, I use Morton's
• ½ teaspoon instant yeast
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
• 4 ounces butter (1 stick), I used salted butter
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• fine salt , for sprinkling

Instructions

 

For the prep:

1. Get out 2-3 12x18-inch sheet pans and cut parchment paper to fit or use pre-cut parchment paper.

For the dough:

1. Combine flour, salt, yeast and cayenne pepper in a medium-size bowl. Stir well to combine then make a well in the center.
2. Place the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and microwave on high power for 60 seconds or until the butter is melted.
3. Add the butter and buttermilk to the well in the center of the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine and until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated.
4. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of flour out onto your work surface. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and turn it a few times to coat it with the flour.
5. Knead for 1-2 minutes, until it’s smooth and no longer sticky, adding more flour as needed (I usually end up using 5-6 tablespoons as I knead the dough.) Cover the dough with the bowl on the counter and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. After the resting time, proceed to roll the crackers with either of the two methods listed below.

To roll the dough into individual crackers:

1. Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper
2. Divide the dough into small portions, about the size of a medium cherry tomato. If you prefer to weigh the portions, make them 10-12g or ⅓ to ½ ounce. You should get around 60 portions. (I’m horrible at eye-balling portion sizes so I use my scale and make them all roughly the same size.)
3. Roll each portion of dough into a rough ball (nothing fancy) and flatten them on a floured work surface. (I usually do 8-10 at a time.) Keeping your work surface and your rolling pin, well-floured, roll out each portion of dough. Each portion will be very thin, just a little thicker than a sheet of paper. Don’t worry about getting them all the same shape, these are rustic crackers and are meant to be irregular.
4. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Sprinkle lightly with fine salt or kosher salt.
5. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the crackers are a light golden brown. Depending on the thickness, some may get a little more golden than others.
6. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. The crackers will crisp up as they cool.
7. Store in an airtight container when completely cool.

To roll the dough into 3 large break-apart crackers:

1. Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Get out a 12x18-inch sheet pan.
2. Divide the dough into 3 portions. Each one will be around 7 ounces or 190-200g. Form each portion into a ball (nothing fancy).
3. Place a 12x18-inch sheet of parchment paper on your work surface and sprinkle it with flour. Place one portion of the dough on the floured parchment and flatten the dough with your hand. Sprinkle it with flour and roll it out to within a half inch of the edges of the parchment. The dough will be thin.
4. Transfer the parchment to the sheet pan and prick the dough all over with a fork. Sprinkle lightly with fine salt or kosher salt.
5. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until lightly golden brown. If you want your crackers extra crisp, flip the sheet of dough over and bake for 2 additional minutes. Transfer the sheet as a whole to a cooling rack. The cracker will crisp up as it cools. When completely cool, break the sheet into smaller crackers, whatever size you prefer.
6. Repeat with the other two portions of dough.
7. Store the crackers in an airtight container when completely cool.

Nutrition

Serving: 1crackerCalories: 26kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 0.5gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 44mgPotassium: 5mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 49IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 0.1mg

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Course: Appetizer, Side, Snacks

Cuisine: American