Rosemary and Dried Cranberry Raincoast Crisps

There used to be a small cheese shop in Yachats, the coastal town in Oregon we call home in the summer. The woman who owned "Cheese and Crackers" was open for breakfast and lunch.While there were no eggs or pancakes on the menu, there were pastries of all kinds. For lunch she served soup and salads, small pizzas and cheese plates. It was affordable and very good. She also sold cheese unique to the region and small packets of homemade crackers. Her crackers were different and very delicious. When I saw this recipe over at the blog Dinner With Julie I knew I had to make them. I served this with a softened Saint Andre cheese I picked up at Trader Joe's.

Ingredients:

1 cup wholewheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup dried raisins (I used cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used almonds)
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (optional) (I did not add)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seed (ground)
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary (chopped)

To prepare:

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, sugar and honey, mix together. Add the cranberries, almonds, sesame seeds, flax seed and rosemary and stir until just blended.

Pour the batter into two 8" x 4" loaf pans that have been sprayed with a non-stick spray. Bake for about 35- to 40 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

*Julie notes that the cooler the bread the easier it is to slice*. Let the bread cool completely, then wrap in aluminum foil and freeze for a few hours or until the next day. This will make two 8" x 4" loaf pans so you can always keep one in the freezer for a rainy day.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Slice bread as thin as you can and place the slices on parchment paper in a single layer. Reduce the oven heat to 300°F. and bake for 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake another 15 minutes (I baked mine 20 minutes on second side, until they are crisp and a deep golden brown. Enjoy!