Sadly, I have had to retire my recipe for Saltine Soufflé Crackers, a recipe where you soak Saltines in water, grate butter over them, and bake until they puff into delicate, golden, buttery crackers. But the good news is I've found a replacement -- Crispy Fried Saltines!
Where's the Old Recipe?
But wait, what happened to the old recipe? Well, it just stopped working. I got a little obsessed with it and kept testing using water, vodka, changing soak times and trying different brands of crackers. The results were inconsistent. I suspect the ingredients changed in the Saltines and now they absorb water almost instantly and collapse instead of "souffléing".
So I switched to an pan-fry that removes moisture instead of adding it. There's no soaking involved. You make crispy fried Saltines by dropping them into a little hot oil for about a minute per side. They blister, turn golden, and develop this crisp, shatter-y texture that feels almost like a cross between a cracker and a light chip. They're simple, more reliable, crispier and open to creativity in terms of seasoning. You can go with flaky salt or something like Old Bay and add your favorite brand of red pepper flakes.
Recipe
Crispy Fried Saltines
Ingredients
- 1 sleeve Saltines (about 40 crackers)
- `½ inch peanut oil or sunflower oil (high smoking point)**
- 1 pinch flaky salt or seasoning
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or any size heavy duty pot that you trust, heat about ½ inch of a good high smoking point oil like peanut oil. Target 375F, but don't get too hung up on the thermometer read because the small amount of oil will get too hot, too fast. Just heat until it seems very hot and throw in a test cracker. It should sizzle and brown.
- Carefully controlling the heat of the oil, add crackers (upside down is best) to the oil and quick fry for just about 1 to ½ minutes, turning halfway through. Keep an eye on them. Some of mine were done in a little more than a minute.
- Remove with a slotted spatula and transfer to a paper towel lined plate or tray to cool and crisp. Sprinkle with seasonings and pepper while still warm.
Anna says
Hi Will! Thanks for bringing up this old fun recipe. I was literally about to toss some stale Saltines, but saw your comment and made a quick batch. The stale crackers absorbed the water in less than 2 minutes, while my earlier batches were able to withstand 10 minutes. Maybe the staler the cracker, the quicker they absorb? Or perhaps it's the brand. I used store brand this time, not actual Saltines. While I was at it I soaked some crackers in straight up vodka just to see what would happen. The vodka took a longer time to soak in. So the Camp David crackers, like my original batch, were probably soaked for 10 minutes as you suspected.
Will says
I watched the White House Stewards make these soufflé crackers at Camp David when I was stationed there in 1970. Richard Nixon was the president at the time. I was impressed with the process of soaking and then rebaking the lowly saltine. I’m sure they were soaked for much longer than 10 seconds. My guess is it was closer to 10 minutes.
Gerry Garcia says
Susan. I remember those cookies at the WH when I worked there then. Can you post the recipe please.
Susan Filippi says
Nancy Reagan used to serve these at the White House. I have a cut out newspaper article I saved as a kid with her recipe for these. She used to soak them for 5 to 10 minutes. They are excellent !
Anna says
Hi Lorna,
I’m so glad you are familiar with this recipe!! About the soak time, I tried another version that had the quick 10 second soak time. The 10 second crackers were great, but I found that with the 10 minute soak time, they puffed up more (due to the absorbed water) and baked up a little lighter. However, I liked the 10 second soak version too. Also, if you only soak for 10 seconds you can brush them with butter or oil rather than use grated butter.
Lorna says
I learned to make these in my high school cooking class back in the 60's. Are you sure you soak the crackers for 10 minutes? I seem to remember it was only about 10 seconds, although I no longer have the written recipe. I also brush the wet crackers with melted butter and sprinkle poppy seeds and sesame seeds on them before I bake them. They are so good and I get a lot of compliments on them.
melissa@the hungry artist says
Interesting recipe, Anna!
And a big congratulations about the book!!! Can't wait to see it in November!
Paula B. says
I love all kinds of crackers including saltines so I know I will have to try making these soon. Had never heard of this "technique". They look yummy and I believe it will be hard to stop eating them , thanks for the heads-up!
Anna says
Sue, yes. I'd say it was. They weren't that difficult to work with, plus they're so cheap I felt like I had nothing to lose! It was a fun recipe to play with. My biggest challenge was getting the bake time just right.
Cheryl, we have that same problem. We'll eat one sleeve straight, but I usually use the rest of the Saltines in one of these recipes:
Rooster's Famous Fire Crackers
https://www.cookiemadness.net/2011/02/roosters-famous-fire-crackers/ and
Cracker Candy
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cracker-candy/
Cheryl says
Looks like a good way to use up stale crackers! We never are able to eat a whole box!
Sue says
This seems really unusual! Was coping with the soggy saltines worth it?