Last week I was working on the first baking challenge in the Healthy Breads in Five Minutes (HBin Five) – Spicy Whole Grain Snack Crackers. I emailed the group about my failure – my crackers were pillows of bread instead of crispy crackers. Michelle, our fearless leader, suggested that I needed to just practice rolling them thinner, adding the importance of a good rolling pin.
I had used my mom’s rolling pin – a heavy, glass Roll-Rite with lots of memories. She had used this so many times in my youth rolling out pie dough and cookies. I rarely use it, but when I do it makes me feel like she’s there helping me.

Since Michelle had mentioned the importance of the rolling pin, I decided to put aside the memories and grabbed hubby’s wood rolling pin from our catch-all drawer. I couldn’t believe the difference and the ease in rolling out the dough. This pin is not only light, but it spins with little effort.
I started rolling out the dough and decided I’d first make breadsticks. Since I hadn’t tried making them before, I didn’t have any history of failure. After the dough was rolled thin, I used hubby’s long pizza knife to cut the long strips, instead of the regular pizza cutters suggested by the book. I was so happy with the breadsticks that I attempted the crackers. Using the pizza knife to cut the dough into squares worked like a charm. The crackers were much better this time, but still a tad too thick. However, had I worked the dough just a little longer they would have been perfect. I see a lot more breadsticks and crackers in my future.

Now that I think about it, Dad use to tell me that you need the right tool (or gadget) for the job. And, he was so right. If you are interested in baking through this interesting book, join us here.
Bravo, Lynda! Those look absolutely delicious!
Love you site. Really nice look to it. And I’m very jealous of you glass rolling pin and your pizza knife! I’ve never heard of or seen either. So cool. I’m not a fan of pizza cutters – I usually use my chef’s knife.
I love the looks of those breadsticks…..are they nice and crispy?
Cheryl,
Yes they are real crispy! I was sooo happy with them and they were gone in a flash. I’m going to make them again to use up the remainder of my dough.
I do love the bread stick idea. They look fabulous!
Good morning ~ I just found you through blotanical. I would love to know where this HBIN Five group is. I’d love to try these breadsticks and crackers and other recipes as well. They look fantastic.
FlowerLady
Good Morning, There is a link on that post to the group or just check out http://www.bigblackdogs.net. She has a link at the top to HBinFive group. Thanks for stopping by.
LOVE the breadsticks! I make breadsticks at least every 2 weeks! Glad you had a good time making these and found a gadget that works!
Hi Lynda,
It’s been a long time since I’ve made crackers, but I remember struggling to figure out how thick or thin they should be. I like both of your rolling pins.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I am excited to get the kitchen redone. It is so small, and I wish we could figure out an affordable way to make it larger, but at least it will be more functional.
You asked about music. I wonder if you had more than one blog open at a time when you read mine, because I don’t have any music on my Corner Garden blog. I have Christian music on my branches blog. If you scroll down, you’ll find a list of what I have playing. There is a place where you can click to make a playlist to embed in your blog, if you are interested.
Hi Lyndah! Great post–and thanks for sharing the link to the HBin5 group! I’ve been dying to get my hands on this book, and I can’t wait to read how others do with the recipes.
http://watsourced.blogspot.com
Kaitlyn, Thanks for dropping by and hope you’ll join us on HBin5.