Regañás
Regañás are the Andalusian crackers served with tapas in Seville: very thin, brittle sheets of yeast dough rich in olive oil, sprinkled with sesame and salt. They are crisper and richer than ordinary crispbread, and their flavour depends above all on good olive oil. They suit cheese, ham, olives and salmorejo. The dough could not be simpler; the whole trick is to roll it really thin, to about 1 mm.
Your own work in that: 25 min.
- Dough 10 min
- Rising 60 min
- Rolling 15 min
- Baking 55 min
- Cooling 15 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneKnead the dough
Mix the flour with the yeast, salt and sesame. Add the olive oil and lukewarm water and knead 8 minutes until smooth and fairly firm — much stiffer than bread dough.
Ingredients: 250 g plain wheat flour · 130 ml lukewarm water · 40 ml olive oil · 3 g dried yeast · 5 g salt · 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Leave to rise
Cover and leave somewhere warm for 45–60 minutes. The dough will rise only a little — normal with this much oil.
Ingredients: 250 g plain wheat flour · 130 ml lukewarm water · 40 ml olive oil · 3 g dried yeast · 5 g salt · 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Divide the dough
Heat the oven to 200°C. Divide the dough into 3 pieces (about 145 g each) and cover the ones you are not rolling yet.
Ingredients: 250 g plain wheat flour · 130 ml lukewarm water · 40 ml olive oil · 3 g dried yeast · 5 g salt · 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Roll it thin
Roll one piece on baking parchment into a rectangle the size of the tray, about 30 × 40 cm — that gives about 1 mm thick. If the dough shrinks back, wait a moment and carry on rolling.
Ingredients: 250 g plain wheat flour · 130 ml lukewarm water · 40 ml olive oil · 3 g dried yeast · 5 g salt · 1 tbsp sesame seeds
About 1 mm — thinner than seems possible.Top and prick
Brush the sheet thinly with oil, scatter with sesame and salt, press with the rolling pin and prick all over with a fork so the crackers do not puff.
Ingredients: 10 ml olive oil for brushing · 1 tbsp sesame seeds · ½ tsp coarse salt
Cut
Cut the sheet with a pizza wheel or knife into strips about 4 × 12 cm — one sheet gives about 25, and they need not be even, as regañás are irregular. Slide them onto a tray with the parchment.
Ingredients: 250 g plain wheat flour · 130 ml lukewarm water · 40 ml olive oil · 3 g dried yeast · 5 g salt · 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Uneven strips — as they look in Seville.Bake
Bake one tray at a time for 12–15 minutes until golden and completely stiff. Roll out the next portion meanwhile.
Ingredients: 250 g plain wheat flour · 130 ml lukewarm water · 40 ml olive oil · 3 g dried yeast · 5 g salt · 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Cool
Move the crackers to a rack and cool completely — only then do they become fully brittle. If one stays soft, bake it 2–3 minutes more.
Ingredients: 250 g plain wheat flour · 130 ml lukewarm water · 40 ml olive oil · 3 g dried yeast · 5 g salt · 1 tbsp sesame seeds
On a rack — they crisp up as they cool.
Before you start
Flavour variations
You can add a teaspoon of smoked paprika, fennel seeds, nigella or coarsely ground pepper to the dough. Always keep the sesame — it is the signature of regañás.
What to serve them with
Serve with manchego, ham, anchovies, olives, hummus and cold soups — salmorejo and ajo blanco.
Storage
In an airtight tin the crackers stay crisp for 2 weeks. If they soften, put them in a 180°C oven for 3 minutes and cool.
