1. Heat the oven to 400°F with a large pizza stone on the center rack if you have one.

2. Put the flour, salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse until combined, or cut them together in a bowl with 2 knives or your fingertips. Add about 1/4 cup water and continue to mix until the dough holds together but is not sticky, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed.

3. Put a large piece of parchment paper on a clean work surface and dust lightly with flour. Turn out the dough onto the parchment and knead it a few times to make a smooth ball. Divide the dough in half and roll out each piece to 1/4 inch thick or even thinner — it can’t be bigger than your baking sheet, but aim to get it about that size — turning it a few times to prevent sticking and sprinkling with more flour as needed. If it sticks, sweep a bench scraper under the dough to help lift it. If at any point the dough shrinks back, leave it alone to rest, uncovered, for a few minutes. Score lightly with a sharp knife or pizza cutter if you want to break the crackers into neat squares or rectangles after baking. Poke the surface all over with a fork if you like. Repeat with the other half to bake both pieces at one time or set it aside if you’re baking in batches.

4. Transfer the parchment with the dough directly to a baking sheet or the pizza stone. Bake until the bottom is lightly browned, about 10 minutes, checking periodically to make sure the edges don’t burn. Depending on your oven, the crackers may brown unevenly; you may want to trim or break off any darker parts along the edges and then let the rest finish. If the crackers brown before they’ve fully crisped up, crack the oven door, decrease the heat to 200°F, and continue baking until completely dried out and crisp, another 5 minutes or so. Cool on the parchment on a wire rack, then carefully break the crackers apart. Serve a room temperature or store in an airtight container for a couple days.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition