Crispy Rye Crackers

Place water in a large bowl, sprinkle yeast on top, and let rest until yeast has dissolved, about 10 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Place dough on a surface sprinkled with rye flour and knead until smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes. (If the dough becomes too sticky, sprinkle it with additional rye flour as needed.)Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. On a surface sprinkled with rye flour (a warm spot is best), place dough balls at least 2 inches apart, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest until almost doubled in size, at least 1 hour.Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F and arrange two racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Remove 1 dough ball from underneath the plastic wrap (keep the remaining dough balls covered) and place on a surface generously dusted with rye flour.

Roll into a very thin, even round (until you can see the caraway seeds) about 10 to 11 inches in diameter, turning the dough often to keep it from sticking. Using a knife or a 1-inch circular cookie cutter, cut a hole in the middle of the round (this makes it easy to cool the crackers on the handle of a wooden spoon).

Place the round on one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat rolling and stamping a second round, placing it on the other baking sheet. Discard the cut-out dough centers.

Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake until the crackers have lightened in color but are not yet browned, about 6 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets between racks and continue baking until the crackers are dark brown all over and crisp, about 4 to 6 minutes more.

Transfer the crackers to a wire rack or long wooden spoon handle (anchored to a counter or table) to cool. Repeat with remaining dough balls. Store the crackers in an airtight container for up to 10 days.