When it comes to charcuterie, variety is the key. So it is with choosing the right kinds of breads and crackers for your charcuterie board.
For charcuterie boards, choose 2-4 breads and/or crackers, depending on the size of your board. Offer a variety of different textures, flavors, shapes and sizes to give your guests different choices. Breads are best for dips and spreads while crackers are best for cheese and meats.
Sounds easy enough, right? Sure, until you go down the cracker aisle and see the myriad of choices available to you. With this guide at your fingertips, cutting through all the choices and picking the right breads and crackers for your charcuterie board should be a breeze.
Here is a quick reference guide to help you make your bread and cracker choices.
For a downloadable version, click here
Balancing your board
Successful charcuterie boards have a healthy balance of different textures, shapes, colors and flavors. Variety is essential. So when you are picking breads and crackers, keep these elements in mind.
Crackers – Balancing textures, flavor profiles and shapes
Crackers come in 4 basic shapes: round, hexagonal (6 sided), square and rectangle. Pick a different shape for each cracker on your board.
There are many different flavors of crackers on the market. This is probably the most difficult part. There are flaky, buttery crackers like Ritz. There are multigrain crackers, flavored crackers and flatbread crackers. Again, choose one cracker from each flavor profile.
The last consideration is texture. Texture means the feel of something.
For example, a rope has a different texture than a piece of glass. The rope is rough and the glass is smooth. So it is with food. Different foods have different textures.
A cracker’s texture can be altered based on it’s flavor profile. Sometimes the flavor of the cracker will give it a different texture than another flavor of the same type of cracker.
For example, a whole wheat cracker with sesame seeds has a sesame flavor profile and the seeds give it a bumpier texture than just a regular whole wheat cracker.
When considering cracker texture, the general types are flaky (like ritz), rough (this could either be a multi-grain cracker with different grains and seeds or a shredded cracker like a triscuit), shiny/glossy (these are typically rice cracker varieties), and smooth and flat (like a flatbread)
Do your best not to duplicate the same cracker type from any of the characteristics listed above.
Below are 3 types of crackers that I like to use on charcuterie boards. Each one has a different shape, texture and flavor from the other two.
Multi-Seed Crackers – This cracker is rectangular in shape, sesame flavored with a rough , seedy texture.
Square Buttery Crackers – This cracker is square in shape, buttery in flavor and flaky texture
Flatbread Crackers – This cracker is triangular in shape, floury flavored with a tortilla like texture.
Picking these three crackers for your charcuterie board would give your guests plenty of options to choose from. You don’t have to choose these exact three, but they pair well together.
Gluten Free Options
If you have gluten intolerant guests, there are other cracker options that are just as delicious as regular crackers. You can choose from rice, sweet potato, corn and nut crackers.
The great news is, GF products have become so popular that you don’t have to go to a specialty or health food store to find them. Most traditional grocery stores now have a dedicated GF section, or GF options mixed in with the normal products.
Breads
Like crackers, there are multiple types of shapes, flavors and textures of bread.
There are a wide range of sizes of breads to choose from. They range from small and circular, like a baguette, to extra wide and oval like a sourdough round.
Their flavors can range from a traditional white or french bread, sourdough, herb infused, rye, whole wheat and the list goes on.
Bread can be dry and with a hard, soft with a crispy crust, soft with a soft crust, dense, or airy. I’m sure there are even more textures but this is good enough for our purposes here.
Balancing the three characteristics of bread is important for a great board as well. Some breads work better with some jams, dips and spreads than others. Knowing which bread and spread to pair together is important.
Lets look at the most common types of breads used on charcuterie boards and what they pair with.
Baguettes
Baguettes are a must for charcuterie.
There are many different spreads that work well with baguettes. They pair well with savory spreads. Anything with an oil or cream base will do the trick, like a rosemary and black pepper oil drizzle, or a roasted mushroom and black olive cream cheese spread.
Sourdough
Sourdough bread is an important addition to a charcuterie board because the flavor of sourdough is so different from any other type of bread.
Sourdough bread pairs well with both sweet and savory spreads. It is just as good with a fig jam as it is with a garlic butter. You may want to consider toasting it first. That little added bit of toasting seems to transform the sourdough into a culinary masterpiece.
Multi-grain
Multigrain breads add much needed texture and can incorporate a few different types of breads.
You could choose a whole wheat, whole grain, rye or any other types of grain (other than white flour). Multigrain breads tend to lend themselves more to the sweet spreads, but can still be good with savory. An orange marmalade or honey butter drizzle are a perfect compliment to a grain bread.
Flavored Artisan
Flavored artisan breads add variety and prevent flavor fatigue.
They are typically savory in nature, like rosemary and olive oil, or cheddar cheese crusted. There are sweet options that could be great to break up the salty nature of the meat and cheeses. A cranberry sweet bread or orange loaf would be amazing on a board. I would probably cut them up into little bite sized pieces if using a sweet bread.
Gluten Free Breads
Gluten free breads are becoming more popular and getting better in texture than they use to be. I have noticed that everyone has their own favorite brands, so I would recommend checking out the gluten free section of your store and trying a few before hand to see what you like. You might even want to try a GF box mix.
I have a gluten free child at my house so we have tried a few brands. His and my favorite are the Schär GF products.
They have a good double pack of baguettes. (I would cut them at an angle to get a little more surface area and toast them first.) They also have multi-grain, sourdough and white bread options. We have used all 4 types instead of regular french bread on spaghetti nights. you can’t go wrong with any of them. But they are better toasted.
*I am not an affiliate for Schär, I just prefer their GF bread products over most other brands. Plus they are available at Walmart now.
Try these less common breads
For a fun twist on breads and crackers, you can try some of these other alternatives.
Mini Croissants
Mini croissants should be used over regular sized because of space concerns.
Regular sized croissants would dominate the board. Mini croissants are the perfect size and pair well with a sweeter charcuterie board, with fruits and jams.
Tortilla Chips
Tortilla Chips are a great option if you are serving a pico de gallo, guacamole or artichoke dip.
Try using a blue or multi colored variety for visual interest.
Mini Muffins
Mini Muffins are preferred for the same reason mini croissants are preferred. The regular sized muffins are too big for a regular charcuterie board. Plus, charcuterie is meant to be bite sized foods. Muffins would be good on a board that was geared more towards a baby or bridal shower, a breakfast board or a kids board.
Pretzel Bites
Pretzel bites work well with more whimsical boards.
Maybe a late night snack board for a slumber party, or a lunch board for your church potluck in the park. It would be especially well suited for a superbowl party or sports event party platter.
Use your imagination and come up with many more fun ways to mix up the grains on your boards.
What is your favorite go-to bread or cracker on your charcuterie boards? Comment below.