Instructions

1. Set a pizza stone on the middle rack in the oven and heat oven to 500° for about 45 minutes. If you don't have a pizza stone, set a large baking sheet on middle rack and heat until oven is hot.
2. Put 2 1/4 cups flour, kosher salt, and lard in a food processor. With motor running, slowly add 1/2 cup water. Dough will come together into a ball and should feel soft and supple; if it is sticky at all, add more flour, 1 tbsp. at a time.
3. Divide dough into 8-10 portions
4. Using a floured rolling pin, roll 1 portion at a time on a well-floured work surface into a round about 8 in. wide and just thin enough to see through.
5. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper (optional) and press it in with your hands.
6. Prick dough all over with a fork (this will prevent the dough from puffing up too much).
7. Flour a wooden peel or back of a baking sheet generously and transfer dough to it.
8. Gently slide dough onto hot pizza stone. Bake until light golden and crisp on each side and a bit darker at the edges, turning once with a wide spatula, 2 to 4 minutes total.
9. Transfer crackers to a cooling rack and make remaining the same way.
10. Re-bake any that aren’t crisp in the center