The Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Little Rock
JONESBORO — Holy Thursday is a special time for the Olivetan Benedictine sisters at Holy Angels Convent in Jonesboro to enjoy Swiss crackers made from a recipe spanning nearly two centuries.
The nuns don’t debate whether the tradition should continue, but there is some discussion about which recipe to use.
Sister Eileen Schneider, 80, said there are two recipes, one which was given to Sister Dominica Wise, 82, in the 1950s and another recipe was from the late Sister Henrietta Hockle.
According to Sister Dominica, she was living in Little Rock at the time and was handed the recipe from one of the older nuns from Switzerland.
Benedictines from Convent Maria Rickenbach in the Swiss Alps established a convent in Conception, Mo., in 1874. With more German-speaking immigrants settling in northeast Arkansas, four sisters from the Missouri convent were stationed in Pocahontas in 1887. The Arkansas nuns later moved their convent to Jonesboro.
During her first year as a postulant, Sister Dominica watched the mixing of ingredients for the crackers. She soon became familiar with the process.
Both sisters explained that back then, the crackers were made by the nuns for the seminarians at St. John Home Mission Seminary in Little Rock, but as the years passed the sisters began using the recipe for their own community.
Today the crackers are served to the 40 nuns at the convent after dinner on Holy Thursday as the dessert.
“The prioress and sub-prioress serve (them). Much like the Last Supper,” said Sister Eileen, who was the prioress from 1999 to 2005.
“It would fill a plate. In Little Rock, we would make them smaller,” Sister Dominica added. “We made them on Holy Thursday.”
The sisters said the difference between the two recipes stems from their ingredients.
“One says four eggs and the other says six eggs,” Sister Eileen said.
The six-egg version produces more crackers, however the four-egg recipe from Sister Henrietta includes a few teaspoons of whiskey in the mix. That ingredient is not used in Sister Dominica’s six-egg recipe, she said.
The recipe Sister Dominica was given is comprised of six beaten eggs, sugar, melted butter or margarine, cold water and flour. The first four ingredients are mixed together and enough flour is added to make a stiff dough.
Sister Dominica said one should make the dough about the size of an egg, roll it thin and then place each on wax paper.
“Take two forks and squish them together,” she said just before placing them in the oil. “They will have holes by the time they fry. They break real easy.”
The dough is fried in vegetable oil for a minute or two.
Once done, the “cracker” is dusted with powdered sugar.
With the Lenten season here, Sister Dominica and Sister Eileen are ready for Holy Thursday when their convent can enjoy the crackers.
“It’s something I just look forward to doing,” Sister Dominica said. “The table is decorated on that day.”
“One reason (the crackers) were made at Easter was because the cows were coming fresh and the hens were laying eggs, and they didn’t have that all winter. It was a celebration,” she said referring to the arrival of spring.
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