Homemade Crackers !!

I had just been talking to Genna about making my own crackers, when our friend George happen to bring some to watch the Super Bowl with us last weekend. I was so impressed, they were thin, crisp with great flavor. It was hard to stop eating them. George kept affirming that they were easy to make and he was right. Only wish his team had succeeded as well as his crackers.

The original recipe comes from the Los Angeles Times, they called them "four-seed snapper crackers", which sounds kind of silly to me...  

George and I both made changes*.

Preheat the oven to 300 F
Ingredients:

Flaxseed meal, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds.

Buckwheat flour, rye flour and whole wheat flour.

1/4 cup hulled sunflower seeds

1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup flax seed meal or  whole flax seeds

1/2 cup un-hulled sesame seeds (they are tan, rather than pure white), plus extra for garnishing (white or black)

2 cups (9 ounces) whole-wheat or whole-rye flour, or a combination of the two

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup

2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

3/4 cup water

1 egg for an egg wash


1. In a mini food processor ( a blender or coffee grinder would do) , grind the sunflower and pumpkin seeds into a fine powder. Be careful not to blend too long or they will turn into seed butter. (The sesame seeds do not need to be ground.)

I love my mini food processor !!

2. In a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the seeds, flour, salt, honey and canola oil with 3/4 cup water. Mix by hand or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to form a firm ball of dough. It should not be sticky.

It looks...unappealing doesn't it ??

3. On a lightly-floured surface, knead the dough by hand for about 30 seconds to make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed and that the dough holds together. It should be slightly tacky but not sticky. Add more whole-wheat flour or water, if needed.

4. Line 3 to 4 baking pans with parchment or a silicone baking liner. Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Set two of the pieces aside and roll out the remaining piece on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin.

5) Roll it to less than one-eighth-inch thick, or nearly paper thin. Continually lift the dough as you roll it so that it doesn't stick to the surface; dust more flour under it if need be. You can also flip the dough over and continue rolling with the bottom side up. If the dough resists, lift it gently and set it aside and begin rolling out one of the other pieces. You can return to the first piece after a few minutes and it will roll more easily. Continue rolling out all three pieces in this manner.

6. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the rolled dough into rectangular or diamond-shaped crackers. (You can also use a small biscuit cutter, dipped in flour, to make round crackers.) The crackers do not need to be the same size. Carefully transfer the cut crackers to the baking pans. The pieces can be nearly touching, as the crackers will not spread or rise.
Fill each pan as full as it will allow.

7. Whisk the egg with some water. Brush the egg wash lightly over each of the crackers and top with sesame seeds.
8. If your oven has enough shelves to accommodate all the pans, you can bake them all at once. If not, bake them in shifts. After placing the pans in the oven, bake for 10 minutes.

8. Rotate the pans and bake for another 10 minutes. Make one final rotation and continue baking until they are done. (The thinner you roll them the faster they will bake -- they typically take about 25 to 30 minutes total, but this can vary from oven to oven.) The crackers will be a rich golden brown and should be fairly dry and crisp when they come out of the oven.

9. Leave them on the pans to cool; they will crisp up even more. If they do not snap cleanly after they cool, return the pan to the hot oven for a few more minutes.

The crackers can be stored in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag and kept for at least 8 days at room temperature or indefinitely in the freezer.

* What George did differently: he used all gluten free flours in equal parts: quinoa, brown rice and oat. I loved the flavor those other flours gave to the crackers, almost sweet and nutty. He forgot the flax seeds which I don't think made much difference. He topped them with some large flake sea salt and added more salt to the dough. The added salt did make a big difference. I forgot to do that to my batch and they could have used it. He also recommends a longer baking time 30 to 40 minutes.

* What I did differently: I used 1/2 cup buckwheat flour, 1/2 rye flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour because that is what I had around. The buckwheat is a strong flavor which we liked only wish I had added more salt to the dough and to the top of the crackers before I baked them. I would like to try poppy seeds and maybe almond meal or oat bran to the recipe sometime.

Bob says we should never buy crackers again !!