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Friday, April 6, 2012

Buckwheat and Flax Crackers - DIY Pantry


Finally! A homemade cracker I can post about with confidence and delight. And strangely enough the last time I attempted a homemade cracker was exactly a year minus a day ago - how wacky is that! My last attempt was a more traditional, Rosemary and Cracked Pepper Flatbread cut in crackers pieces. Not the best example of my DIY efforts, but can't always get it on the first try. Guess I was a tad scared off since my second attempt comes a year later. Ahhh well, at least there was a second attempt!

These crackers were not only delicious and easy to make, but an original recipe (pats self on the shoulder)! I am still on a wheat free diet and in desperate need of more fiber in my diet, so cooking up some kasha in search of something to combine it with I stumbled upon this idea; cooked buckwheat and ground flax seeds combined with seasonings makes a great cracker. This is a hearty tasting but delicate in form cracker that is perfect for cheese or spreading your favorite dip on; unfortunately it is not a scooper as you will most definitely loose your cracker to the dip!

Buckwheat and Flax Crackers - DIY Pantry
(makes 40-50 crackers)

1/2 cup kasha (toasted buckwheat)
8 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon dried garlic (or 2 teaspoons garlic powder)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In medium sauce pan, combine kasha, water and salt and bring to boil. Reduce to low heat so kasha bubbles away and cook 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally until it resembles oatmeal and most of the kernels have split open. Drain any excess water and pour into mixing bowl. Add garlic, thyme, flax, olive oil and pepper and mix well to combine. Taste for salt (grains soak up a lot of salt). Line the back of 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spread half of the mixture on the paper, using a spatula to make it as smooth and thin as possible. Work from the middle outward to smooth out any lumps or ripples. You want the dough as thin as possible without holes so it does not puff up. Score with a knife or pizza cutter into the cracker size you desire. If you bake both pans at the same time, place oven racks on the middle shelves, one under the other, baking for 20 minutes and then rotating the pans to create an even bake, for a total of 40 minutes in the oven. Remove when crackers are crisp and pull away from the paper. Allow to cool completely before storing in plastic bags in the refrigerator.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Gigantes Plaki at Marcus Samuelsson courtesy Eats Well With Others
Pepperjack Jalapeno Pull Bread at Simply Recipes
Baked Zucchini Fries with Onion Dipping Sauce at Cinnamon Girl Recipes

3 comments:

Christine said...

Oooh! I must try making these. I have some kasha in my pantry I've been wanting to use up.

Anonymous said...

Omg thankyou for this post!! I have made them once and tonight decided to add some rosemary, all I can say is YUM!! My food palette is very limited so these crackers are a life saver :) thankyou

Anna Mennerick said...

Are these proportions right for the water and kasha? I thought the ratio was 2:1.