What are you doing with your election stress? I’m phone banking. And tonight I read too much WaPo, Atlantic, Slate, and Nate Silver. Should have watched the Seahawks. I also wrote down this recipe.
I was late to the party on pandemic baking, but lately I’ve been making these crackers regularly. They are a classic from Sarah Britton’s My New Roots blog that many other folks have adapted. If you haven’t checked out her blog or cookbooks, you should. Her recipes are reliable and her directions are very clear.
I’ve made her fig variation of these crackers, which is killer, her rosemary variation, and multiple variations of my own. Lately I’ve been enjoying a hazelnut cocoa version (Nutella was on to something– but you can do better) and a pecan-rosemary-raisin version. For the original recipe, which makes prettier individual crackers, go here.
In my adaptation, I use extra-virgin olive oil instead of ghee or coconut oil. I grind up the flax seeds and sesame seeds to make them digestible. And instead of scoring the crackers I like to just leave them as one whole sheet. Then I can break them up into random pieces. Not Insta-ready, but practical for me.
Homemade crackers are not store crackers, they will never be perfectly even and crisp. They can burn or be too soft like some misfit cookie. I’m not a great baker, so these facts have deterred me in the past. My tips: roll them out as thinly as possible. Keep the oven light on so you can see what’s happening. Adjust the oven temperature if necessary (convection ovens cook hot). If they are not crispy, bake them longer but be careful.
I’ve made this rosemary version so much that I’ve harvested the rosemary in my garden as much as it can take. Too bad it’s just a couple plants, at the rate I’m making these crackers I think I’m going to need a rosemary hedge. I bought a package of fresh rosemary at the store, it was a splurge. Now I think I will wait until my co-op starts selling big packages of herbs for people to use to stuff turkeys at Thanksgiving. That or rob the rosemary hedge down the street (shhh).
- ½ cup flax seeds, ground
- ½ cup sesame seeds, ground
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1½ cup rolled oats
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 3 Tbsp ground psyllium husk fiber
- 1½ tsp. smoked salt
- 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- Blend flax and sesame seeds in a blender.
- Mix together dry ingredients.
- Add olive oil and water, mix together well with a wooden spoon.
- If dough is still too dry to hold together, add water a tablespoon at a time until it will stick together. This ought to work within 1 or 2 Tbsp. Be aware that with more water the crackers may take longer to become crispy in the oven.
- Optionally you can now let the dough sit overnight.
- Divide the ball into two.
- Set out two baking pans, cover with parchment paper.
- Place half of dough on a parchment-covered baking pan and roll out as thin as possible.
- Preheat oven to 350. For convection oven, bake on convection at a slightly lower temperature (for me, 325).
- Turn the oven light on so you can watch how brown the crackers are getting.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Cover another baking pan with parchment paper.
- Remove from oven. Place the second baking pan on top of the first one. Using oven mitts, hold the two baking pans together and flip over.
- Your crackers will now be on a new baking pan.
- Do the same with the second pan of crackers.
- Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Watch crackers. They may need more time to become crisp. They may begin to brown and be done.
I’m phone banking in the morning, 7 a.m. my time and 10 a.m. in the state I’m calling where their votes actually count. So I’ll leave you with this half-baked post with no photo. Will there be a better ending? TBD.
Related Posts:
Hummus made with Sesame Seeds and Homemade Chickpeas This hummus recipe is at least a little different from the many others out there, using fresh homemade chickpeas and whole sesame seeds blended with lemon juice and a few other ingredients to make a tahini sauce to blend with the chickpeas.
Greek vegetarian dinner with lagana and Greek-style hummus Some teen and young adult friendly vegetarian dinners I've made this week. Lagana, hummus, pita pocket sandwiches with baked falafel and tahini lemon sauce.
Chestnut Rosemary Diamante Bread Stuffing My family's traditional chestnut stuffing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Made with rosemary diamante bread, chestnuts, onions, celery, sage, and thyme.
Hummus with Roasted Red Peppers, Sesame Seeds and Homemade Chickpeas Hummus with roasted red peppers, homemade chickpeas, and whole hulled white sesame seeds.
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