Four-Ingredient Gluten-Free Crackers
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When I first went gluten-free over 20 years ago, there were a lot fewer options for gluten-free substitutes than there are now. If I wanted crackers, I had to hunt high and low and what I found was usually nothing like the traditional crackers on the grocery store shelves.
While gluten-free products have come a long way since then, I still find myself turning to this cracker recipe when I want something really simple without the preservatives, binders and other unpronounceable ingredients which help make many of the gluten-free crackers currently on the market taste just like their gluten-filled counterparts.
I love to snack on these crackers as is, but they’re also strong enough to be topped with any number of spreadable options – I like them with vegan cream cheese, butter and cheese, hummus, and I bet the buckwheat ones would be delicious topped like a bagel with lox, cream cheese and a slice of red onion!
When I bake these crackers, I usually go for a rustic look and break the crackers by hand once they’re baked, but you can get fancy and carefully cut each cracker if you really want to ensure you have perfectly shaped crackers.
The recipe is really simple, you mix together your ingredients and then roll out your crackers and bake. There are a couple of pain points to watch for though – the first is getting your cracker dough rolled out both super thin and super even. If you have thick and thin spots, you’ll end up with chewy crackers (or burnt spots).
The other place you need to pay extra attention is the baking – these crackers can go from under baked to burnt really quickly. When I bake these crackers, they start putting off a little smoke, it looks just like a pot of water getting ready to boil, right at the point where they are shifting from just done to a little too overdone. When using buckwheat flour it can be harder to see the color change happening and you really have to pay close attention to the crackers to keep them from burning.
That being said, if you burn the edges of your crackers (and I have done this plenty of times – especially as our current kitchen doesn’t have an oven window) you can usually just break off the slightly overdone edges and toss those little crumbs before breaking your crackers up.
Ok, so these crackers are actually six ingredients if you count water and salt, but I am hoping you have those on hand and don’t have to plan to get them ready before baking! Beyond the basic ingredients, this is a really simple recipe and open to lots of experimentation.
You can make changes to the third flour – I like using buckwheat or corn flour. Both give a great taste to the cracker (buckwheat is a nutty earthy flavor while corn lends that essence of tortilla chips to the crackers) and bring their own unique nutritional profile. You can go with more sorghum flour, or white rice flour if you want a less flavored cracker, or if you want to let your added flavorings shine. (I would avoid chickpea flour as the bitter taste in that flour does not cook out in this recipe.)
You can use just salt to season these crackers, or you can use any combination of dried spices and seasonings. Use your creativity, and either mix your flavorings into the dough before rolling or press into the top once rolled out. I would avoid using wet/fresh ingredients in these crackers as I’d be afraid they would cause the dough to remain moist and prevent the crackers from getting crunchy.
Before you get started, just a note, these do not taste like a generic store bought cracker. These are “artisanal” crackers, they have a rugged shape and depending on the flour and seasoning choice, a distinct flavor. If made correctly, they do have a good cracker crunch, but otherwise, don’t expect something that looks like what you would buy at the grocery store.
Please don’t let that stop you from trying out this recipe though, not only do I appreciate the unique flavor they bring, but I also love knowing that there are no unpronounceable ingredients in them and they take me less than an hour from start to finish to make up!
I hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy these crackers either as the recipe is written or switch up the seasonings to make them uniquely yours!
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Four-Ingredient Gluten-Free Crackers
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup flaxseed meal
- ⅓ cup sorghum flour
- ⅓ cup EITHER buckwheat flour OR Corn Flour (this is where you can substitute in another flour of your choice)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp water
- Dash of salt
Instructions
- Place baking rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Add all ingredients (hold out salt if you are pressing into the top) to a mixing bowl and using a fork mix until dough starts to come together. You will need your hand to finish bringing the dough together as it is a fairly dry mix and gets very stiff when mixing.
- Divide dough into appproximately three equal balls.
- Roll out the first ball between two sheets of parchment paper. Be careful to keep the paper from wrinkling under the dough as you roll it out. Make sure you have rolled the dough very thin (less than 1/8”) and evenly to prevent uneven cooking. Carefully peel the top layer of parchment paper off the crackers (it should come off without pulling any cracker away with it). If you have not yet added the salt, now is the time to gently press it into the cracker.
- Place the parchment paper with the crackers on it onto a baking sheet and into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes (depending on your oven and the thickness of your crackers you may need to adjust your time in either direction). When the crackers have turned golden and are just on the edge of burning, pull them out. NOTE: Your crackers will still feel a little soft when poked in the center (like playdough that has been left out of the container for a few hours) - they will crisp up as they cool.
- Using the parchment paper you pulled off the top of the first batch when you rolled them out as the base of your second ball of dough, repeat steps 4 and 5. Repeat again for the final ball of dough.
- Once all your crackers are baked and cooled down, break them into the size you would like - I prefer rather large crackers as they are easier to spread toppings on, but you can also break them into bite sized pieces as well.
Notes
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If you’re having trouble finding some of the ingredients listed locally, you should be able to purchase any of the dry ingredients through Thrive Market. Not only can you usually find exactly what you are looking for on Thrive, you also get the convenience of having everything delivered right to your door!
[…] oven. Every week I would make gluten-free, dairy-free, and usually egg-free baked goods – crackers, breakfast muffins, flat bread, and other […]