Gluten Free

Seeded Crackers 

Gluten and Diary free 

Ingredients

•  ¼ cup sunflower seeds

•  ¼ cup buckwheat

•  ¼ cup pepitas

•  ¼ cup flaxseeds (see note) 

• 3 Tbsp chia seeds

• ¼ cup sesame seeds (unhulled if possible) 

• 1 tsp fennel seeds or fresh rosemary, chopped

• 1 cup spelt flour

• 125 ml water

• 80 ml extra virgin olive oil

• ground pepper to taste

• 1 tsp salt flakes plus extra for sprinkling

Method

1.     Preheat oven to 180oC (350oF). 

2.     Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Your mix will be fairly wet, but don't worry. 

3.     Place half the mixture between two sheets of baking paper that you have cut to the same size as your baking tray. 

4.     Roll the dough out to a large thin square, remove the top layer of paper and place the paper with the dough on to the baking tray. Try and spread all the mixture to the edges. 

5.     Sprinkle with some extra salt and pop into oven.I like to leave my crackers in a whole piece when cooking and then break them off randomly when they are cooled, so they are different sized crackers, however if you want even sized crackers, lightly cut the dough into wide strips before placing the oven. You are basically scoring a line to snap when they are cooled.

6. Repeat with reaming dough.

7. Cool on wire rack and snap into desired pieces.

8.     Cracker can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up 1 month.

Chef’s notes

Flaxseed 

Flax seeds, also known as common flax or linseeds, are small oil seeds that originated in the Middle East thousands of years ago. They’re easily incorporated into your diet

Flax seed meal can be used in a variety of ways.

• Fresh food additive - sprinkled onto yogurt, hot and cold cereals, hummus, or ice cream. Add to milk shakes, or juices, it makes a flavourful and nutritious snack.

• In Cooking - Flax seed meal adds nutrition to many other recipes that you may prepare fresh, including casseroles, meat dishes and salads. Flax seed meal may be added to pasta dishes and meat loaves, or used as a breading on meats to be baked.

• In Baking -Flax seed meal is easily added to biscuit mixes, bread doughs, and almost any baked good mixture. Flax seed meal is stable at temperatures used to bake batters and doughs, such as muffins or breads, according to several studies.

• As an Egg Replacer – Flax seed meal is very useful to vegans as a replacement for eggs in baked goods recipes. You can use a water/flax seed meal mixture instead of an egg in recipes, such as pancakes, muffins and cookies.

  One-egg substitute formula:

  
  15 mL (1 Tbsp.) flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
  45 mL (3 Tbsp.) water

  Instuctions:
  Mix the flax seed meal and water in a small bowl. Let the mixture sit for two
  to three minutes to thicken it, before adding it to the recipe.

• As a Fat Replacer – Flax seed meal can replace some, or all, of the fats such as margarine, shortening, or butter in a recipe. Baked goods with flax as a fat replacer tend to brown more quickly than regular recipes, so you may have to modify normal cooking times.

• Fat substitute formula:
  The substitution ratio is three parts flax seed meal for every part oil
  or fat you are replacing. For example, for 15 mL (1 Tbsp.) of fat to be
  replaced, use 45 mL (3 Tbsp.) of flax seed meal.

Nutritional benefits

Flax seeds are very high in fibre and provide good amounts of protein. They’re also rich in fat and one of the best plant-based sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, great for vegans and vegetarians.

They are a good source of several vitamins and minerals needed for optimal health, including vitamin B1, copper, molybdenum, magnesium, and phosphorus. The are also high in several plant compounds, including p-Coumaric acid, ferulic acid, cyanogenic glycosides, phytosterols, and lignans, all linked to various health benefits.

Purchasing and storage:

Sold as whole seeds or meal. Grinding whole seeds is the best way to make the most of their health benefits as well as storing them in the fridge to retain nutritional quality. Grinding releases the oil, so care must be taken in the storing and handling of meal with the best advice grinding just the amount you need at the time it is needed. If you grind more than that, store the unused portion in a covered container in the freezer. Care is required because the grinding of the seed has released the oil from its protective coating. The omega-3 fatty acid in the oil is, therefore, subject to spoilage from light and heat.

Packaged flaxseed meal - Generally, it is wise to treat any vegetable oil or oil product with care in order to prevent loss of quality or the formation of “off” odours. So to maintain high quality and freshness, store the meal in the refrigerator or freezer.

Please buy them whole and grind yourself as well as purchasing from a shop that has a high turn over as these fabulous seeds can spoil easily.