Crispy crackers: A daring baker challenge

This was such fun!  Many thanks to Natalie from Gluten A Go Go, and co-host Shel, of Musings From the Fishbowl for September’s Daring Baker Challenge. I haven’t had much in the way of crackers or bread in the past 4 or 5 years.  Something about not being able to have gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, sugar, yeast, and made the idea of bread and bread products a little off-putting.  Crazy, I know.  And then came the really fun part: giving up grains for a while (long story).  What can I say, I’m always up for a good challenge, it inspires me to be more creative.

I don’t think I have ever had real lavash crackers so I didn’t have a good sense of what I was going for.  I decided to play with several ideas, and it was great fun.

After quite a few experiments, the crackers started to taste like…well, crackers. I could have precut them to make them more evenly shaped, but that’s not really my style. I thoroughly enjoyed them, and certainly do plan to make them again. I also made the Salsa-mole to go with them, but alas…I was having such fun eating the crackers that it didn’t occur to me to dip them until they were all gone! They are especially great if you are on a low glycemic, a low carb, grain free or no amylose diet, or South Beach kind of diet because they are tasty, and they aren’t very difficult.

Take 1: almond flax crackers

I barely got a picture of these babies before I gobbled them all.  I didn’t quite get the texture right, but the taste was yum. However, I wanted something much crispier.

Take 2: flax crackers:

I got a sheet of goop that was starting to burn.    Direct to garbage.

Take 3: hazelnut/mesquite/agave/cinnamon crackers
they smelled heavenly, but were way too gooky. I’ll have to work more on those.

Take 4: brazil nut/chestnut/sorghum crackers:

I played with these a bit. They very yummy, not quite crispy or thin enough.  If you want the recipe, drop me a line. But I really wanted to make a grain free cracker, so…

Take 5: my delightful, grain free, crispy, delicious crackers. 

2/3 cup canned or cooked garbanzo beans, washed and drained
1/3 cup chestnut flour
14 brazil nuts
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons of water, or until the mix starts to come together

3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Wash the garbanzos well and drain off all of the water.  Put first group of ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the nuts disappear into the mix.

Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time. 2 worked well for me, but it may differ slightly depending on how moist the beans are and the size of the brazil nuts.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Put dough on the sheet and put a second sheet of parchment on top. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough as flat as you can. Refrigerate dough for an hour.

Preheat oven to 275, and Sprinkle coarse salt and herbs on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on how thick the dough is. Some “pockets” may bake a little faster than others.

I can’t wait to see what the other Daring Bakers did with their lavash crackers!

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008. Please do not replicate without crediting/permission.

About Cheryl Harris

Life played a funny trick on me. I've studied nutrition for years, and much to my surprise, found out that I could manage many of my health issues via diet. I've been GF for years, and I've got a bunch of allergies and sensitivities. But it definitely doesn't keep me from cooking, baking and enjoying my food. Thanks for stopping by.
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12 Responses to Crispy crackers: A daring baker challenge

  1. VeggieGirl says:

    FABULOUS challenge this month!! Love your crackers AND that you paired them with the salsa-mole (yum!!!). Glad you had fun with it 🙂

  2. Dianne says:

    Your crackers look fabulous!

  3. Lauren says:

    Wow! Your lavash looks amazing. Salsa-mole sounds great!!

  4. Vegan_noodle says:

    Oh my goodness… 5 takes!! Now that’s dedication! All the flavor combinations sound delicious!

  5. Ricki says:

    This really was a terrific challenge. Can’t believe your determination–and it paid off in the end. That combo of ingredients sounds fabulous, and the crackers look terrific. Congrats on winning this challenge! 🙂

  6. Maggie says:

    I love all of your experimenting! I’m so glad you found a combination that works. The salsa sounds delicious too.

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  8. Jude says:

    I’m gonna have to say the almond flax sounds like my kind of cracker, so-so texture or not. Thanks for the great ideas…

  9. Wow, lots of experimenting! I know how that goes! I love using chestnut flour. And mesquite. Your almond/flax crackers sound great. I’ll have to try them.

    I also have to start paying attention to you Daring Bakers! I would have loved participating in this one. I make my own GF graham crackers that are pretty good. This GF/DF baking thing really is a challenge, but lots of fun as well.

    Your salsa recipe looks wonderful too!
    Melissa

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  11. mercola says:

    Another great recipe. for sure my kids will love this as well.

  12. Wow, crackers can be a tough one to pull of gluten-free. It looks like with a little trial and error you have some winning recipes. Thanks for the post.

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