If you like your crackers crunchy, seedy & a little salty, these are for you. A really easy mixture to make, they'll keep you fuelled with a variety of healthy grains and seeds in the fantastic Plastic Free Pantry seed mix. As the seed mix is the main ingredient, they are also minimal fuss!
This recipe was developed especially for Plastic Free Pantry - a food delivery company on Waiheke Island that is forging a way for locals to receive goods without any plastic in the supply chain.
As many flat-cracker recipes use baking paper, (and biodegradable baking paper is not yet readily available), we've given a great option for making them which does require you to acquire 3 mightily useful kitchen items:
a. A pizza stone. If you haven't discovered these yet, they make your pizza bases (and now crackers) beautifully crispy through holding heat and creating even heat distribution. We picked ours up from Steven's and I recall it being under $20 on sale. It's been a really useful item. If you don't want to invest in a pizza stone, you could try an oven tray (with a good enamel surface - not the thin baking trays that stick), a glass or enamel dish, or a heavy cast iron dish: it just needs to have a flat surface of 20-30cm square. (If it's all too hard, you can use a flat baking tray and line it with baking paper).
b. A large or ideally an extra large honeywrap. These beeswax and organic cotton beauties are one of the most useful reusable kitchen items you'll discover. Read more about them and purchase here. If you are vegan, there are other, similar options available now too.
c. A rolling pin or large, flat, roll-able bottle.
Optimally, you'll also have a blender or food processor that can grind.
Ingredients for 15 crackers:
1 1/2 cups Plastic Free Pantry seed mix
1 tsp sea salt
3 garlic cloves
Handful of fresh herbs of your liking. (If you don't have fresh herbs, use 1 Tablespoon dried if you need to.) Recommended herbs are thyme and/ or oregano and/ or parsely; OR sage; OR rosemary
2 Tablespoons olive oil.
Method:
Grease your pizza stone or flat cooking dish (not necessary if you're using baking paper). If you are using the pizza stone then do not pre-heat your oven as the stone needs to be placed into a cool oven.
Place seed mix and salt into your grinder (most blenders/ food processors will have a grinding attachment) and grind until a bit finer but still has some seeded texture, and then place into a mixing bowl. Otherwise, lay the seed mix out on a large chopping board with a large knife, roughly chop the seed mix until the larger grains such as barley flakes are reduced in size.
Roughly chop the garlic and add to your grinder with the roughly chopped herbs (or dried) and olive oil; blend and add to your mixing bowl. Mix until dry and a little crumbly. With clean hands, try "kneading" the dough a little, although it will stay quite crumbly. Place the dough onto your pizza stone or cooking tray and press it down into one clump.
Place your honeywrap (or another sheet of baking paper) over the top and then roll your dough into a square or rectangle to a thickness of approx 3mm. Peel off the honeywrap or top sheet of baking paper.
With a sharp knife, score the outline of your crackers before placing into the oven at 180 degrees C. Fan bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the top and edges are looking golden brown. Leave to cool completely before sliding 2 spatulas under them and gently lifting from your stone or tray.
Break them into your pre-defined crackers and enjoy with your favourite savoury toppings!