Success is... a crispy, healthy, gluten free cracker

Did I mention these crackers are vegan too?

It’s interesting how when the balance within the body shifts, our cravings shift. I have always been a craver of sweet things, not salty things. My sister was the one who craved salty snacks, like potato chips. Not me, no ma’am. Give me cookies or give me nothing.

But lately, I have been wanting something salty and crispy to snack on. I really believe it is because the balance of everything in my body has shifted; similar to how pregnancy can alter a woman’s cravings, I believe that the shift I have created in my body as a result of the healing process has somehow changed my cravings. Oh, I still crave sweets, don’t get me wrong (just see my post on ice cream, for example), but just not as much as I used to.

Since the gluten free cracker options available to purchase ready-made are pretty devoid of any nutrition and some contain soy, dairy, potato starch and other ingredients I am working to avoid (and, not to mention outrageously expensive), I was determined to create a recipe for some relatively healthy gluten-free crackers.

This was met with some trial and error.

I began searching the internet for recipes, both gluten free versions and gluteny versions. I found none which suited my purpose (many called for yeast, for example), but I used them as templates.

My first attempt came out way too bread-like and with an unfortunate flavor. My second attempt came out with a delicious flavor, but still too bread-like. My third attempt (like Goldilocks) seemed to be juuust riiiight.

And, I think it might be thanks to Zora’s help!

I used sorghum flour, almond flour, and ground flax to add some fiber, protein, and other nutrients. This is the basic recipe, but feel free to add sesame seeds, herbs and spices, and anything else you want to make your crackers yours!

Crispy Gluten-free Crackers:

½ cup sorghum flour

¼ cup tapioca flour

¼ cup almond flour

¼ cup ground flax, soaked in ¼ cup warm water for about 5-10 minutes

1 teaspoon coarsely ground sea salt (I used a mortar and pestle to crush the large granules I have on hand)

2 teaspoons grapeseed or olive oil*

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Roughly 2 tablespoons warm water

Mix together the flours and the sea salt, blending well. Add the flax mixture, apple cider vinegar, and the oil and begin mixing. Mix until a course, pebbled mixture forms. Add the warm water, a small bit at a time, just until the dough comes together. Knead the dough in your hands until the dough is even textured and shape into a ball. The dough should be moist, but not sticky. If it is too sticky, add more flour.

Place half of the dough on a parchment-paper covered cookie sheet. Flatten the dough with your hands a bit and place another sheet of parchment paper on top.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough so that it covers the entire sheet. Roll it out paper thin. And I mean paper thin. Carefully peel off top sheet of parchment paper. Either use a knife to cut the crackers into squares or wait until they are cooked to break them into irregular pieces.

Bake at 400F for about 15 minutes, until the crackers turn golden brown and crispy.

Repeat with the remaining dough.

Store completely cooled crackers in an air-tight container or plastic bag. They will probably stay fresh for about a week, but I have never had them last that long! I usually eat them all up by then!

Enjoy!

*the oil really flavors these crackers, so use an oil you like the flavor of.