For the most part I don’t miss grains. But I do miss crackers. Life without crunch is so very stale. And I find myself craving a foundation for all the yummy spreads and dips I have around. “Necessity is the mother of invention” (this implies crackers are a necessity, which when faced with a freshly made pesto, arguably they are).
These crackers are best when dried in a dehydrator. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can dry them out in your oven with the pilot light, or on the lowest setting; the time they take will depend on the temp in your oven. This recipe is also a great way to incorporate any nuts, seeds, and/or herbs you like. Some additions I have tried (and loved) are Walnuts instead of Almonds, Dulse and Kelp flakes instead of Nutritional Yeast, Hemp instead of Sesame seeds, extra Pepper!
1 cup raw Almonds (soaked)
1 cup raw whole Flax Seeds
3 cups water (divided)
1 cup ground raw Flax Seeds
¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence
1 Tbsp raw Sesame Seed
1 Tbsp raw Poppy Seeds
1 Tbsp Fennel Seeds
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp fresh cracked Pepper
The day before, put your Almonds in a bowl, and add enough water to cover Almonds by an inch or more. Add ½ tsp salt OR lemon juice OR whey into the soaking water. Soak overnight, or at least 8 hours.
Drain and rinse your soaked Almonds, then let them drip dry for a couple minutes. Chop your soaked almonds in a food processor until they are coarse meal in texture (10 or so pules). Add your whole Flax Seeds, Herbs de Provence, Poppy Seed, Fennel Seed, Sea Salt, and Pepper, pulse a couple times to combine. Put your Almond Flax Seed mix into a bowl, add 2 cups Water, mix well. Let this mix sit for 2 hours.
Now add your freshly ground Flax Seeds, Nutritional Yeast, and 1 cup Water. Mix well. If your mix is too thin, let it sit for 10 minutes, it will thicken up. Divide your cracker mix among 3 dehydrator trays, be sure to use dehydrator sheets or parchment paper. Using an offset spatula, spread out your batter into an even layer ¼ inch thick. (If using your oven, use 2 large cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.)
*Optional, for a little extra hit of saltiness, you can sprinkle a little salt over the cracker mix before it begins to dehydrate.
Dehydrate your crackers at 110ºF for 4 hours. One by one, take your sheets out, score your semi-soft crackers with a spatula or a dough scraper/cutter, this will make them easier to break into the size you want later. The top of your crackers should be dry enough not to stick. Flip your scored cracker onto a dehydrator rack without a liner, peel your liner off your crackers and place back in your dehydrator. (If you are using your oven, it is roughly the same process; score, flip, remove the parchment, and put back in your oven. But, it may take more or less time to get to half-dried crackers.)
Dehydrate at 110ºF until your crackers are crisp, roughly 6-8 more hours. As a note; I rarely pay attention to dehydrating times. I usually set arrange the almond soaking, and the first and second drying sessions to go while I sleep or am working. This has made for some well-hydrated almonds, and less than perfect crackers (they got too dry so I couldn’t score them), but they have always still been nutritious and delicious, no matter their shape. Enjoy!
