Just the other day, I was looking for a vehicle for some exclusive (yeah, expensive) cheese and I ran into Norwegian knekkebrød- it was coup de foudre! So good that I tossed the cheese: the pedestrian cardboard-looking vehicle became the center piece!
Here is my version of the cracker: tastes awesome, incredibly healthy, and laughably simple to make. If you are like me and order a smattering of grains and flour with the click of a button (from Shiloh Farms, say), here is a fantastic way to put them to use. And, if you don’t, maybe it is time you started since all these quaint whole grains and flour will keep your body’s biology on its toes (I am told).
Special tools:
Sheet pan with a silicone mat (Silpat) or parchment paper.
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour (1/4 cup whole wheat flour + 1/4 cup buckwheat flour + 1/4 cup dark rye flour + 1/4 cup millet flour) + 1/2 tsp baking powder + sea salt + 1 tbsp EVOO
- 1/3 cup seeds (pumpkin seeds + sunflower seeds + black and white sesame seeds + flax seeds)
- 2/3 cup whole grain (canahua/quinoa+ kamut flakes -not berries- + barley grits -not whole grain-)
Method
Mix all ingredients with a whisk. Add just enough cold water so that it holds together. Then spread it thin (about 3-5 mm thick) on a silpat or parchment paper. This makes approximately an 8 X 12 inch rectangle. Score the surface to make a dozen squares (see picture).
Bake in the top rack at 300 F for 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Store.
Notes, hints, tips:
- You can mix and match any grains you like- just keep the proportion of flour:seeds:grains as in the recipe.
- Be careful about the whole grains– I have used grits and flakes but not berries as they may not cook. I use the baking powder to soften a wee bit.
- When I use uncooked quinoa or canahua, I find the texture a little gritty. If that bothers you, then use cooked quinoa.
- You can also place the silpat directly on a wire rack and bake for a crispier (but not browner) version.
- For an even lighter taste bake at 275 F for 1 hour.
[…] The recipe is adapted from Pamela Ellegan’s book on dehydrating. Lest a dehydrator is not in your toolbox, I use the oven here by conflating with the technique from Norwegian knekkebrød. […]