Recipes abound for homemade crackers, including simple ones with only wheat flour and water or extravagant ones with flax seeds and spices. This easy homemade whole spelt flour cracker recipe is straightforward with easy-to-follow directions that will result in a delicious nutty vegan cracker.
Homemade vegan crackers are a great vegan party food to serve with sweet fruit preserves, a savoury dip or vegan soup. They are also a great vegan travel food as they store well unrefrigerated and can pack away into a zip-top bag or glass jar and enjoyed on the trail or in the car with homemade nut butter and jam.
The addition of sunflower seeds in this vegan travel food recipe make it a source of vitamin E, an anti-inflammatory antioxidant that, according to Thorsons complete Guide to Vitamins and Minerals, maintains healthy blood vessels.
Sunflower seeds, like other nuts and seeds, are also a good source of vitamin B-1, thamin, a coenzyme in energy metabolism and essential to the maintenance of normal appetite. Serve these vegan crackers to your guests with an almond mushroom dip for an appetite-stimulating vegan party food.
Vegan Nut-Whole Spelt Flour Cracker Recipe
Makes about three cookie sheets worth of thin vegan crackers.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole spelt flour
- 1/4 cup almonds, ground
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, ground
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds, ground
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds, whole
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup water
- sesame seeds or organic cornmeal for dusting
Directions
- Grind seeds in a coffee grinder or blender until they become like a flour. Be careful not to over-grind as they will easily turn into nut butter.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the whole spelt flour, ground nuts and seeds, whole sesame seeds and salt.
- In a separate cup, emulsify the oil and water by stirring rapidly.
- Pour the oil and water into the centre of the dry ingredients and mix together until most of the liquid is incorporated, then begin to knead the dough with your hands until all of the liquid is mixed in.
- Split the ball of dough into two.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one of the balls of dough to 1/4 inch thickness and either cut shapes with a cookie cutter or slice squares with a knife.
- Repeat with the other half of the dough. Alternatively, split the dough into smaller portions and run the dough through a pasta maker until the dough reaches desired thickness.
- Dust a baking sheet with organic corn meal or sesame seeds and place the cut dough pieces onto this.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the dough. The vegan crackers will not turn golden brown when finished, but will be crispy and will crack easily when snapped.
Sources
Audrey H Ensminger, M.E. Ensminger, James E. Konlande, John R.K. Robson. (1995) The Concise Encyclopedia of Foods and Nutrition. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press, Inc.
Mervyn, L. (2000). Thorsons complete guide to vitamins and minerals: All you need to know about vitamins and minerals for your health. Hammersmith, London: Thorsons.
