Monday, October 14, 2019

Buckwheat and Chickpea Flour Crackers


Just a short post today but with a lovely recipe for Buckwheat and Chickpea Flour Crackers. In general, there are two types of crackers, leavened or unleavened. Leavened crackers (such as cream crackers) have a distinctive bubbly texture due to the bicarbonate of soda they contain. Unleavened crackers, such as matzo cackers, are made from only water and flour.

As their name suggests, my crackers are made with two alternative flours (no leavener), some sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, some good olive oil, water and black as well as white sesame seeds. These crackers are a crunchy, tasty platform for butter, cheese and anything at all savory. They are fabulous dipped in homemade hummus and they are a superb crunchy accompaniment to homemade soup, too.





Buckwheat flour, rather more exotically 'farine de sarrasin' in French, is in itself always gluten-free, it is flour milled from buckwheat, a cold climate plant from the same family as rhubarb, sorrel and dock. Buckwheat’s pointed, triangular seeds resemble cereal grains, and the fine-textured flour is greyish, speckled with black. It has a distinctive, slightly sour and nutty taste and is rich in vitamins and minerals. It is made into pancakes and bread in the US, Russia, India, China, and Brittany in Northwest France, where it is also used in rustic porridges, savory pancakes called 'galettes au sarrasin' and fruit flans. It is added to pierogi dumplings, bread and cakes throughout Eastern Europe, and to noodles in Japan.





Chickpea flour, aka, gram flour, is made from ground chickpeas, is also gluten free and is great to coat vegetables for pakoras or to make flatbreads. It is also used to make socca aka farinata (savory chickpea flour pancakes) or bhajis (Indian origin vegetables fried in batter with spices) and it is used for falafel (a Middle Eastern dish – deep-fried ball of chickpeas, herbs, spices and onion).  It is pale yellow and powdery and has an earthy flavor best suited to savory dishes.





Buckwheat and Chickpea Flour Crackers

Ingredients
  • 120g buckwheat flour
  • 120g chickpea (aka gram) flour
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
  • 80 ml water, room temperature (or more)
  • 3 tbsp mild olive oil (suitable for baking)
Preparation
  1. In a large bowl, mix the flours, pepper and salt together with the sesame seeds.
  2. In separate bowl, whisk the water with the oil. Stir in to the dry ingredients and mix to a firm dough.
  3. Knead the dough for a few minutes. Return to the bowl, cover and set aside for about 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 180°C (375°F) and line two baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.
  5. Oil your work surface and roll the dough out as thinly as possible.
  6. Using a ruler and a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into rectangles or diamonds. Place on to the prepared baking sheets close together, but not touching.
  7. Spray or brush the crackers lightly with water. At this point you can add a topping if you wish (more seeds). You can reknead any left-over scraps, but they will not be as successful as first kneading. Alternatively, put the scraps on a baking sheet and bake them for snacking.
  8. Bake the crackers for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the oven off, open the door for about 30 seconds and then close again. Leave the baking sheets in the residual heat of the oven for 10 to 15 minutes if you are looking for extra crispness. 
  9. Transfer the baked crackers to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Serve or store in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.




My favorite way to enjoy these crackers is dipped into homemade hummus that I like to top at this time of year with fresh pomegranate seeds, chopped soft garden herbs (such as basil and Italian parsley), a bit of cold-pressed olive oil, black and white sesame seeds as well as herb blossoms.



18 comments:

  1. I will need to try these over the weekend to use for some upcoming entertaining we are doing. Glad they last well for a couple of weeks. I have buckwheat flour form a blini making binge, and I always have chickpea flour on hand... Thanks fro a lovely recipe! D

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    1. Dear David, if you make this recipe, please do remember that chickpea flour sometimes varies, the texture might be more fine and you might need a bit more water to get a workable dough. I ususally use chickpea flour from my favorite health food store but, as you certainly know, different companies produce different kinds of flour - just rely on your vast experience, my friend!
      Andrea

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    2. I actually grind my own chickpea flour - do you think it is best a little more coarse? I am excited to make these tomorrow!

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    3. Dear David, hope my answer doesn't come toooo late - I must admit that I never ground my own chickpea flour, probably because it never crossed my mind and because German health food stores carry a vast variety of chickpea flours, organic and all. So I have no experience with coarsely ground chickpea flour but I am anxious to know whether your mission was crowned with success, my friend!

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  2. Andrea, your crackers look so professionally done...and I am loving that you used buckwheat and chickpea flours with different sesame seeds...I love the flavor of sesame seeds especially that it is super crunchy, indeed would be perfect paired with something creamy as you suggested. Thanks for the recipe my dear.
    Have a wonderful rest of the week!

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    1. Dear Juliana, it's a great joy to be able to use alternative flours. I love using the combination of buckwheat and chickpea flours here, they are flavorful, and are wonderful when used in baking. The addition of two kinds of sesame seeds adds a welcome crunch and looks pretty too. In combination with a creamy hummus, the crackers are even better, though!

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  3. Andrea, these buckwheat and chickpea flour crackers look so perfect for snacking! Homemade crackers are the best and the flavors in these sound so delicious. I'd love to dip them into your gorgeous hummus!

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    1. Dear Kelly, thank you kindly! Homemade crackers are the best, that's true - they also happen to be somewhat addictive, which is not a bad thing though ;) And I love them with different kinds of hummus, sometimes I will prepare a sweet potato hummus alongside.

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  4. These crackers look delicious and your dip looks so elegant and tasty with the pomegranate on top!

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    1. Dear Amy, nothing beats homemade hummus with homemade crackers ;)

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  5. These crackers sound delicious and are a great accompaniment to soups and dips.

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    1. Dear Gaye, thank you very much - these carckers are indeed wonderful alongside soup and dips alike.

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  6. Looks delicious! I love things made from chickpea flour and also from buckwheat, but have never tried them together. As you may know, in the north of Italy they also use buckwheat flour to make a pasta called 'pizzocheri', typically dressed with sage-infused butter, Savoy cabbage and cheese. One of my favorites!

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    1. Dear Frank, how nice of you to drop by and leave a comment! Hopefully I will be able to return the favor, visit your blog and leave a comment too - the dish you mention, the 'Pizzocheri' sounds absolutely wonderful, I would love to give it a try sometime!

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  7. Andrea, I make homemade crackers too, but always with regular flour. I have some family with Celiac disease and I love to have some good, gluten-free recipes on hand for when they visit! They will feel pampered when I make these for them, and I just know they will be a big hit for the holidays! Wonderful recipe, thank you.

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    1. Dear Marcelle, hopefully you had a chance to try out this recipe and if so, pls let me know whether you (and your family) enjoyed them!
      Hope all is well, my friend!
      Andrea

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