Whole Flax Seed Crackers

Lately I’ve been trying to limit my intake of white starch. Most whole grain crackers seem to be 1% whole grain and 99% white flour. But the other day at Whole Foods I found a yummy little package of flaxseed crackers. They were crispy, flavorful, they held up well to cheese, and were otherwise nearly perfect. The only problem was that they cost something like $6 for a tiny little package.

So I figured out how to make them myself. I searched the net for a while, but most of the recipes I found use a combination of whole flax seeds and flax meal. The purist in me, once he knew that crackers with whole flaxseed were possible, would settle for nothing less. So here’s how to do it.

Ingredients: -some flax seeds (try between a 1/2 cup and a cup for your first batch) -some water -a couple of teaspoons of salt.

Put the flax seeds in a big bowl and add fresh water until they’re just about covered. Leave them alone for 15 to 20 minutes. When you come back, most of the water will have been absorbed. Add more water (about the same amount as you did the first time) and stir. Go away for another 20 minutes. When you come back, the flaxseeds should be thoroughly slimy, covered in a substance that looks and feels just like eggwhites.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Cover a pan with parchment paper. Dump the mixture out on the pan and spread it out with a spatula. You want a “thickness” of about 3 flax seeds or so. Precision is not critical here. Put the pan in the oven and ignore it for 45 minutes or so. When it comes out, it should be mostly dry. Peel the mixture off and rip it into manageable chunks on a plate (they will still be somewhat soft, but shouldn’t actually be wet – if they’re still wet, put them back in the oven, and possibly turn up the heat). Leave the chunks out to air-dry.

Congratulations. You now have yummy flaxseed crackers, with no gluten, very few carbohydrates, and a better taste than most of what you’ll buy at the store.