Baked Buckwheat Crackers

It’s soup season, friends! So I thought I’d share a homemade cracker recipe because it’s the perfect companion to soup. These crackers are delicious and super flavorful, plus they also happen to be gluten free, wheat free, and dairy free. So if that kind of thing matters to you—good news. And if it doesn’t matter to you, forget I said anything, but you should still make these because they are tasty! Or you could try these pepper jack crackers that I shared last year.

Baked Buckwheat Crackers, makes two dozen (depending on how you choose to cut them)

3/4 cup buckwheat flour
5 tablespoons cold, dairy-free butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon of each of the following: coarse sea (or celtic) salt, sesame seeds, cracked black pepper, cumin seeds, and celery seeds (see notes)

In a food processor or good blender, combine the flour, 4 tablespoons of cold butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse until the butter is incorporated well; the mixture will resemble small pebbles.

Add 3 tablespoons of applesauce and pulse until a dough forms. The dough will be soft and should stick together. If it doesn’t stick together, because it is still too dry, add another tablespoon of applesauce and pulse again to incorporate.

On a (buckwheat) floured cutting board, turn the dough out and press together. Press or roll into a thin sheet. You won’t need a rolling pin since the dough is soft enough to shape with your hands, but you can use one if it helps you achieve a more uniform thickness. The dough should be 1/4 inch thick or even a bit thinner.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of nondairy butter and brush over the dough. Sprinkle the coarse salt and seeds all over the surface. Then use a pizza cutter or knife to cut into thin strips or squares.

Slide the dough off the cutting board and onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375°F for 25-28 minutes, until the edges are a very deep brown. Allow to cool before handling. You can enjoy these on top of soup (my favorite), or alongside hummus, on salad, with cheese (if you really don’t care about the nondairy aspect :)), or give them a rough chop and use them as bread crumbs.

A few notes:

-If you’ve never used buckwheat before, keep in mind it does have a strong flavor. If you are unsure where you stand on this, you can substitute up to half the buckwheat flour in this recipe for whole wheat. If you do, you can replace all or half of the applesauce with cold water and reduce the bake time by 5-8 minutes. The applesauce is a natural sweetener that helps to mellow the buckwheat flavor without taking away from it (think salty and sweet).

-Yes, you can use regular (dairy) butter in place of the dairy free kind if you like.

-Feel free to change out the seeds for other flavorful seeds you might have on hand, just stick with things that have an overall nutty or savory flavor.

Happy cracker baking! And make some soup soon! Need ideas? Check out our soup recipe archive. xo. Emma

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Baked Buckwheat Crackers

Servings 24 crackers

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 5 tablespoons cold butter (or can use a dairy free version)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of each of the following: coarse sea or celtic salt, sesame seeds, cracked black pepper, cumin seeds, and celery seeds (see notes)

Instructions

1. In a food processor or good blender, combine the flour, 4 tablespoons of cold butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse until the butter is incorporated well; the mixture will resemble small pebbles.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of applesauce and pulse until a dough forms. The dough will be soft and should stick together. If it doesn’t stick together, because it is still too dry, add another tablespoon of applesauce and pulse again to incorporate.
3. On a (buckwheat) floured cutting board, turn the dough out and press together. Press or roll into a thin sheet. You won’t need a rolling pin since the dough is soft enough to shape with your hands, but you can use one if it helps you achieve a more uniform thickness. The dough should be 1/4 inch thick or even a bit thinner.
4. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush over the dough. Sprinkle the coarse salt and seeds all over the surface. Then use a pizza cutter or knife to cut into thin strips or squares.
5. Slide the dough off the cutting board and onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375°F for 25-28 minutes, until the edges are a very deep brown. Allow to cool before handling. You can enjoy these on top of soup (my favorite), or alongside hummus, on salad, with cheese (if you really don’t care about the nondairy aspect :)), or give them a rough chop and use them as bread crumbs.

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with the NEW A Beautiful Mess actions.