Brown Rice Flour and Parmesan Crackers
These brown rice flour and Parmesan crackers are the first on what will be a series of experiments in gluten-free crackers. The impetus for said experiments, was born out of a request by friends of mine who own a wine bar in Toronto. Archive 909 is a lively spot on Dundas Street West in Toronto. It has an enviable cellar and a lovely selection of cheeses, charcuterie and small plates. After tasting my Rosemary Pecan Raisin Crackers, Archive 909 co-owner Joshua Corea, asked me whether they were gluten free. Alas, they are not. However, this got me thinking about other options for gluten-free crackers so on my next trip to the grocery store I bought a number of gluten-free stand-ins for the usual flours I use. One of those is a 1-t0-1 gluten free flour from Bob’s Red Mill which I plan to use in concocting a gluten-free version of my Rosemary Pecan Raisin Crackers (stay tuned).
This recipe using brown rice flour is much simpler and is adapted from a white rice flour recipe from Holle Cottis at Whole Life Style Nutrition. I happen to quite like salt and pepper crackers and I had a block of Parmesan in the fridge that was begging to be used, so here you have it: Brown Rice Flour and Parmesan Crackers.
Ingredients
1 C brown rice flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 C grated Parmesan
2 Tbsp melted butter – plus a bit extra for brushing on crackers before baking
1/3 – 1/2 C of water
Fresh ground pepper and Pink Himalayan sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- Place the brown rice flour and 1/2 tsp sea salt and grated Parmesan cheese in a food processor. Pulse several times to mix.
- Add in butter and pulse a few times more.
- With the food processor running, slowly add the water until a ball of dough forms. If the dough is too crumbly, add a bit more water, if it becomes too wet, knead in a little more brown rice flour. It is an easy dough to work with.
- Place dough on a sheet of baking parchment paper. Cover with a second sheet of parchment and roll out dough as thin as you can.
- Place the rolled out dough on a large baking sheet and carefully remove the top layer of parchment.
- Cut the dough with a pizza cutter into squares and prick each square a couple times with a fork. Don’t worry about uneven edges. You can use these bits as substitute bread crumbs for battering chicken fingers or adding to meatloaf.
- Brush the dough more melted butter, sprinkle with fresh ground paper and the Pink Himalayan sea salt
- Bake for 15-20 minutes (time varies depending on how thin the dough is).
- Crackers are done when they become golden.
- Remove from oven and allow to cook slightly before breaking the crackers apart.
Makes a full baking sheet of crackers. I didn’t mind these but they definitely have a brown rice texture vibe going on and I think I’d cut back on the salt next time. I also think I’ll try adding some different spices for the next batch I make.