Gluten-free Brown Rice, Quinoa and Seeds Crackers
11 July 2012 | 54 comments
Posted in cookie/ cracker, Featured Articles, rice, snacks, Vegetarian, Western
Posted in cookie/ cracker, Featured Articles, rice, snacks, Vegetarian, Western
RECIPE FOR GLUTEN-FREE BROWN RICE, QUINOA AND SEEDS CRACKERS
Source: Adapted from My New Roots
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked brown rice 糙米 (note 1)
1 cup cooked quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) 奎藜籽 (note 4)
1/3 cups toasted white sesame seeds
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1½ tbsp light soy sauce (note 2)
2/3 tsp sea salt
1½ tbsp extra light olive oilExtra water for blending the dough
Some oil for brushing the doughMethods:
- Cook brown rice and quinoa as per note 4.
- Place flaxseeds in a bowl and soak with ¼ cup water for at least 20 minutes.
- In a frying pan/skillet, toast sesame seeds over medium heat until fragrant and golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Blend cooked brown rice, cooked quinoa, soaked flaxseeds (together with the soaking water), light soy sauce, sea salt and olive oil in a food processor or blender until it forms a ball. You can either blend everything in one go or do it in batches depending on the capacity of your food processor or blender. I have to do mine in batches as I have a small blender. Add water if the dough gets too dry, one tablespoon at a time (P/S: Refrain from adding too much water as it will make the dough soft and difficult to handle). Then add the toasted sesame seeds and pulse to incorporate. The dough will be very sticky. Give the dough a taste test and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- At this point, the dough can be refrigerated or frozen for later use. Just divide it into two portions. Place each portion on a cling film and wrap into a square shape (as shown in photo below). For frozen dough, thaw it before using. If your dough is too soft, you can also refrigerate it to firm up (about ½ hour).
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Take out one portion of the dough and place it in between two cling wraps. Use a rolling pin to flatten it into a very thin and even layer. The thinner the better. Remove the top layer of cling wrap. Use a baking brush to apply a thin layer of oil on top. Put a baking parchment paper on top and carefully flip it over. Then, transfer the layer to a baking sheet.
- Now, you will have the top layer without oil facing upward. Apply a thin layer of oil on the surface. This is to the dough easier for cutting and crispier after baking. Use a knife or pizza cutter to score the dough into desired shapes. Then, add pumpkin seeds or any desired nuts, seeds, dried fruits or vegetables by lightly pressing them onto the dough.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until crispy and golden (note 4 and 5)
- When the crackers are done, remove from oven. After 5 minutes, break crackers along the score lines. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Notes:
- I used germinated Jasmine brown rice (as per photo above) from NTUC Fairprice.
- Light soy sauce contains wheat. For gluten-free, please use gluten-free soy sauce and tamari.
- If you don’t have quinoa, you can substitute it with brown rice.
- How to cook brown rice and quinoa: Rinse and soak brown rice and quinoa for about half an hour. Then, cook them separately based on the instructions given on the packaging. I steamed 1 cup of brown rice with 1 cup of water for about 45 minutes. This will give me 2 cups of cooked brown rice. For quinoa, I steamed 1 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of water for about 20 minutes, and got 2 cups of cooked quinoa. After cooking, allow them to sit for five minutes in the steamer. Fluff them gently with a fork or rice spatula. Let them cool first before using. Measure the amount based on the recipe. Best to prepare them one day in advance.
- Grains can be difficult for some to digest. Soaking them before cooking helps to begin the breakdown of the grains, making less work for our bodies and digestive enzymes.
- Baking time will vary depending on the thickness of dough. Extend the time if necessary. At the last 5 minutes, you can flip the crackers over and let the bottom part cook.
- If the crackers are not baked evenly, place those soft ones back to the oven and continue to cook at 170°C until entirely dry and crisp.
- Use quality parchment paper so that the crackers will not stick to the paper after baking. I used Glad brand (please refer to my kitchen tool page for photo).
- These crackers can be kept for a week or two.
- Things to add (as suggested by My New Roots):
Nuts & Seeds
- Caraway seeds
- Poppy seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Chia seeds
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Macadamia nuts
- Vegetables
- Olives
- Sundried tomatoes
- Capers
Dried fruits (my suggestion)
- Cranberries
- Raisins
- Blueberries
- Cherries
Spices & Herbs
- Garlic powder (incorporates easier than fresh)
- Paprika
- Curry
- Chipotle
- Cinnamon
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Smoked salt
- Cracked black pepper
- Coconut palm sugar
I’m always on the look-out for rice cracker recipes. I’ve made crackers using rice flour. your crackers look really good, never come across a recipe that uses cooked rice. definitely will try out. thanks for sharing!
Shannon: That’s one of the ingredients that won my heart. Happy trying! After trying it, please share your outcome with me. 😉
Cracker I like it. Can’t wait to try becos I have habit of snacking at night. 😉
Evelyn: Hurry, go and try! Happy trying! 😉
Aww you are so creative – I love your photos. I am on diet now and trying to eat “healthy” snack. This is definitely the one, and the great part is that it looks delicious!!!
Name: Thanks! Thanks! You won’t believe that wholesome food can be SOOOOOooo good! 😉
These are fantastic and look great! Very informative post too.
Wokandspoon: Thanks!! 😉
I’m always trying to get more whole grains in my life! These crackers seem like the perfect snack to do so.
Joanne: I have never thought that baked whole grains products can be so delicious. 😉
Mindblowing crackers,highly healthy.
Priya: Thanks! 😉
Oh wow, this is sure a one healthy snack!
LCOM: Yes, you’re right! 😉
These look awesome,
I am about to try to make them tonight.
Just to clarify – we are supposed to use 1 cup uncooked rice/quinoa, which means we’re using 2 cups each, if measured when cooked? Right?
Thank you!!!
Anita: Thanks! The ratio for 1 cup of uncooked rice = 2 cups of cooked rice/ quinoa is just an estimation if you use steaming method like what I did. To make these crackers, you need to make sure the right measurement is based on cooked not uncooked. In short, you just need to measure one cup of cooked rice and quinoa respectively. Hope I have clarified your doubt. Happy trying! 😉
Thank you so much for a quick response!
That makes sense.
I guess I’ll just have to make a double batch then! 😉
If they turn out half as good as yours look in the photo, I doubt one batch would last us a day anyway! Thanks again!
Anita: Hope everything turns out just right! Looking forward to hearing your feedback. 😉
Okay,
I made them twice so far, and plan on making again. My hubby loves them! They were delicious both times, however not as pretty as yours…. When it comes to scoring I can’t seem to get a ‘clean cut’ and while they bake they connect again anyway… First time I stretched them too thin (you said “the thinner the better”,and I am an overachiever ;-), but second time had the same problem with thicker crackers) Then I just broke pieces off with my hands – they looked ruggedy and natural, and tasted great.
Anita: Thanks for sharing your kind feedback!! After baking for about 20-25 minutes, remove the tray and use a scissor to cut the crackers. Then, continue to bake until they turn crisp. Give this method a try if your next attempt. 🙂
What a healthy snack! I love flaxseeds and sesame seeds in snacks! 😉
MyCookingHut: Thanks! 😉
oh yum this sounds super yummy! i too have been introducing more whole grains into my family’s diet and i find that quinoa and millet added into the daily rice (i eat a wild/black/red/brown rice mixture) gives it more interesting textures!
and i’ve also tried lots of baking with those grains and seeds you mentioned, it’s not that difficult to find recipes online, especially if you hunt for the gluten-free blogs 😉
Janine: Will definitely try out more gluten free recipes in future. Thanks for your kind sharing. 😉
Yumgoggle: Hope this recipe suits you and your family’s palate. Will check out your new site. Thanks for informing. 😉
These look so crunchy and wholesome!
Fantastic styling and photos.
Angie: Thanks for your compliment! 😉
I have an almost 3 year old son and I am worried if this will cause constipation.
Lynn: If your toddler suffers from frequent constipation, then you may need to restrict his intake of these crackers. Otherwise, having one or two on alternate day should be fine (p/s: make sure he drinks plenty of water too). Besides your kids, these crackers are healthy snack for adults too. 😉
The furthest I have gone for multigrain in cooking is to make porridge! I don’t even try to cook rice as the ratio of water for each grain is different and often, the rice consistency turns out not as desired. Your snack is super-nutritious and healthy.
Tigerfish: I’m no expert in cooking rice too. Most of the time is only based on my instinct and estimation. 😉
I just tried these yesterday. Very yummy and ‘feel good’ snack ;D. My 1.5 yr old daughter enjoyed it very much.
Thank you again for sharing, as well as the site to a whole new lists of healthy recipes. 🙂
Grace: Thanks a lot for sharing your feedback and wonderful compliment!!! 🙂
Sorry to burst your bubble, but your recipe is not exactly gluten free. Soy sauce, the regular and the low sodium variety, contain wheat. It’s the second ingredient on the bottle.
Brian B: Thanks for highlighting it!! I have made the necessary amendments. 😉
Bragg’s Soy Seasoning which is soy sauce,is indeed gluten free and it’s all natural healthy stuff without caramel color like the regular soy sauce.
Monique
Monique: Thanks for your kind sharing. 😉
can you use rice cooker to cook the rice or quinoa?.have you try?
Thanks,
Fiona
Fiona: I haven’t tried it before as I don’t own a rice cooker. Anyway, I don’t see any problem using rice cooker. Maybe you need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Happy trying! 😉
Very tasty and relatively easy to make in double batches…only challenge is still getting to the desired “CRISP”…I’m now double backing them like biscotti…once at the higher heat for 35 minutes, then the whole cut up batch again in a very low oven for another 45 minutes, before turning the oven off and leaving them in there overnight to cool slowly.
Angela: You’re so creative!! I’ve never thought of that. 😉
[…] To get the full recipe and detailed ingredients please check out the recipe over here. […]
Thanks, sounds great, but I am allergic to sesame – are those seeds critical to the texture in any way, or can this be easily made without them?
Joel: I haven’t tried without seeds. But your modification sounds feasible. Just replace the amount of seeds with quinoa or brown rice. Do let me know how it turns out. 😉
Oh my god, I love your pictures! So creative!
JB & Renee: Thanks for your wonderful comment! 🙂
[…] To get the full recipe and detailed ingredients please check out the recipe over here. […]
My friend made these yesterday and we couldn’t leave them alone. Plain or dipped in homemade pesto they were delicious. I will be making my own.
Lyn Richardson: Great to know that you love them! Happy trying! 😉
Yn: As mentioned in my post, flaxseeds are important as they help all the ingredients to bind well. Without them, I’m not sure about the outcome. 🙂
Is the blending necessary ?
Anna: Yes, blending helps to process the rice and quinoa to be a smoother paste. 🙂
Do you think it would taste good if I used white rice instead of brown? Love the recipe. Thanks for sharing
Jaclyn: Glad that you love my recipe! I haven’t tried white rice before but it sounds feasible to me. Happy trying! 🙂