These Oat, Rye & Seed Crackers have become my new lockdown snack obsession. And I’m pretty sure even once allowed some semblance of “normal” life, they will still remain ever-so-loved and on constant repeat in our kitchen. They are prefectly crisp, have just the right amount of seeded pop and hit that craving for a savory nibble with their lightly-sea-salted nature. Watch out Trader Joe’s, these really give your Whole Grain Crispbread a run for their money. Might I even say, these are better. (And aaand don’t contain a few of the less-desireable ingredients of some of the store-bought ones.) I still love you, TJ’s.
But I can’t take the credit for these wonderful little gems. Someone who has become a dear friend of mine here in Istanbul, took on the challenge to re-create said crispbread. Fusun in all her awesomeness was determined to be able to have one of her beloved snacks from the states once she returned to live here in Turkey again. And I’m so glad she did. And even more ecstatic she shared her recipe with me. I have altered it ever so slightly, but I think the genius really comes from her hard work in getting the ratio of oats to flour to seeds just right. I’ve only increased the liquid a bit to make up for my additons of chia , poppy and flax seeds. And I also added just a hint of dried rosemary. (really so good if you’re a fan of rosemary.)
When I first made these, all the add-on possibilities started swirling in my head as typically does when I see a good recipe. I know there’s that school of thought to always first make a recipe exactly as written and then change it up, but I am not in that camp. With my first go on these, besides the above-mentioned itty bitty changes, I decided to go with 3 different finishes in addition to plain with a sprinkle of Maldon Sea Salt out of the oven. The first was to sprinkle some milled flax seeds on top and then the sea salt. The second, I put a little Turkish touch on them if you will and added a some black sesame seeds. And then for a small plot of cracker land, I included a little more dried rosemary on top. (All were given the final Maldon sea salt shower at the end.) I think my fav is with all three- the ground flax seed, dried rosemary & maldon sea salt. Yum yum yum.
Homemade Oat, Rye & Seed Crackers
These Homemade Oat, Rye & Seed Crackers are prefectly crisp, have just the right amount of seeded pop and hit that craving for a savory nibble with their lightly-sea-salted nature. Truly the perfect anytime snack.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200g) old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup (110g) rye flour (whole wheat flour would prob work too)
- 1 1/2 cups hot water
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsps chia seeds
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1-2 tsps dried rosemary* *optional (chopped fresh works too)
- 2 tbsps ground flax seeds
- sea salt for sprinkling on top
- parchment paper
Instructions
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Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. And put an extra piece of parchment aside for rolling.
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Add the oats and rye flour to a large bowl. Bring water to a boil and pour over the oats & flour. Let sit for 1 hour.
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Preheat the oven to 325F/162C. After 1 hour, add the next 7 ingredients, ending with the rosemary. Mix well.
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Divide half of the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper and flatten a bit. Then place another sheet of parchment paper on top and using the rolling pin, roll as thin as possible. (It took up most of my cookie sheet.)
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Repeat with the other half of the dough on a clean sheet of parchment paper, using the same piece you used before on top for rolling.
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Place each sheet of dough-covered parchment onto a baking tray and sprinkle each sheet evenly with 1 tbsp of ground flax seeds and a little sea salt. (Sprinkle a little more rosemary if desired.)
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Place into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then remove and score/ cut the crackers with a knife or metal bench scraper into your desired size/ shape. Place back into the oven.
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Bake for 20-30 minutes more, rotating the pans ( front to back and top to bottom) about half-way through. The baking time will vary depending on any add-ins/ substitutions you included. They should brown on the edges a bit and should not bend when slightly cooled, but be crispy and snap apart where you scored.
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Let cool completely then store in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for about a week, but I doubt they will last even half that time. Enjoy.
Recipe Notes
You can adjust the nuts & seeds to your preferences, just try and keep the ratios fairly the same.
Include the rosemary or substitute for another dried herb you prefer.
Some other ideas for add-ins include-
- whole flax seeds ( I was all out)
- sesame seeds
- chili flakes
These were fantastic! The entire family loved them, and they didn’t last the night. I used whole wheat flour since I didn’t have rye. I also used whole golden flaxseeds since I had those, and omitted the poppy seeds. I was concerned about the right amount of sea salt to use since it’s not suggested, but a light sprinkling was plenty for us. Mixing was a bit difficult after adding the 7 ingredients step, so I’m not sure if I needed more liquid, but it worked out anyway. Next time I would roll them out even thinner than I did (I filled 2 sheet pans and still had some left), and I would increase the baking time to more like 50min total, or until browned. I used convection at 300 degrees and I had to keep adding time to get them browned. Once properly darkened, the flavors were far better. Lastly, I’ll try to press the whole flaxseeds into the dough a bit before baking since they seemed to fall off too easily out of the oven. Thanks Amanda!
Glad these were a hit! Thanks for trying them! I’ve got a batch measured out in the kitchen as we speak for making tomorrow….I think the whole wheat flour is probably why it was a bit thick. In the future maybe try reducing about 30 grams or so if replacing again. And I definitely prefer sprinkling ground flax seeds on top as they stay better than whole. ; )