I've been doing a dietary experiment this month—no gluten, no dairy, among a long list of other things, which shockingly seems to have made my migraines disappear—and I had an urge for crackers with some substance over the weekend. I've made the very simple version from How to Cook Everything in the past, which uses spelt flour, so I figured that using buckwheat wouldn't be all that different. Honestly, I think the biggest difference was substituting grapeseed oil for melted butter—it's amazing how much flavor butter gives—but the result was still a very satisfying and crunchy cracker that is incredibly easy to make.

Sesame Buckwheat Crackers
Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

1 c buckwheat flour
2 T grapeseed oil (olive oil would work too)
1/2 t salt
1/4 c water, plus more as needed
Sesame seeds (or other seeds, all of which are optional)
Additional salt for sprinkling

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Find a non-rimmed baking sheet and either a Silpat or a piece of parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients and mix with a fork until it starts to clumb together. Add more water if necessary, and use your hands to work the dough gently until it holds together, but is not sticky.
3. Roll it out (I did it between two pieces of plastic wrap, which made it very easy to both roll and then transfer) until it's about 1/4 inch thick and transfer to your Silpat. Score into squares with a knife.
4. Spray with water, or brush on oil, then sprinkle with salt and seeds (the water or oil is key to making the toppings stick).
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, tapping on the crackers and removing from the oven when they are slightly brown and starting to crisp. Let cool on a rack. (Note: This step is highly dependent on the thickness of your crackers, so keep an eye on them. I went about 20 minutes, though I did remove a few of the thinner edge pieces after about 15.)

Variations: These would be great with an herb like rosemary worked into the dough, or with coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper on top.
 


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