Tenina’s Easy Thermomix Gluten-Free Crackers
This recipe was 100% inspired by a blog post by Tenina that I spotted yesterday on Twitter. I had no intention of making gluten-free crackers, but when I saw Tenina’s adaptation of Elana’s original recipe, I became tempted beyond reason by the idea melding rosemary and almond flavours this way. What is “beyond reason”? Well, I got up early today just to fit in the time to try this recipe, and found myself making gluten-free rosemary-almond crackers at 8 am, before the start of my ‘work’ day. It was time well spent too! A speedy preparation (thanks to Thermomix, and Tenina) soon leads to a rich, toasty aroma as the rosemary-infused almond dough (thanks to Elana) begins to bake. For anyone who enjoys rosemary, this one must be tried for its surprising, beguiling, come-back-for-more flavour.
Quick & Easy Gluten-Free Crackers
(with Almonds, Rosemary, and Thermomix)
about 10-15 cm sprig of fresh rosemary (leaves only, stem removed)
270 g almonds (see note below about almonds)
¼ tsp. Celtic sea salt & extra for sprinkling on top (see note about salt below)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 egg
- Preheat oven to 165°C/325°F
- Add rosemary, almonds and salt to Thermomix bowl and grind for 5 seconds on speed 8.
- Add olive oil and egg and mix for 15 seconds on speed 6.
- Remove from Thermomix and form into a dough-like mass so it sticks together. Place mass between two sheets of parchment and use a rolling pin to roll it out as thinly as possible.
- Sprinkle with additional crushed herbs, salt, or seasonings if desired, and press these into the dough by pressing down over the seasonings with the top layer of parchment.
- Here I deviated from the original recipe instructions and decided to “score” the dough by placing a baking rack upside down on the dough and pressing firmly.
- Bake for 15 minutes until dough begins to change colour and is starting to become crisp.
- Remove from oven but leave the oven turned on. Use a chef’s knife to cut along scored lines and separate the crackers. Gently turn crackers upside down and return to the hot oven. Turn off the oven.
- Allow crackers to crispen up in the hot oven as it cools down.
Notes
about almonds: both Tenina and Elana use blanched almonds and I’m not really sure why. I had only regular almonds on hand, so that’s what I used. It made for a darker dough, and a more textured, less smooth outcome — but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Think of it as an “artisan cracker” and you’ll be fine. To compare final appearances, click to see Tenina’s and Elana’s versions.
about scoring: by scoring the rolled dough with an upside down baking rack, it’s easier to cut crackers to your preferred size but the added advantage is that your guests can take a larger cracker and easily snap it in half without having it crumble or break into an awkward shape.
about salt: I thought it would be fun to try using Maldon’s smoked sea salt instead of regular Celtic salt. The smoked salt was delicious, but truth is, in this small quantity, and in this application, the ’smokeyness’ was undetectable. Undetectable doesn’t mean it didn’t enhance the outcome, but it does mean that you need not go out of your way to add this specialy ingredient if you don’t have any on hand.
about customizing: Feel free to adapt it further by using different herbs from your garden. Tenina also suggests adding Parmesan at the initial milling stage with the almonds. Y-u-u-m, I will try this next!
That’s a great idea with the baking rack! This looks like a delicious alternative to traditional crackers.
Yes Cathy — these crackers are SO different from the traditional boxed version — they have such a satisfying feel in the mouth, in the way they ‘bite’, and their “chew” and in their flavour too. The baking rack idea came to me as I was looking around the kitchen for something to press into the surface for the purpose of making a decorative pattern only, but then I quickly realized that pressing harder would make for easy ’scoring’ and… voila!
Wow Helene, loving the scoring idea…and the smoked salt…can you smoke it yourself?? Never seen it here. Sounds interesting. Thanks for the trackback.
The smoked salt that is local to us here in western Canada is called “Salish Smoked Salt” and it is VERY smokey… but the Maldon Smoked Salt is more internationally available and less pungent. It didn’t really add much in the way of smokey flavour in this application, but still, it was fun to try. (This is by no means an essential ingredient to the recipe.)
By the way, I did see an interesting discussion about salts on the forum a few months ago… if you’re interested, you can find it here.
You are really very clever to score the crackers. Always thinking outside the square. I nearly bought some Maldon Smoked Salt the other day. Now I will buy it.
Hi Gretchen — Any excuse to buy a new condiment is fine by me… but you really do not need to use the smoked salt for this, it’s hardly noticeable. Though you never know, it could lead to new Thermomix experimentation of some kind or other…
Hi Helene, I love this recipe and the idea with the baking rack.
Hi Tebasile… I’m pretty sure you (and your family) will like this one if you try it. These crackers are so delicious, I had to hide them from myself!
These are so awesome! I made some for my husband and he wolfed them down – they’re his favourite. Tenina – you can buy smoked sea salt at the supermarket on Bay View Terrace in the little complex – near Laura Ashley. Not my usual supermarket!
Glad you liked these Jude — they are surprisingly satisfying in a novel sort of way… and addictive too…. I just love the texture and ‘mouth feel’ of this cracker.