These great crackers are easy to make and go really well with a smoked mackerel pâté.
Makes about 16 or 32 for canapés
- 50g brown linseeds (flaxseed)
- 30g ground linseed (ground flaxseed)
- 20g rice flour (brown or white)
- 20g buckwheat flour
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
- Half teaspoon fine salt
- Rapeseed or sunflower oil, for oiling
- Half teaspoon flaky sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3.
2. Place the whole linseeds in a heatproof bowl and add 100ml boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the ground linseed, flours, cumin, rosemary and fine salt in a bowl. After their 10 minutes’ soaking, add the linseeds and their water to the dry ingredients and combine into a dough. It should be quite stiff but still hold together. If it seems very dry and crumbly, add a few more drops of water.
4. Divide the dough in two. Brush a sheet of baking parchment well with oil, or start with a non-stick silicone sheet. Put one portion of dough on the oiled parchment, or silicone sheet. Oil a second sheet of parchment and place, oil side down, on top of the dough.
5. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough under the parchment. Roll it until it is very thin – only about the thickness of the linseeds themselves – in one, rough-edged sheet.
6. Carefully peel off the top sheet of parchment and transfer the base sheet, with the dough on it, to a baking tray. Sprinkle with half the flaky salt and bake for about 20 minutes, or until completely dry and slightly curled up. Leave to cool, then very carefully peel away from the parchment. The crackers have a tendency to stick slightly, even to well-oiled parchment (though not to a silicone sheet). Repeat with the second piece of dough.
7. When the crackers are cool and crisp, break them into pieces to serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
“River Cottage Light and Easy” is published by Bloomsbury