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Benne and Flax Seed Crackers

Benne is an heirloom variety of sesame that was brought to America by enslaved Africans. By the 20th century it was nearly extinct, supplanted by the higher-yielding, milder-flavored commercial sesame sesame seeds. In the 2010s it was re-established by Glen Roberts, who grows the benne for our share. 

Sesame seeds on bread, whether it’s bagels, baguettes, or hoagie rolls, is one of the ultimate culinary combinations. Lately we’ve become obsessed with these benne flax crackers, a super healthy snack that tastes like it’s not! Ground flax seed acts as a binding agent while soy sauce ups the umami quotient and maple syrup adds a caramelized crunch. Top them with cheese, jam or pate, or dip them in hummus…if you don’t devour them plain straight out of the oven!!

Ingredients

Scale

 

  • 1.5 C benne seeds
  • 3/4 C ground flax seed
  • 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1.5 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 C water
  • ¾  C dried cranberries, chopped (optional)

Instructions

  1. Mix dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls.
  2. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. 
  3. Preheat oven to 350°.
  4. Allow mixture to sit for at least 20 minutes.
  5. Cover a standard-sized sheet pan with a silpat or parchment paper.
  6. Using a spatula (ideally an offset spatula) spread the mixture evenly until it is about 1/8th-inch thick. It’s more important to get it even than achieve the precise thickness. That said, you can spread it a hair thinner in the middle, as the edges are more prone to burning. It’s worth spending some time to get it right. 
  7. Chop cranberries. Pull apart any clumps and sprinkle on top of the sesame mixture. Go back with a spatula and press them down evenly. 
  8. Bake at 350° for approximately 30 minutes until it’s nicely browned and starting to firm up. Using a butter knife, make sure it’s detached from the edges of the pan. Turn out onto a wire cooling rack. Allow it to cool thoroughly for 20-30 min.
  9. If, after cooling, the mixture isn’t cracker-hard, put it back in the oven, on the cooling rack, for 20 min at 250°. This is more likely to be necessary if humidity is high.
  10. Once it’s cool, cut or break into desired cracker sizes and put in an airtight sealed container, ideally with a 5g silica pack. 

  • Author: Ben Lester

Find it online: https://localgrain.org/benne-and-flax-seed-crackers-3/