July 19, 2018

Homemade Vegan Seaweed Crackers

Crackers- a world of thin, crispy, salty, flaky, crunchy possibilities. Like bread, but much, much flatter. These seaweed crackers are more crunchy, and not very flaky. They have textural variation, being filled with dulse flakes and flax seeds. They are tasty, and perfect for those who want to get a little more seaweed in their lives (or those who can’t get enough). While I was growing up, I didn’t really appreciate the humble cracker. It wasn’t so much that I disliked crackers, as that when I wanted a snack, the answer was too often, “there are crackers in the cupboard”. They were just too available to be interesting, and plus, all I really ever wanted were potato chips. But, like many things in life, all that has changed. After taking a cracker sabbatical throughout most of high school and college, I am back on-board the cracker train, and riding it wherever it takes me- hopefully into a bowl of hummus.

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Foraging for Seaweed

The seaweed I used in these crackers was dulse. It seems like I can’t write about it or eat it enough. I got my dulse from Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick- if you want to read more about the experience check out my recipe for Vegan Tuna Salad (Made with Jackfruit, not Chickpeas!) or Vegan Seaside Beet Salad (both delicious options). Since I bought dulse, I actually tried my hand at foraging my own. My sister, partner and myself traveled up to a beach in New Hampshire at low tide, and slipped and slid among the rocks, collecting bits of seaweed in a bucket as we went. My trouble is that I have yet to find a good seaweed identification book, but despite that we did find a small amount of the beautiful, purple dulse. I used the professionally foraged stuff for these seaweed crackers, but I’ll have to find a good use for the home foraged stuff at a later date. If you’re unable to find dulse in a grocery store or intertidal zone near you (and don’t want to buy it online), you can substitute finely chopped nori sheets.

Got Seaweed? Try one of these seaweed recipes!

Adventures with Homemade Crackers

It took me a while to decide to try making my own crackers. I’m very much a do-it-yourself type of person, but crackers were one of those things that I ate infrequently enough and were cheap enough that I never looked into how they were made. But with several containers of hummus, no carrots, and too little motivation to walk down to my car I made my first batch of crackers. And my second. And my 5th. And it continued. Dehydrated raw flax crackers. Rice crackers. Beer crackers. Herb-filled crackers. Crackers in the US, more batches in Canada. Crackers where I used way to much baking soda. Crackers that crumbled apart when I used far to little liquid. In short, I was a woman obsessed with making crackers. And while I don’t want to make crackers every day (anymore), there is something very satisfying about producing a delicious cracker- which is what I wanted to share with you. These seaweed crackers were a stand out favorite amidst the sea of less ideal snacks.

Looking for Cracker Toppers? Try one of these Dip Recipes!

Hand Model Recommendation

My most recent batch of crackers (the ones in all these pictures) were made when my sister came to visit. In an effort to be helpful, she volunteered to help me photograph, insisting she would be the perfect hand model. It turns out she was primarily looking for a chance to sneak some crackers before my photo shoot was over, but I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t include one of those pictures in the post (see below). If anyone is looking for a somewhat snacky hand model, she can be reached through me.

Making Vegan Seaweed Crackers

Finally lets briefly go over how to make crackers. Like many doughs, we mix the dry ingredients and add the wet. Give it a quick kneed (to firm up the gluten bonds), and let it relax (to loosen the gluten back up). When you roll out the dough, it’s important to roll it out quite thinly- about 1/8th of an inch- so that it will cook through and be crispy instead of doughy. Before it goes in the oven, score the crackers into the shapes you want. They don’t have to be as square as mine! You could try triangles, hearts, abstract shapes- whatever makes you more excited about eating crackers. Once they’re taken out of the oven, let the seaweed crackers cool before serving.