Gluten Free Teff Crackers for Cheese

When I first set up Knife & Fork I didn’t advertise the fact that I only served gluten free food as I was not convinced that anyone other than coeliacs would come. I didn’t want to be a specialist/alternative restaurant, I wanted Knife & Fork to be somewhere everyone could come and relax, socialise and enjoy delicious food together, regardless of their dietary requirements. I did also want to dispel the belief that all gluten free food is inferior to the ‘normal’ stuff and show that gluten free (GF) food can be just as delicious as any other food; in fact it is normal food where just a few ingredients (wheat, barley & rye) are avoided. “Real food” like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, vegetables, fruits and nuts is, of course, naturally gluten-free!

Having said that, avoiding wheat, barley & rye does cause a bit of a problem when baking! If any baked goods are not delicious in their own right I don’t bother making or eating them. Poor substitutions are not worth bothering with in my opinion and also nutritionally are not usually any good for us anyway.

As I tell all my guests, the wonderful Naomi Devlin is my gluten free baking guru as well as a friend. Any baking/patisserie is a skill in its own right but to create GF recipes that work and taste amazing really is a specialist area. To test and develop recipes and to make them nutritionally dense is a real skill, which requires patience and perseverance, and one that I prefer to leave to others. As much as I love baking I don’t have the time or the inclination to create my own recipes for bread, pastry and so on. I happily leave that to Naomi who is a self – proclaimed ‘nerd’ who just loves the scientific way these particular recipes have to be developed. All I can say is “thank heaven for Naomi”!

So, what has this got to do with eating at Knife & Fork?

Nearly every weekend I am asked for the recipe for the Teff crackers that we serve with cheese. I point everyone in Naomi’s direction and her lovely book River Cottage Gluten Free by Naomi Devlin. Finally I am sharing the recipe with you. Happy baking – enjoy!

Gluten free teff crackers for cheese recipe (GF)

When I make these crackers I use a GF sourdough starter but I do appreciate that not everyone wants to spend six days making the starter before making the first batch of crackers. Luckily, Naomi has an alternative method, which is the recipe below. Unfortunately, this does mean the crackers are not also dairy free – if you would like to make them GF/DF and/or would like to use a sourdough starter all the details are here on Naomi’s blog.

Method

1. For the sponge, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, until all combined together.
2. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 3 – 6 hours.
3. Now add the olive oil, rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, salt and psyllium to the sponge mix and mix well.
4. Knead to a firm dough, adding a little water to bring it all together if it is a little crumbly.
5. Leave to rest for one hour.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/Fan180C/Gas 6.
7. Break the dough into 3 or 4 pieces.
8. Place one piece on a sheet of parchment paper. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and roll out thinly – about the thickness of a penny. You can dust the dough and bottom sheet to help prevent from sticking.
9. Remove the top layer of parchment and place the dough and the bottom sheet of parchment onto a baking tray. Mark the dough into biscuits (or you can bake the sheet whole and break it into shards after it has been baked). Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sea salt.
10. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until the crackers are crisp and golden. Check after about 8 minutes as it will depend on how thinly you have rolled the dough and also all ovens vary. Do keep an eye on them and check every few minutes.
11. Leave to cool. They do crisp up further as they cool down.
12. Repeat with all the remaining dough.
13. Store in airtight container and eat within a week or so.