Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Daring Bakers' Challenge: Raincoast Crisp Crackers


Sarah from All Our Fingers in the Pie was our February 2013 Daring Bakers' host and she challenges us to use our creativity in making our own Crisp Flatbreads and Crackers!

I was very excited about this challenge because Sarah provided us with a recipe for one of my all time favorite crackers, Leslie Stowe's Raincoast Crisps.  I discovered these amazing crackers years ago while working in Canada.  At that time, I had to bring several boxes home with me in my suitcase because they weren't available in this country.  We had the option to get creative with the flavor combinations but I chose to copy Leslie's Rosemary Raisin Pecan flavor because it's my favorite.


The recipe was easy to make dairy free.  I just replaced the buttermilk with rice milk and vinegar.  The acid in the buttermilk serves to activate the baking soda, so by adding some vinegar to my rice milk I was able to provide the needed acid.

The bigger challenge was finding a small loaf pan.  I don't own any 4"x 8" mini loaf pans, so rather than buying them, I searched my kitchen for another option.  I stumbled upon this ceramic loaf pan that someone had given me years ago and it worked perfectly when I used 3/4 of the amounts stated in the recipe.


 These crackers are made by first baking a loaf bread and then cutting that loaf into very thin slices and baking them a second time.  The hardest thing was to stop myself from eating the bread when it came out of the oven the first time.  The smell was amazing.  I think you could bake this and serve it, as is, without turning it into crackers.  It would be delicious served warm out of the oven with cream cheese.


I did control myself, however, and I let the bread cool before I cut it as thinly as I could with a serrated knife.


You really have to try this recipe, these crisps are just as good as the original!  I will certainly make them again.  I'm certain you could make a gluten free version by replacing the wheat flour with your favorite gluten free combination.


Rosemary Raisin Pecan Raincoast Crisps
Makes at least 4 dozen crackers - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

2 cups unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rice milk (minus one tablespoon)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup honey or agave
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped raw pecans
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup white sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat your oven to 350˚
Grease two 8"x 4" loaf pans.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, soda, sugar and salt.
Add the vinegar to the rice milk.
Pour the rice milk mixture into the dry ingredients.
Add the honey or agave and stir a few times.
Add the nuts, seeds, raisins and rosemary.
Stir until just blended.
Pour the batter into the two greased pans.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the breads from the pans and allow to cool completely.
Slice the loaves as thinly as you can.
Preheat your oven to 300˚
Place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for 10 minutes more.
Cool the crisps on a rack.

2 comments:

  1. The crackers look great, and I love the ceramic loaf pan, it's really pretty!

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  2. I love those Raincoat Crisps too and was thrilled with the results of this recipe! Your small pan looks perfect for the job. I ate a slice or two ( or three or four) of the bread before toasting and that was also delicious!

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