These Easy Homemade Einkorn Crackers are super simple, crunchy, and customizable, made with einkorn flour and extra virgin olive oil, and way easier to make than you may think.
Avoid all the processed ingredients and preservatives in store-bought crackers, and enjoy these easier to digest crackers with einkorn flour. Add your own toppings to make them your own, from simple flaky sea salt to everything bagel seasoning to rosemary or sesame seeds.
For More Einkorn Flour Recipes: Einkorn Banana Bread, Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fluffy Einkorn Pancakes.
Because crackers are a flat bread, they do not require any yeast or leavening, which makes them really quick to make. The dough just needs a little bit of time to hydrate and relax.
I’ve picked up a lot of tricks for baking crackers after taking an intensive bread-baking class and making many batches at home. Read on for how to prevent the toppings from falling off, a quick cheat to know how thin to roll the dough, and more.
What to Know About Einkorn Flour
- It's one of the oldest varieties of wheat cultivated by humans.
- It's higher in protein than all-purpose flour or modern wheat at 11.5-13.5%, compared with all standard all-purpose flour at 9-11%.
- Einkorn flour is low on the gluten index (rated 0). The gluten is weak, and rather than stretching, it tears.
- It is rich in phosphorus, vitamin B6, potassium, antioxidants, and amino acids.
- Its gluten is easy to digest, which may be helpful to those with gluten sensitivity.
How Einkorn Flour Impacts Cracker Recipes
Compared with all-purpose flour, all-purpose Einkorn flour absorbs less liquid than regular flour. All things being equal, cracker recipes need more einkorn flour than all-purpose flour to absorb the same amount of liquid ingredients (olive oil and water).
Einkorn flour is higher in protein and more flavorful (a little richer, more complex, sweeter, and more buttery tasting) than all-purpose flour, which makes it perfect for these healthy ancient grain crackers.
Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make Easy Homemade Einkorn Crackers.
- Einkorn Flour: Can be purchased online or at Whole Foods, made by a company called Jovial. It is more expensive than standard all-purpose flour.
- Salt: Brings out and balances flavor.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil. The good fat in olive oil adds flavor and gives the crackers a buttery taste, but without the butter. Use a relatively neutral-tasting extra virgin olive oil. If you prefer butter, it can be substituted one for one with olive oil.
- Water: Along with the extra virgin olive oil, the water hydrates the flour.
- Toppings: Use flaky sea salt, sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning, or fresh minced rosemary. Herbs like rosemary, oregano, or thyme can also be incorporated directly into the dough if desired.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Easy Homemade Einkorn Crackers
Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make these Easy Homemade Einkorn Crackers.
*Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Prep: Preheat the oven to 400℉.
Step 1. Combine the Dough: In a large bowl, combine the Einkorn flour and salt. Add 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 3 tablespoons water, and combine. Knead into a ball briefly to evenly distribute the olive oil throughout the dough.
Tip: A food processor can be used to combine the dough, but it is entirely unnecessary. The dough is very simple to mix together and easy to do very quickly by hand, which is a lot faster than lugging out and cleaning a food processor.
Step 2. Wrap and Rest: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. This allows the dough to hydrate and relax.
Step 3. Roll Out the Dough: Generously flour a clean work surface. Roll out the dough to 1/16 of an inch, picking it up periodically and turning it, adding flour underneath and on top as well as the rolling pin. Because it's very difficult to actually measure 1/16 of an inch, use the tines of a fork as an approximation. Place a fork right next to the dough. The dough should be no higher than the depth of the tines of a fork.
Step 4. Parchment Paper: Transfer the rolled out dough to a sheet of parchment paper (not wax paper).
Step 5. Toppings & Docking: Sprinkle the dough with your favorite toppings. Some options are everything bagel seasoning (pictured), sesame seeds, flaky sea salt, and fresh minced rosemary (pictured further below). Use the rolling pin to roll the toppings into the dough. This prevents the toppings from falling off after being baked.
Dock the dough all over with a fork (prick the dough). This helps to release steam in the dough, preventing it from puffing up in the oven.
Step 6. Cut into Crackers: Use a pizza cutter, bench scraper, or knife to cut the dough into rectangles, roughly 2¼ by 1½ inches. You can use a ruler for measuring, but don't worry about making it perfect. These are not store-bought crackers. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil.
Step 7. Baking Sheet: Transfer the parchment paper with the dough to a baking sheet.
Step 8. Bake: Bake the crackers at 400°F for 9-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. The crackers should be golden brown, but not burned. The darker the color, the longer they will stay crunchy and crispy while stored.
Allow the crackers to cool. The crackers become crunchier as they cool.
Eat on their own or with soup, such as Potato Leek Soup with Chicken, Carrot Ginger Chicken Soup, or this Light Spring Soup.
Serve with cheese like cheddar, or manchego, Whipped Feta, or use for a charcuterie board with fruit, nuts, cheese, berries, honey, or jam.
How to Store Einkorn Crackers
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The best way to keep the crackers crispy is to bake them sufficiently the first time, erring on the side of longer and a deeper golden brown in the oven. If they soften, you can recrisp them in the oven for a few minutes.
Tips for Making the Best Crispy Crackers
- Flouring the Work Surface: Use enough flour and pick up and turn the dough as you go, adding more flour underneath and on top as needed. Picking up and turning the dough ensures that the dough does not stick to the work surface.
- Roll the dough super thin, but also evenly. Start with the rolling pin in the center and roll towards you. Pick up and rotate the dough 90 degrees, then press with the rolling pin from the center outwards again, picking up the rolling pin at the edge of the dough to ensure that the edges do not become tapered, which means they would be thinner than the center, and more likely to burn before the rest of the crackers have browned.
- Use a Fork: To measure the thickness of the dough. The depth/height of the tines of a fork should be equal to the height of the dough.
- Brush lightly with olive oil. This gives them a shiny exterior and adds flavor. The olive oil soaks into the crackers, and they do not become greasy.
- Toppings: Roll the toppings into the dough with the rolling pin so that they do not fall off after being baked.
- Focus on the order of operations. Deviating from the order can cause issues. For example, if you cut the dough before you dock it, every time you prick it with a fork, it moves and makes it impossible to keep docking.
- Roll out the dough
- Transfer to parchment paper
- Add toppings and roll them in
- Dock with a fork
- Cut into rectangles
- Transfer to a baking sheet
- Brush lightly with olive oil
- Bake
- Rotate: In the oven for more even browning. This helps mitigate hot spots in the oven.
- Golden Brown: The darker the color without burning, the longer the crackers will stay crunchy. As long as you have a medium-to-deep golden color, you will have great, crunchy crackers.
For More Einkorn and Bread Recipes You May Love
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Easy Homemade Einkorn Crackers
Ingredients
Crackers
- 1 cup einkorn flour 140g
- 1 teaspoon salt 5g
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 30g + more for brushing
- 3 tablespoon water 42g
Toppings
- flaky sea salt
- sesame seeds
- everything bagel seasoning
- fresh rosemary, minced
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the extra virgin olive oil and water, and briefly knead into a ball. Continue to knead for 30 seconds to evenly distribute the olive oil in the dough.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Generously flour a clean work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough roughly into a long rectangle or oval. To do so, continuously pick up and turn the dough as you are rolling it out, adding more flour underneath, on top of the dough, and on the rolling pin to prevent sticking.
- Roll the dough to an even thickness so that it is not thinner at the edges than in the middle to encourage even browning in the oven. The dough should be 1/16 inch, or about the height of the tines of a fork. Place a fork right up next to the dough as a good proxy for 1/16 inch.
- Transfer the dough to a large sheet of parchment paper (not wax paper).
- Sprinkle the seasonings of your choice on the dough, such as flaky sea salt, sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning, or fresh rosemary, minced. Use the rolling pin to press and roll the seasonings into the dough. This prevents the seasonings from falling off the crackers.
- Dock the dough with the tines of a fork (prick the dough with the end of a fork). This helps to release steam in the oven, preventing bubbles from forming in the dough.
- Use a pizza cutter, butter knife, or bench knife to cut the dough into rectangles 1 ½ inches wide by 2 ¼ inches high.
- Transfer the parchment paper with the rolled dough to a baking sheet. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil.
- Bake at 400°F for 9-12 minutes. Rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Let the crackers fully cool before eating.
Notes
- Flouring the Work Surface: Use enough flour and pick up and turn the dough as you go, adding more flour underneath and on top as needed. Picking up and turning the dough ensures that the dough does not stick to the work surface.
- Roll the dough super thin, but also evenly. Start with the rolling pin in the center and roll towards you. Pick up and rotate the dough 90 degrees, then press with the rolling pin from the center outwards, picking up the rolling pin at the edge of the dough to ensure that the edges do not become tapered, which means they are thinner than the center, and more likely to burn before the rest of the crackers have browned.
- Use a Fork: To measure the thickness of the dough. The depth of the tines of a fork should be equal to the height of the dough.
- Brush lightly with olive oil. This gives them a shiny exterior and adds flavor. The olive oil soaks into the crackers, and they do not become greasy.
- Toppings: Roll the toppings into the dough with the rolling pin so that they do not just fall off after being baked.
- Focus on the order of operations. Deviating from the order can cause issues. For example, if you cut the dough before you dock it, every time you prick it with a fork, it moves and makes it impossible to keep docking.
- Roll out the dough
- Transfer to parchment paper
- Add toppings and roll them in
- Dock with a fork
- Cut into rectangles
- Transfer to a baking sheet
- Brush lightly with olive oil
- Bake
- Rotate: In the oven for more even browning. This helps mitigate hot spots in the oven.
- Golden Brown: The darker the color without burning, the longer the crackers will stay crunchy. As long as you have a medium-to-deep golden color, you will have great, crunchy crackers.
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