Flax seed failure...again !

[mbf]

Hi all,

I wonder if I am soaking the seeds improperly? Are you supposed to strain or rinse the seeds ?? I just put the seeds in fill with water, then a few hours later add more water if needed, then add to recipe. Is that correct ?

I tried my 4th attempt at flax crackers and failed again. They don't get crunchy in the dehyrdator, just spongy. I tried Alissa's recipe for banana flax crackers and it not work out, it's so frustating and getting expensive wasting so many ingredients.

Any suggestions ?

Thanks !

MBF

[edie]

Half a cup water, Half a cup flax... It will turn into a gelatin then and to recipies. (don't strain or rinse) GOOD LUCK ! EDIE :)

[Nadhirrah]

How long are you drying your crackers and at what temp? Personally I don’t care for flax crackers very much; the seeds get stuck in my teeth so I grind them in my coffee grinder and then soak the powder and mix with the other stuff and put in the dehydrator. As for soaking the whole seed you don’t need to strain or rinse them the sticky stuff on top of the seeds is what keeps everything stuck together. Good luck on the crackers and part of it is making the dough taste good to you add the veggies and spices that you like.

[VeggieMel]

I usually soak my seeds for 6-8 hours with a 1:1 1/2 ratio of flax seeds to water.
They always come out fine. They are gelatinous which is the way they should be.

[mbf]

Thanks, it was definately gelatin. I followed the recipe for the banana flax crackers, was very exact but do think they must have been too thick. sigh...I am not crazy about flax either but it is so good for us and I am really craving crackers. I don't do corn and not interested in sprouting at this time so I think flaz crackers are my only cracker option ?

Thank you all !

MBF

[sweet courage]

I made a delicious cracker this weekend from a recipe I got off Rhio's website. It contains the left over almond pulp from when I make almond milk. As for the flax in recipe, I used ground flax that I bought from the store to save on time. It came out perfect and its easy to digest.

Pizza-Licious Bread, Cracker or Crust
by Rhio

from forthcoming book
Hooked on Raw - for Life!
due out in 2007

1 cup almond pulp
1/2 cup golden flaxseed
1 small zucchini or cucumber
1/4 cup onion
1/2 tsp. Celic sea salt
1) Put all the ingredients into a food processor and utilizing the "S" blade, blend well. You might have to add in a little water, but do it a tbsp at a time, so as not to add in too much.
2) Transfer the dough to a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray and with your hands mold it into a circle or square shape, approx. 1/8 to 1/4" thick. If you are making it for a pizza base, crimp up the edges all around.
3) Put dough into the dehydrator at 95° F overnight or until dry, but still flexible. If you let it dehydrate longer, it becomes a cracker.
Yield: one pizza crust (base for building a pizza) or 6 generous crackers.

[mbf]

Thank you, I will give it one more try. I just bought some flax meal yesterday so perhaps that will be the key.

I just e-mailed Rhio recently about some cooking classes in my area ! turns out she bought a farm less then 30 minutes away from my house ! She invited people up to help & eat on weekends ! I can't wait !

MBF

[TimmyC]

Give that one more try...if it doesn't work try the corn tortillas...they're super easy, and they taste great.

Tim



Thank you, I will give it one more try. I just bought some flax meal yesterday so perhaps that will be the key.

I just e-mailed Rhio recently about some cooking classes in my area ! turns out she bought a farm less then 30 minutes away from my house ! She invited people up to help & eat on weekends ! I can't wait !

MBF

[calee]

I recently perfected the banana flax crax in Alissa's book. I was making them before but they never were great, always a little thick and nothing to write home about.... until my last batch!

I use 2 cups of flax seeds to 2 cups of water. I soak for 4 hours, or a little longer if I'm not home. I take a big spoon and just mix them up after 4 hours because they've gotten a little solid.

Now last time I didn't have any bananas, but I did have frozen bananas! I used 3-4 frozen bananas and then about 8oz of fresh oj. I put the two in the food processor until it was a lovely consistency. Then I folded that into the flax seeds until it was pretty well mixed.

I spread it thin in the dehydrator - I have a round dehydrator so I used parchment paper on the trays. They get so crispy and yummy and the flavor is much better after the bananas are frozen. I haven't a clue why, but they're terrific.

I'd love to hear if anyone else uses frozen bananas and why they taste so darn good htat way!

[berrienoire]

Hmm... The first time I made the flax crackers I was actually planning to make the banana ones, but I gave my hubby one of my last bananas so I had to make plain crackers. They came out very yummy...just ended up using one of Alissa's other recipes with garlic and ginger but with celtic salt since I had no Braggs Aminos. Need to make those again.

So. Now I'm wondering whether to freeze my bananas first after reading the last post. I have some that are perfectly ripe and was planning on using them to make a batch of banana/flax crackers. I do have one question...

For everyone that has made the banana crackers, did you use med or large bananas? I know sometimes it may not make much of a difference, but I was thinking that "too" much banana might keep the crackers from coming out they way they should. ??

[mbf]

ok, very interesting about the frozen banana ! that leads me to corn tortilla question for TimmyC, do you thaw the corn before you use it the tortilla recipe ?

thanks,

MBF

[TimmyC]

Good question. The answer is no. Make sure it's good and frozen or else it won't work. Plus experiment with your favorite foods and throw them in there. I like to throw in sundried tomatoes, extra garlic, some olive oil and apple cider vinegar...that's just me...but it's a flexible recipe as you can probably tell from the book.

Tim