Thin, crisp crackers with a cheesy flavour from nutritional yeast and a fragrance of fresh rosemary. The dough comes together in a single batch in the food processor: soaked almonds, ground flax, nutritional yeast and seasoning, then water poured in a thin stream with the motor running until you get a mixture that spreads without running. Everything after that is a matter of patience in the dehydrator, with a halfway score to get clean squares instead of a randomly broken sheet. The batch makes about thirty crackers.
Raw Almond-Rosemary Crackers with Nutritional Yeast
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Ingredients
- 2 cups almonds, soaked overnight and drained
- 4 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 120 to 250 ml water, to adjust
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Method
- Put the almonds, ground flax, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Pulse a few times to combine.
- With the motor running, pour in 120 ml water in a thin stream. Let it run for one to two minutes, scraping down the sides. Add more water as needed, until the dough spreads easily: neither runny nor too thick.
- Stir in the chopped rosemary.
- Spread the dough in a thin, even layer on a dehydrator non-stick sheet.
- Dehydrate for 4 hours at 45C (113F). Score the sheet into your cracker shapes, then continue for 8 hours or overnight.
- Break the crackers apart, flip them over and dehydrate for one more hour.
Tip
The thickness of the spread decides everything: too thick, and the cracker stays soft in the middle; too thin, and it breaks the moment you handle it. Aim for a very even layer, and score it while the sheet is still a little pliable.
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FAQ: your questions about nutritional yeast
What are the effects of eating 4 almonds a day?
It's an inactive nutritional yeast, combined with barley malt, sold as flakes or powder. Inactive means it no longer ferments anything: it won't make a dough rise, unlike baker's yeast. It's used purely as a seasoning, for its very distinctive umami flavour, somewhere between aged cheese and toasted hazelnut. It's this flavour that gives these crackers their cheesy edge without a trace of dairy.
What is nutritional yeast?
Nothing reproduces it exactly, but several options come close depending on the use. For the salty, umami side of a sauce or cracker dough, a spoonful of light miso works very well, or a few blended sun-dried tomatoes. For the cheesy side of a sprinkle, try almonds or cashews ground very finely with a pinch of salt and a little garlic powder. None of these bring the B vitamins found in nutritional yeast: it's mostly a matter of taste.
What can replace nutritional yeast?
It goes by several names that cause confusion: nutritional yeast, food yeast, yeast flakes, and in English often shortened to nooch. The most telling nickname is vegan parmesan, which describes its use well. Be careful not to confuse it with brewer's yeast tablets, sold as a dietary supplement, or with baking powder, which has nothing to do with it.
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