Citrus spiced polenta crackers

Following on from my roasted red pepper soup are these spiced polenta crackers, the perfect compliment. Slightly crisp around the edges and perfect to scoop up some thick creamy soup.

This recipe was another simple last minute answer to the question, 'what can I have with my soup?'  I'm not gluten intolerant myself but do like to limit wheat and so I fancied something of the non-bread variety. These crackers were a great solution since they take just 5 minutes to prepare and then a little baking time whilst you go off and make the rest of the lunch or dinner.... or putting the washing on, or unloading the dishwasher, or if you are me a few minutes to grab your photography gear and prep the table ready...that kind of thing!

You can add any spices or mix-ins you like really, the only required elements are the polenta and the liquid ratios, so everything else is open to interpretation. To prep the crackers ready for the oven I spread the polenta mixture onto a lined baking sheet (do this quickly whilst its still very hot as it will spread more easily) and then in a moment of genius I grabbed a wooden roller and lightly rolled the surface of the crackers to get a uniform thickness, this worked really well  and wasn't at all messy as I was expecting. You'll want to roll the crackers to about 1-2mm thick for a cracker that bakes quickly and crisply.  Then slice into squares with a pizza cutter....and you are good to go!

Another great 'dippable' recipe coming up soon!

Recipe: Spiced polenta crackers

Ingredients:

1/4 cup quick cook polenta
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1 tsp roasted garlic powder
1 tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp lemon zest
salt to taste

Method:

Add the polenta in a steady stream to a pan of boiling liquid ingredients and bring back to the boil strirring continuously. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for approx 3 minutes and then whilst still hot pour onto baking sheet spreading it out as best you can.

Use a roller to flatten to an even layer as required. Using a pizza cutter to slice into squares, you could use a knife but I find a knife edge 'drags' on the polenta giving less neat edges!

Bake for approx. 15-20 minutes depending upon the thickness of the polenta. Keep an eye to make the sure the edges don't burn too much but get crispy.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.