Gluten-Free Chickpea Crackers

|Katie Layland
Chickpea crackers? Yes, please.
Sometimes a celery stick does not suffice for a crunchy snack on the Eczema Detox programs, so we have a solution... chickpea crackers. 
These tasty crackers are a perfect snack option and pair nicely with our sesame-free hummus or carrot hummus and are perfect as an on the go snack. 

The health benefits:

Chickpea flour is also known as besan flour and is a nutritious gluten-free flour, rich in folate, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc and dietary fibre.

      
NOTES: 
These crackers are FID friendly (Food Intolerance Diagnosis program from The Eczema Detox), and can be paired with sesame-free hummus for an FID friendly snack. If you do not tolerate chickpeas you could sub for lentil or spelt flour (however, these flours have not been trialed). 
                       
INGREDIENTS
1 cup of chickpea (besan) flour
1/4 cup of warm water
1/2 teaspoon of good quality salt such as sea salt
Optional - 3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
     
Crackers topping options
Garlic powder
Good quality salt such as Celtic Sea Salt
Dried chives or parsley
Poppy seeds
Chia seeds - do not use in following the FID program
Flaxseeds - do not use if following the FID program
                      
METHOD
  • In a bowl, add the chickpea flour, salt, and mix together, then pour the water into the bowl and mix together using your hands. The final dough should not be too sticky or too dry so add additional water or flour to the dough if needed.
  • Move the dough to a well-floured bench and cut into 3 even sections. Grab one of the sections and coat well on both sides with additional chickpea flour then move to the floured benchtop and roll out the dough as thin as you can using a floured rolling pin (about 1/2 mm thick).
  • To ensure the dough does not stick, continue to turn it over onto opposite sides as you roll out the dough and keep flouring the bench so it does not stick. if you do this you should easily be able to remove the dough from the bench.
  • Once the dough is rolled out evenly use a cookie cutter of your choice to create the cracker shapes. We used a round cookie cutter with wavy edges, 5cm in diameter. If you do not have a cutter you can cut the crackers into squares or triangles using a knife.
  • Remove the cracker cutouts and place them side by side onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Top with your toppings of choice and press down lightly to ensure the seasoning is fixed into the dough. Use a fork or toothpick to prick each cracker in the middle (this will stop the crackers from puffing up).
  • Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crispy. 
NOTE: The crackers will need to be cooked in batches, so use the first section of dough to make a batch of crackers, place in the oven and continue with rolling the next batch of dough whilst the crackers bake. 
  • When each batch of crackers is cooked move to a fresh sheet of baking paper to cool.
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy! 

Much love (and healthy skin)!!

     

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At Eczema Life, we recommend following a low food chemical program based on nutritionist Karen Fischer's 'The Eczema Detox' book. Along with our additive-free supplements for skin health and wellbeing. 

Click on the images to view more details:

    

Food photos by Karen Fischer, recipe by Katie Layland 

The Eczema Toolkit

the holistic way to clear skin

The Eczema Detox is Karen Fischer's latest best-selling eczema manual designed to help you find relief. Through her work she found some patients needed a special program to identify personal triggers, so the FID Program was created. The Eczema Clear Skin Toolkit combines gut health and nutrition with soothing, barrier repair skincare and supplements to calm the itch and support skin repair, the immune system and more. If you’ve tried everything and nothing has worked, this is the skin calming toolkit you've been praying for.

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Eczema Friend

the itch buster  |  rash cream

The low pH eczema cream that helps to relieve itchy skin, red skin rash and mild eczema and dermatitis. Suitable for all types of rashes. It's the cream you'll wish you had tried first.

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Frequently asked questions

Does food allergy trigger eczema?

Food allergy and eczema are closely linked, and allergies can absolutely make eczema worse, but they're often not what starts it in the first place. In fact, research suggests the reverse may be more accurate: eczema itself may come first and increase the risk of developing food allergies, rather than the other way around (Tsakok et al. 2016). One study found that babies with eczema were up to six times more likely to become
sensitised to foods compared to those without eczema. In children with established eczema, up to 66% showed food sensitisation, with confirmed food allergy in up to 81% of cases (Tsakok et al. 2016).

If you or your child has a diagnosed food allergy, those foods should be avoided for now. For additional guidance, the Food Intolerance Diagnosis (FID) Program in The Eczema Detox book can help identify food intolerances that do not show up in allergy tests (see next FAQ).
Do food allergy tests help eczema?

Skin prick tests and other food allergy tests including blood tests and patch tests can be unreliable on their own, so an oral food
challenge (supervised by an allergy specialist if you are prone to anaphylaxis), is the most accurate way to confirm whether you or your child is reacting to a particular food. For additional guidance, the FID Program in The Eczema Detox book can help you to identify your personal triggers.
About the authors

Ren Karen Fischer is a nutritionist, mother of two, and award-winning author of seven books, including the bestsellers The Eczema Diet and The Eczema Detox. Fischer is also a peer-reviewed published researcher, and is currently undertaking eczema research as part of a Master's by Research at Bond University. Combining clinical research with real-world experience, she is dedicated to advancing evidence-based care for eczema.

Nutritionist Bonnie Taylor holds a Bachelor of Health Science degree and helps people with eczema identify their individual triggers through the FID Program. Taylor has worked alongside Fischer for many years and offers nutrition consultations by appointment.