Easy Gluten Free Senbei Crackers Recipe with Seaweed Glaze

Senbei are usually made with rice and often grilled or baked until crisp. They are very nearly naturally gluten free! You only need to swap out the soy sauce.

These crackers are simple to shape by hand and bake in the oven, so there is no frying and no special equipment beyond a blender, a rolling pin and baking parchment.

Ingredients

For the crackers:

• 120g glutinous rice flour

• 40g cooked sushi rice

• Pinch of sea salt

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 60ml water

• 1 to 2 tbsp sesame seeds, plus extra for topping if you like

  
  

For the glaze:

• 1 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce or tamari

• 2 tsp mirin

• 1 tbsp honey

  
  

To serve:

• Seaweed or nori sheets, cut into strips

Method

1. Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

   
   

2. Blend the rice mixture. Add the glutinous rice flour, cooked sushi rice, sea salt and vegetable oil to a blender or food processor and blitz.

   
   

3. Bring the dough together. Tip the mixture into a bowl. Add the sesame seeds, then pour in the water gradually. Mix with a spoon, then knead by hand until the dough starts to come together. It should feel soft and slightly tacky, but not wet.

   
   

4. Shape into small balls. Divide the dough into small pieces, about the size of a walnut. Roll each piece into a ball. Keeping them small makes it easier to roll the crackers thinly and evenly.

   
   

5. Roll out the crackers. Place one dough ball between two sheets of baking parchment. Roll it into a thin round shape. Repeat with the remaining dough. If the edges crack a little, press them back together with your fingers.

   
   

6. Transfer to the tray. Peel away the top layer of parchment and place the crackers on the lined baking tray. Leave a little space between each one. Sprinkle with a few extra sesame seeds if you like, pressing them in lightly.

   
   

7. Bake until firm. Bake for 15 minutes at 170°C, or until the crackers are set and starting to dry around the edges. They may not look fully golden yet, which is fine.

   
   

8. Make the glaze. While the crackers bake, stir together the gluten-free soy sauce, mirin and honey in a small bowl until smooth.

   
   

9. Glaze the crackers. Remove the tray from the oven. Brush a thin layer of glaze over each cracker.

   
   

10. Bake again briefly. Return the crackers to the oven for 2 minutes, just until the glaze looks glossy and slightly set. Keep an eye on them as the sugars in the glaze can burn.

11. Wrap with seaweed and serve. Let the crackers cool for a few minutes. Wrap each cracker with a strip of seaweed or nori, then serve while crisp.