“They’re here!” It’s that moment when the baby is screaming, the oven timer’s dangerously close to needing your attention, you’re stirring a sizzling skillet, the peaches for your salad have gone moldy, and your tiny furball is seconds away from hurtling herself at lightning speed at the unwitting guests making their way up your front steps. True story, this weekend. In that moment, my mind panicked: “Why didn’t I just order takeout? What was I thinking inviting over dinner guests during my 5-month old’s witching hour?”
Years ago, I would have given up. Answered the door full of excuses, hair in my face, talking a mile a minute. Probably some unsavory words muttered under the breath. Today, my mind snapped back into gear. “Cooking is your love language. You love making delicious, homemade nourishment for people. Breathe. It’s ultimately worth it.” I took a breath, Alex tended to Larson. Luna stopped barking. We made the thin crust rye flatbreads, and loaded them with hummus and pesto white bean dip and all sorts of vegetables. Tomatoes stood in for my salad peaches. We laughed. Our guests toddler hit his head repeatedly on the corner of our table. Larson giggled. By the end of the night, it was all worth it.
And that’s why we do it. Making homemade, wholesome food that nourishes the people around our table is ultimately worth it to us. Because you could just order takeout pizza. But we developed this rye cracker crust to make an easier, healthier way to enjoy pizza at home. Made with rye flour and naturally plant-based, it fits into both the categories of vegan recipes and healthy dinner ideas. Here are a few of the features of this rye flour pizza crust (flatbread):
- It’s made with rye flour and whole wheat flour, making it fully whole grain.
- Rye flour adds a nutty flavor to the dough.
- Typical pizza dough requires yeast and a rise time. Since this is a cracker crust, there’s no rise time required. Just mix up the dough, roll out into a thin sheet, and bake.
- Essentially a vegan pizza, this flatbread is fully plant-based. Spreading hummus onto the flatbread before topping with fresh vegetables and herbs adds a savory flavor that makes up for the lack of cheese.
For this flatbread, we used sprouted rye flour. Why use sprouted flour versus conventional? Sprouted flours are less processed than the typical flour, have increased nutritional benefits, and are more easily digestible. If you’re able to access a sprouted flour, like this one from One Degree Organics, it’s a great added nutritional boost. (If not, you can also use conventional rye flour.)
When we served these rye cracker crust flatbreads to guests, we baked them up before the guests arrived and topped them right before eating. This herby tomato flatbread got high marks. After it, we tried one with sauteed mushrooms, shallot, and this kale pesto white bean dip, also very good. Spreading the crispy crusts with a savory, garlicky spread and topping with crunchy vegetables is a new take on “pizza night” that we all enjoyed (including the toddler!). Three cracker crusts was the perfect portion for four adults. On our final crust, we used a combination of all of the ingredients we had on hand, even a bit of the goat cheese crumbles left over from our salad (making it non-vegan, but very tasty).
We hope you enjoy this cracker crust version of a pizza night and that it fits into your list of healthy dinner ideas. We’d love to know what toppings you enjoy; let us know in the comments below.
Featured partner: One Degree Organics
We developed this recipe especially for One Degree Organic Foods and their sprouted rye flour. One Degree Organics is a family’s business we’ve connected with whose goal is to bring food straight from a farm to your table so there’s only one degree of separation between you and person who grew your food. All of One Degree’s products are sprouted, traceable, organic, and non-GMO project verified. An incredible amount of care goes into all of their products (sprouted grain flours, cereals, breads, and granolas), and it was easy to see the passion that drives this company forward.
Another feature we love is you can read about the story of the farmer behind your food by scanning a QR code on the product. The farmer for our rye flour is Bernie Ehnes; you can read about him here. In our work with One Degree, we create vegan recipes using their organic products: see the chocolate brownie spelt pancakes in the “Vegan recipes” section below.
Looking for vegan recipes?
Vegan recipes are becoming a more popular request from readers these days. Here are a few of our favorite vegan recipes for summertime eating:
- Veggie Burger with Tart Cherry Salsa
- Chocolate Brownie Spelt Vegan Pancakes
- Raw Falafel Buddha Bowls
- Turmeric Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Looking for healthy dinner ideas?
Who isn’t looking for healthy dinner ideas, these days? A few of our top healthy dinner ideas, again with a summer flair:
- Vegetarian Spinach Meatballs & Spaghetti
- “Get Your Greens” Naan Pizzas
- Vegetarian Cobb Salad
- Pecan, Grape & Onion Pizza
Did you make this recipe?
If you make our rye flour cracker crust recipe, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks and @onedegreeorganics.
This recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and refined sugar free.
- 1 Crispy Rye Cracker Crust (below)
- 1 cup 5 Ingredient Classic Hummus (to come)
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
- 1 handful fresh chives
- 1 small shallot (optional)
- Kosher salt
- Bake the Crispy Rye Cracker Crust.
- When ready to serve, quarter the tomatoes and sprinkle with kosher salt. Chop the herbs. If using shallot, thinly slice it into rings.
- Spread the crust with hummus and top with tomatoes and herbs.
- Cut into pieces (it is very crisp but can be cut with a knife or pizza cutter) and serve.
- 1 cup rye flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup water
- Preheat an oven to 450F.
- In a large mixing bowl combine rye flour, whole wheat flour, kosher salt, and baking powder and stir to thoroughly combine. Add the olive oil and water, and stir until roughly combined. Turn onto floured surface and knead several times until smooth, adding a bit of flour if the dough is very sticky.
- Divide into even two balls.
- Place the dough on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out one dough into a large rectangle, to very thin, just less than ⅛”. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and prick the dough with a fork across the entire surface to prevent bubbles.
- Bake 5 minutes, then remove from oven and flip. Bake 7 to 8 more minutes, until lightly browned, crisp and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining dough. If desired, crusts can be cooled and served a few hours after baking.
A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living
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