Gluten Free Ritz Crackers
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 20 minutes
Yield: 60 crackers
Ingredients:
1 cup (140 g) all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (please click through for full info on appropriate flour blends), plus more for sprinkling
â…ť teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
ÂĽ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, chilled
1 tablespoon (14 g) vegetable oil
ÂĽ cup (2 fluid ounces) cold water, with ice (ice does not count in the volume measurement), plus more as needed
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, sugar, paprika, and salt, and whisk to combine well.
Using a standard-size grater, grate the cold butter into the large bowl of dry ingredients, stopping occasionally to flour the butter to keep it separated. Toss to coat the butter in the dry ingredients.
Add the vegetable oil and about 1/4 cup of the ice water, and stir to combine.
Add more water by the drop as necessary to bring the dough together. Moisten the dry ingredients with the water by pressing down into the dough with the back of the mixing spoon. Stop adding water as soon as the dough comes together into clumps.
Press the dough into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes or until firm.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface.
Sprinkle lightly with more flour on both sides of the dough and roll out until a bit more than 1/8-inch thick, moving and turning the dough, and sprinkling with extra flour as necessary to keep it from sticking.
Using a scalloped-edge 1 3/4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out shapes.
Place the shapes about 1 inch apart from one another on the prepared baking sheets. With a toothpick, poke four to six holes toward the center of each cracker to help them rise.
Gather and reroll the scraps to cut out crackers until you’ve used up the dough.
Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the crackers are just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, brush the crackers with the melted butter, and sprinkle with extra salt.
Allow to cool on the baking sheet. They will crisp as they cool.
The crackers can be stored in a sealed glass container at room temperature and should maintain their texture for at least 5 days.
Notes:
Adapted from Gluten Free Nabisco Ritz Crackers, Original recipe on page 188 of Gluten Free Classic Snacks. Lead photo by Jennifer May from Classic Snacks.
Ingredient Substitutions:
There aren’t a lot of tricky ingredients in these crackers, since they’re made naturally without eggs and have a few total ingredients.
Dairy-free:
The only dairy in this recipe is butter, and you can replace it with your favorite vegan butter. Make sure it’s a block of butter, though, that is quite firm when it’s cold from the refrigerator. These crackers are like little pastries, and the butter must be kept cold or it will melt; the crackers won’t be very crispy.
I would recommend using Melt or Miyoko’s Creamy vegan butter, not Earth Balance buttery sticks, which are quite soft and have too much moisture. Don’t use any oil-based butter that comes in a tub in this or any other pastry.
Smoked paprika:
This spice gives the crackers some depth of flavor and a slight orange tint, like the real packaged cracker. You can leave it out, or try replacing it with some cumin for smokiness, or a bit of chipotle chili powder for the color. They’ll have a spicy kick, though, so be sure you like that before adding it!
Recipe Tips:
Use cold ingredients. The grated butter must stay solid until the crackers go in the oven, so keep it and the water cold. Don’t handle the cracker dough too much, either, because the warmth of your hands will melt the butter.
Add water slowly. Once you’ve added water, you can’t take it out. You’ll just be adding more flour, then a bit more water to catch up, on and on. Press down on the mixture with the back of your mixing spoon to incorporate all the water, or pinch some together, and stop when the dough holds together in clumps.
Let the dough sit. If you refrigerate your raw dough for longer than about 2 hours, it may crumble as you try to roll it out. Just let it sit at room temperature until it’s still cold, but has some more give in it as you press down with the rolling pin.
Add finishing touches to warm crackers. Be sure to brush the crackers with melted butter and sprinkle with extra salt while they’re still warm from the oven. They’ll soak the butter right up so they have that buttery taste and texture of the wax paper-wrapped originals.
FAQs:
Can you freeze the dough?
Yes! Wrap the raw, unshaped disk of dough in plastic wrap, then place it in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months before defrosting, shaping, and baking.
Can I get the same results with vegan butter?
If you’re using block-style vegan butter, like Melt or Miyoko’s Creamery brands, that is as solid as dairy butter when chilled, you should get very similar results.
Can you buy gluten-free Ritz crackers?
No, Nabisco does not make a gluten-free version of its famous crackers. But the brand Lance makes a version of “gluten-free baked original crackers” that look a lot like Ritz and buttery, and pretty delicious. They’re not quite like the original, but they do taste great! Lance does make lots of conventional gluten-containing crackers, though, so make sure you’re buying the right one.
Storage:
These crackers will keep their crispy, crunchy texture in a sealed glass jar at room temperature for at least 5 days. Just make sure to brush them with butter when they’re still warm, and let them cool completely before storing them, or they’ll release steam that makes them soggy in the jar. If you store them in plastic, they’ll lose their texture.
Storing the raw dough:
You can make the raw cracker dough ahead of time. Just wrap it very tightly in plastic wrap, place it in a zip-top bag, press out all ai,r and seal it well.
The unshaped dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Before baking, let the refrigerated dough sit, still wrapped in plastic, at room temperature until it gives a bit when you press it with a rolling pin.
You can also freeze the unshaped dough in the same form for up to 3 months. Defrost, still wrapped, in the refrigerator overnight, then on the counter as described above.
Nutritional Facts:
Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 104IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.04mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe courtesy of Gluten Free on a Shoestring.com