Is crispbread gluten free?

July 08, 2022

Crispread is known as knekkebrød in Norwegian, knäckebröd in Swedish and Dutch, knækbrød in Danish, and näkkileipä in Finnish. It traditionally contains rye, but it can easily be made gluten free. Many brands offer gluten free versions of crispbread that taste almost identical to the original. The texture of gluten free varieties are also very similar to traditional versions, because crispbread doesn’t rely on much gluten development to provide structure.

crispbread

Image from Twitter

Crispbread is a dry, flat cracker that originated in Finland and Sweden. The crackers keep well, are cheap and easy to make, and can be eaten with tons of different foods. In Sweden and Finland, the crackers are round and textured with small holes or divets to enable faster drying. They also have a larger hole in the middle, because they’re traditionally dried and stored on a pole.

Norwegian knekkebrød is a bit different. It’s usually rectangular-shaped and contains whole seeds and oats, which makes for a nutty flavor with a bit more richness than the Finnish and Swedish versions of crispbread. Both varieties are wholesome and filling, especially when topped with spreads and veg.

crispbread

Image from Northwild Kitchen

The traditional toppings for crispbread are butter, honey, ham, or cheese. You can get creative and make everything from open faced sandwiches (smørrebrød) to pizza. It’s also not uncommon to use crushed crispread as a substitute for granola with yogurt and berries. Crispbread are a great travel food for Celiacs to pack because they keep fresh for a really long time, are filling and nutritious, and can be used in so many different ways.