We all got back from a lovely weekend trip to New York City on Monday night. Aaron had an actuary conference on Monday afternoon (sounds riveting, eh?) so we made a weekend of it. Oh, and the two weeks before that I was in Idaho for my brother's wedding. It was just wonderful.
I'll be writing more about it later, but for now here is a recipe that has become a staple in our house.
My brother's reception included a s'mores bar with a variety of graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars. Before I gave Sawyer a graham cracker I browsed the ingredients just to see what I was giving him... Hmm, hydrogenated oil, high fructose syrup, and lots of preservatives. Delicious. I still gave him a cracker and he LOVED it. So I decided when I got home I was going to make him some homemade cracker without all the sketchy ingredients.
I have tried a few recipes in the past that just didn't turn out that well. Too greasy, too soft, and on and on and on. I finally stumbled across this recipe from The Homemade Pantry (amazing book!) and I knew I could stop my search from the perfect homemade graham cracker.
The thing I love about this recipe is I can triple it and freeze the extra dough. Then, when we are in need of a snack, we just let the dough thaw before rolling it out and baking.
Graham Crackers
adapted from The Homemade Pantry1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour*
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) chilled coconut oil, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) chilled coconut oil, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flours with the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and the brown sugar. Mix for 10 seconds using the paddle attachment, then add the butter and coconut oil. Mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.
Combine the honey and vanilla with 1/4 cup cold water in a liquid measuring cup and stir to combine until the honey is mostly dissolved. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, slowly pour the honey mixture into the bowl, giving the mixture time to absorb the liquid. Continue to mix for another 20 seconds, or until the dough comes together. It will still be slightly crumbly. Push the dough into a ball, wrap it in waxed paper, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days. (The dough can be wrapped and frozen at this point.)
Take the dough out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you are ready to bake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the dough in hlaf, and lay one half between two sheets of waxed paper dusted with rye flour. Roll the dough as thin as you can get it, ideally 1/8 inch. It will still be crumbly, but just press it back together and keep rolling. Use a pizza wheel, crinkle cutter, or knife to cut 2 x 3 inch rectangles. Use a spatula to separate the rectangles from the waxed paper and set them on an ungreased baking sheet. The crackers won''t spread, so they can be quite close. Reroll any scraps and repeat--then repeat again with the second half of the dough.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until just starting to brown at the edges. Cool on a wire rack. The crackers are great out of the oven, but their flavor improves the next day.
Notes
STORAGE
Room temperature: covered container, 10 days
Fridge: unbaked dough in waxed paper, 3 days
Freezer: unbaked dough, wrapped in plastic and a freezer bag, 4 months (thaw in the refrigerator before rolling out); baked crackers, freezer bag (recrisp in a 375 F oven for 5 minutes), 4 months.
Combine the honey and vanilla with 1/4 cup cold water in a liquid measuring cup and stir to combine until the honey is mostly dissolved. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, slowly pour the honey mixture into the bowl, giving the mixture time to absorb the liquid. Continue to mix for another 20 seconds, or until the dough comes together. It will still be slightly crumbly. Push the dough into a ball, wrap it in waxed paper, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days. (The dough can be wrapped and frozen at this point.)
Take the dough out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you are ready to bake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the dough in hlaf, and lay one half between two sheets of waxed paper dusted with rye flour. Roll the dough as thin as you can get it, ideally 1/8 inch. It will still be crumbly, but just press it back together and keep rolling. Use a pizza wheel, crinkle cutter, or knife to cut 2 x 3 inch rectangles. Use a spatula to separate the rectangles from the waxed paper and set them on an ungreased baking sheet. The crackers won''t spread, so they can be quite close. Reroll any scraps and repeat--then repeat again with the second half of the dough.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until just starting to brown at the edges. Cool on a wire rack. The crackers are great out of the oven, but their flavor improves the next day.
Notes
STORAGE
Room temperature: covered container, 10 days
Fridge: unbaked dough in waxed paper, 3 days
Freezer: unbaked dough, wrapped in plastic and a freezer bag, 4 months (thaw in the refrigerator before rolling out); baked crackers, freezer bag (recrisp in a 375 F oven for 5 minutes), 4 months.
*I used freshly ground whole wheat pastry flour, which worked well. However, I only needed 2-3 tbsp of water instead of 1/4 cup. I would recommend adding only 2 tbsp water with the honey and then adding more water as needed to create the right consistency.
