Homemade crackers taste so much better than store-bought crackers. It's a fact. No matter how many times I make them, the level of goodness never ceases to amaze me. Not to mention, if you've never made crackers at home, it's so much easier than you may think.
Crackers are a popular snacking choice in my house. I won't claim to make all of the ones we eat from scratch. But, I try. I've tried many sort-of copycat kid-pleasers such as cheese crackers, club crackers, sociables, homemade goldfish crackers, and butter crackers. But the type that I make most often are more of the "pinkies up" varieties. The type that are seemingly more sophisticated (yet the kids still devour them). Crackers that fall into this category are usually thin and crisp, and often have seeds of some sort studded throughout, and sometimes they include yeast or sourdough, such as flaxseed and black pepper, olive oil and seed, or crunchy seeded crackers.
These crackers fall into the first variety - copycat kid-pleasers. Yet, my husband and I love them, too. I mean, who didn't grow up loving graham crackers. They are perennial favorites! I love them as dessert, just dunked in milk. I try to hold them in the milk for as long as I can without losing them (you know what I'm talking about). Also, when I was little, we used to use any leftover frosting after making a cake, to spread on them; chocolate was always my favorite.
Wrap them around a gooey toasted marshmallow and some chocolate for that favorite campfire treat, s'mores. Crush them and mix them with butter to make a pie crust. Yes, you can do all of these things with homemade graham crackers. And guess what? They make your favorite treats taste even better. It's possible. Really.
When testing out graham cracker recipes, I came across quite a few variations. Some were too molassesy. Some just tasted sweet, but not "graham crackery". Finally I settled on one that tasted exactly - yes exactly - like the graham crackers I grew up with. When you break them in half, they have the same look and texture that is unique to graham crackers.
Once baked and cooled, these crackers store extremely well in an airtight container for at least a week. And believe it or not, they taste even better after a few days. The one difference that I notice is a good difference. They are slightly sturdier than the store-bought variety, which simply means that I can hold them in my milk for that much longer.
Next up, homemade animal crackers (I've already bought the cute little dough cutters and everything)!
We think Heather's graham crackers would be amazing spread with a little cream cheese and Megan's jalapeño jelly recipe. Or maybe Tracy's onion jam!
Graham Cracker Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, plus more for work surface
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, fine
- 5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into smallish pieces
- 1/4 cup molasses, robust or dark
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom, ground
Directions
- Place both flours, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse a few times, until you have little "pebbles". Add the molasses, honey, and sugar and pulse to combine. Finally, add milk and vanilla and pulse until everything comes together and cleans itself off the sides of the food processor bowl; dough will be slightly sticky.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. If you like, divide dough in half, and set half aside so that you have less to roll out at a time. Scatter just a little bit of flour across the top of the dough, and using a rolling pin, roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Since the dough is sticky, you may need to add some more flour as you work, but only add enough to keep it from sticking to your work surface or your rolling pin.
- Using a 3-inch square cutter, cut dough into individual crackers. Gently lift up and line up on your prepared baking sheets, 12 per sheet. Re-roll dough as needed, and repeat until done.
- If using, stir all of the spice topping ingredients together, then lightly sprinkle over each dough square. Use a fork to prick each piece of dough (with or without topping) a few times. Transfer the baking sheets to the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Slide baking sheets into preheated oven and bake for 18 minutes, or until they turn very lightly golden around the edges and your whole kitchen smells of graham crackers!
- Let the crackers sit on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- The crackers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/1zq6TeA
Put the internet to work for you.
| |
| Recommended for you |
No comments:
Post a Comment