Homemade Graham Crackers

This is my last 'snack food' post for now, though I intend to experiment with making my own fruit roll-ups soon.  If you have a great recipe for that, or any other awesome homemade kid snacks, please let me know! 

In the meantime, I may have saved the very best for last, because these graham crackers are so scrumptious!  Some of these homemade snacks I will make again because I think they are healthier, some I make to save money, but these I will make again simple because they are so dang delicious!

My friend Sarah also shared this recipe with me, and it belongs to Smitten Kitchen.  I highly recommend you read her tutorial and view her lovely pictures, such as this one:







The following text is taken directly from Smitten Kitchen's website, unless you see it in red, in which case that is my personal thoughts and advice added in.  Enjoy!

Graham Crackers
Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, and 101 Cookbooks, because for some absurd reason that will be immediately rectified, this book is not yet in my collection.

If you’re new to graham crackers, do know that the word “cracker” is misleading. They’re moderately sweet, like a cookie or biscuit, but they do have the snap of a cracker. I can’t say that I’d serve them with cheese, but if you’ve never schmeared them with cream cheese frosting, you’re missing out.

The topping amount will make a heavy coating, like the store-bought ones. Make only half if you just want a light-to-moderate sprinkling.

Makes 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares

• 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (375 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (a swap of 1/2 cup with whole wheat flour or 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour works well here, too)
• 1 cup (176 grams) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt (4 grams)
• 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
• 1/3 cup (114 grams) mild-flavored honey, such as clover
• 5 tablespoons (77 grams) milk, full-fat is best
• 2 tablespoons (27 grams) pure vanilla extract

Topping (optional)

• 3 tablespoons (43 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) ground cinnamon

Make the dough: Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

[Alternately, if you don't have a food processor or electric mixer, you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender. Just make sure they're very well incorporated.]

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.

Roll out the crackers: Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Okay, she is not exaggerating here!  My dough was SUPER sticky, so sticky that it took me three tries to get it not to stick.  I even tried wax paper, but the dough is so soft that it stuck to the wax paper too!  My suggestion: put down LOTS of flour, spread evenly.  Roll once or twice, pick up dough, and reflour, and repeat until it's all rolled out.  Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. [This makes a traditional graham cracker shape. I rebelled and made mine into 2-inch fluted squares with one of these.]  Personally, I just grabbed my pizza cutter and cut it into squares or small rectangles.  I even used the funky triangle shapes from the edges, because my family doesn't care and they taste the same no matter the shape.  :)
Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Decorate the crackers: Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough (again, this is for the traditional cracker shape). Using a toothpick or skewer (I like to use the blunt end of a wooden skewer for more dramatic dots), prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line. I completely skipped this step, because I was ready to have these crackers done!  :)

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. [The baking time range is long because the original recipe calls for 25 minutes but my new oven -- which I suspect runs crazy hot but have yet to confirm with the actual purchase of an oven thermometer -- had them done in way less. Be safe, check them sooner. Nobody likes a burnt cracker!]  So, I don't think my oven runs hot, and I baked my first batch on 350 for 15 minutes and they came out completely burnt!  Sad.  :(  Maybe I roll mine a lot thinner, I don't know, but I cooked the next batch on 325 for about 8 minutes and they were perfect.  So, I suggest you watch that first batch diligently until you know what works for you!