Tutorial Tuesday: Homemade Graham Crackers!

Tags

baking, cookies, cooking, crackers, desserts, food, recipe, smitten kitchen, tutorial

Happy Tuesday, Everybody!

I hope your Monday was kind to you. I’m currently languishing in bed, my rump squashed up against a pillow, wishing I hadn’t pushed it so hard at the gym yesterday. Listening to me rotate every so often, you’d think I was walking on hot coals. “Ooo. Ah. Oo-oo. Ahhhh.” What is it that leads a person to believe they have suddenly transformed into a superhero upon entering the gym? Adrenaline? Endorphins? Body-hugging spandex? In the moment, I was a stud. In hindsight, I was an idiot. Let’s just say I’ll be breaking for the bathroom on an “as imperatively needed” basis today.

Anywho . . .

I’ve found something decadently yummy to share with you today. I’m calling it a snackert: half snack, half dessert. You heard it here first, folks. Prepare for imminent takeover. Next time you’re watching Martha or Rachel whip up something fantastic, and they look over beaming into the camera and say, “Doesn’t this snackert look amazing, everyone?!” remember that it’s incipience was born at This Little Light.

This tutorial — originally debuted and found at smittenkitchen.com <— Amazing recipes! — is dedicated to my dear friend Kristin, who specially requested that I feature another food tutorial.

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

Ingredients:

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. 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. {The crackers displayed here are a bit smaller, 2 -inch fluted squares, which can be made using one of these.}

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 (you can also 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.

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, 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. Don’t rely too heavily on the oven-temp determine when it’s ready. A thermometer will help, as some ovens run hotter than others. Be safe, check them sooner. Nobody likes a burnt cracker!

For an extra decadent experience, try them with a little cream-cheese frosting smeared on top — add another to make a mini sandwich. Come on, live a little! You can work it off later. Just don’t do what I did and invoke your entire Xena Warrior Princess in one single workout.

Enjoy!

Until next time . . .