Eileen’s Everyone Eats Right™

Homemade graham crackers, March 2011

As a fellow Kalona cook told me recently when graciously sharing her recipe for graham crackers, so many foods are better homemade. Store-bought graham crackers are OK for crumb crusts and even s’mores, but they don’t have a lot of flavor on their own. These homemade graham crackers made with fresh butter and hearty, nutty stone ground graham flour are quite tasty and enjoyable as a standalone snack.

Graham flour was developed in the 1820s by Sylvester Graham, a minister who was a strong advocate for whole, unprocessed foods. Whole wheat four can be substituted for graham flour, but graham flour has more pronounced flavors of wheat germ and bran because these components are processed separately from the kernels. Graham flour should be kept refrigerated or frozen to maintain freshness of the wheat germ oil.

GRAHAM CRACKERS
Active time: 45 minutes
Yield: 3 to 4 dozen 2 1/2-inch squares

7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar or raw granulated cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups graham flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3  cup milk

In medium bowl or stand mixer bowl, cream shortening and sugars together. Add vanilla and mix to combine. In a separate medium bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and stir well to combine. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Mix thoroughly after each addition. Dough should be slightly sticky. If it seems dry, add a tablespoon or two more milk, one tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition. Form dough into a flat rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To form the crackers, place half of the dough on a floured sheet of waxed paper. (To keep waxed paper from sliding, wipe surface underneath with a damp dishcloth, and repeat as necessary after each roll-out of dough.) During rolling and cutting, add dustings of flour to surface, dough, and rolling pin as needed to keep dough from sticking. Keep unused dough in refrigerator. Roll the dough to abut 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2-inch squares using knife or pizza cutter. Place squares right next to each other on oiled or parchment-lined baking pan. Make a few holes in each square with the tines of a fork, jiggling the fork back and forth to enlarge holes. If desired, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Gather up dough scraps, re-roll, and cut, repeating until all of the dough is used.

Bake until golden, 9 to 11 minutes. While still warm, re-cut and break into individual squares and place on wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.

China in photo courtesy Pink Begonia, Kalona, Iowa.