Cinnamon Grahams

Happy Saint Patrick's day weekend! I've got my corned beef in the fridge ready to go and I'm about to go to the store for some cabbage - which was sold out at my local market (that's when you know you live in an Irish-Catholic neighborhood). But for today, its crackers.

I cannot tell you the number of cracker recipes I’ve bookmarked, pinned or torn out and filed away in my life. So, so many. I love the idea of making my own crackers but I never make them.  Until now. This recipe came to my inbox as the featured recipe for one of the weekly newsletters I subscribe to. I deleted it at first, because I need another cracker recipe like a hole in my head, but something made me go back and retrieve it from my deleted files. I skimmed the recipe once and it seemed easy enough. I turned the oven on and started throwing these babies together.

The entire process took 30 minutes and they were so good. We ate about a third of them while they were still on the sheet, not completely cool. After dinner we used them for s'mores.  Like granola, chicken stock and several other basics, after making these I wondered why I haven’t been making them for years. It’s never too late to start right? I feel like there are so many kitchen projects like this.  Versions of things we are used to buying but are so much better when you make them yourself. I always joke to my husband that I would make a good pioneer - if I had the time, I would eventually make almost everything from scratch (...oh, all the things I would do in my second life, or maybe retirement).  

Fortunately, I can make these crackers again with just a few minutes and ingredients I always have in my pantry. Since they are made with whole wheat flour and not too much sugar I would feel good about turning them into a cookie project and adding a simple glaze. I’m sure the kids would enjoy getting out the cookie cutters. Perhaps best of all, these last quite awhile though you may want to double the recipe if your kids are anything like mine where crackers are concerned.

Cinnamon Grahams

Adapted from the recipe in Better Baking by Genevieve Ko

1 cup whole wheat graham flour (Odlums coarse whole wheat flour works great in this recipe but regular white whole wheat flour will also work.)

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup wheat bran

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Granulated sugar, cinnamon and sea salt for sprinkling

Whisk both flours, wheat bran, cinnamon, salt, and the baking soda in a medium bowl.

Whisk the sugars, oil, vinegar, and 4 tablespoons water in a large bowl until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients and stir until flour mixture is evenly moistened.  Cover the bowl and rest for 15 minutes.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Place dough on a large piece of parchment paper and pat into a rectangle.

Place a large sheet of plastic wrap over the dough, then roll the dough into a 14-by-12-inch rectangle. 

Mix equal parts granulated sugar and sea salt with a pinch of cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the dough. (As you can tell, I didn't do it in the right order. Woops!)

Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the rectangle into 1-by-2-inch rectangles, then poke the crackers with a fork to make dots. Slide the parchment (with the dough on it) onto the cookie sheet.

Bake the grahams until the edges are dark golden brown and the center is dry and set, 17 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on the sheet on a wire rack, then break into crackers along the cut lines.

Make Ahead: The crackers will keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months.