Friday, January 20, 2012

Healthy Homemade Graham Crackers

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Graham Crackers have always been one of those things I like to keep in the house.   Back when I was completely obsessed with coupons, I always had at least 10 boxes stored away in my pantry.  Taking into consideration the plethora of uses for them, who could help themselves at a dollar something a box.  What are some of your favorite uses for graham crackers? 

Why make you own though?  Because I have become nothing short of amazed with what is really in packaged food, I couldn't help but check this out.  Here's the ingredient list from a popular brand off the store shelves:

Ingredients: UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), GRAHAM FLOUR (WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR), SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL AND/OR PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, HONEY, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SOY LECITHIN, CORNSTARCH.

At first glance, it looks pretty good...honey, wheat flour...there's even some soy in there.  That's good for you right?  I'm not saying this is the most unhealthy item you can feed your family, but a deeper look reveals the reality of what's in these guys.

A few major items in their ingredient list stand out to me...Enriched flour (at least it's unbleached), hydrogenated oil, sugar and artificial flavor.  I'm not in love with the soy lecithin and cornstarch either, because they are GMO. 

Unbleached, Enriched Flour: I talked about this flour in my wheat flour Pantry Raid.  Unbleached is definitely a good thing, but that's where it stops.  A way to simple way to sneak extreme nutrients into your family's diet is milling your own wheat.  There is the upfront cost of the mill, but it will pay for itself very quickly in health and savings on store bought, "fake" flour.

Hydrogenated Oil:  I also talked briefly about these oils in a Pantry Raid.  These are your man made trans fats...very dangerous!  I could go into all the science and bore you to death.  I might do a post on that one day for all my fellow nerds :).  The basics are that they harden arteries, contribute to diabetes, MS and cancer.  That's one big, FAT YUCK!!!

Sugar:  That was another Pantry Raid.  White table sugar is nothing but empty calories, basically a chemical substance.  Not only does it have zero nutritional benefit to us, but it is also a major contributor to disease (especially diabetes).

Artificial Flavor:  Last, but not least.  Someone please tell me what an artificial flavor is??  As defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, "a natural flavor is the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional." Artificial flavors are those that are made from components that do not meet this definition.  So, again, where the heck does an artificial flavor come from??

With that said, I think I will stick to making my own graham crackers.

HEALTHY HOMEMADE GRAHAM CRACKER RECIPE

1/4 c. Organic Butter (1/2 stick), melted and cooled
1 Organic Egg, beaten
6 Tbsp Raw Honey (local if you can find it)
2 Tbsp Water
3/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 1/4 c. Organic Graham Flour (this is fresh milled wheat flour, use store bought whole wheat in a pinch)

You really can't mess this recipe up. 

Preheat oven to 350.

 

Sorry, couldn't help myself...just love to look at butter.  Melt butter and let it cool.  Add honey.  Mix thoroughly.

 

Add egg.  Mix thoroughly  Add water.  Mix thoroughly.  Add salt, baking soda and flour and mix until combined.


Put dough in refrigerator to harden up a little (about 30 minutes, can leave overnight if needed).


Divide dough in half.  Flour rolling pin and rolling surface.  Roll out 1/2 of dough to about an 1/8" thickness.   Score the dough into rectangles.  Prick with a fork just to make them look pretty.

 

We're not looking for perfection here...remember, they are homemade, which makes them special.  You can even use cookie cutters and make them into fun shapes if you're feeling spunky :)

Transfer to an ungreased baking pan.  Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a golden brown.  They will crisp up as they cool.  Store in an air tight container to keep them crisp.

Happy Baking!!








14 comments:

  1. i'm addicted. love it. can you share what type of wheat mill you use? i'm curious now.

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  2. The Nutrimill and the Wondermill are the most popular. They are both easy clean up (which I can not say for the VitalMill I am using right now). The Nutrimill is the most compact for storage. You can also use a Blendtec or a Vitamix if you are so blessed to have one (and I would so be coveting :)). I have them all listed in my store.

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  3. Oh I am dying!!!! Cannot wait to try!! The graham flour...did you just use the regular hard red wheat??? Confused on if there is a different kind I'm supposed to use!!

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  4. I am so glad you are as excited as me about these! Hard red wheat works great! I have switched to the hard white just because I like the versatility of it better. If you get a chance, try the hard white, you might like it better. It's a lighter flour but not as light as pastry (soft white), so it still holds up to bread. The whole family likes it better.

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  5. I just made these...they were delicious! mine were thicker and more cookie like, but if my dough would have been more rolled out they would have more crackery. than you for the recipe!

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    1. I am so glad you enjoyed!!! Definately roll them thinner and they will come out more crisp like a cracker. Either way they are good though ;)

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  6. About how many crackers does this recipe make? How long do they stay good and can they be frozen? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Angela!! It makes about 32-36 crackers. I have never tried freezing them because they never stay around that long and, I have to admit, I'm always too lazy to make more than two batches :)...that could be a good experiment though!! When I do make enough for them to last longer than a few hours, I store them in an air tight container. As long as you make sure they are baked enough where they aren't soft in the center and have the crunch of true crackers, they will last for a week and a half or two.

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  7. These would not work with white flour would they?

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    1. You would end up with more of a cookie than a graham cracker. Maybe like animal crackers.

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  8. I am making these (with graham flour ordered on Amazon for you who can't find it) and homemade marshmallows and the best French chocolate I can get (won't be hard since I will be in Paris) for my granddaughter (I will let other family members have some) when we are in France for the holidays. In addition to the fun of making everything myself, I know that I am not feeding my family or myself processed foods that are unhealthy and dull the palate to really good food. It is amazing to taste things that are not full of sugar, fat and chemicals. Bon Appetit!

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  9. Just saw your post. How coarse is graham flour? I have a WonderMill and am wondering what setting I should put it on. There is a dial going from "pastry" to "bread" to "coarse." I use coarse for corn meal. Does it need to be that coarse?

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  10. Tried it. They were so dry after they cooled in the fridge it was impossible to roll out without them crumbling. They didn't taste like a graham cracker. More like a dried out piece of bread. I may do again but add more honey and butter.

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