Graham Crackers
Submitted by GinaG on December 09, 2012 at 5:11 pm

Made from scratch grahams elevate this humble cracker straight to the level of sublime. Light years better than store bought, which I won't even use for desserts calling for graham crumbs. Why should a graham cracker crust be any less a celebration than the rest of your dessert? Whether you're making crackers or need crumbs, this recipe is my all-time go-to and deserves top billing. See end of recipe instructions for added notes.

Yield: 36
Source: ATK Family Baking Book, pgs 177-178

1-3/4 C (8.75 oz) Graham Flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1/2-C (2.50 oz) AP Flour
1/2-C (3.50 oz) Granulated Sugar
1-t. Baking Powder
½-t. Baking Soda
½-t. Salt
¼-t. Ground Cinnamon
8-T. (1 stick) Unsalted Butter (BEST quality)Cut into ½" pieces
and chilled
5-T Water
2-T Molasses
1-t. Vanilla Extract

1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower middle positions. Heat oven to 375º.

2. Process the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in the FP until combined, about 3 seconds. Add the chilled butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 seconds. Add water, molasses and vanilla then process until the dough comes together, about 20 seconds.

3. Divide the dough into 2 even pieces. (I form into disks and chill, but this is elective). Roll each piece of dough out between 2 pieces of parchment paper into a 16 by 8" rectangle, 1/8" thick. (I use cling wrap rather than parchment because it doesn't slide). Remove the top pieces of parchment or plastic wrap and trim each piece of dough into a tidy rectangle, then score with a knife into 18 2½" squares. Prick each square several times with a fork. (I'm not NEARLY this fussy! I either just dock the whole sheet of dough and break it into random rustic pieces after baking, or use a cutter to make scalloped edged rounds and poke floral designs on their tops w/ a toothpick if I'm serving them as cookies. Do as you wish).

4. Slide the dough and parchment onto separate baking sheets. (I don't, I bake the whole thing on one sheet unless making cookies, in which case I bake one sheet at a time).

Bake the cookies until golden brown, (10-15 min.), switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway thru baking. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets, break apart along scored lines and serve.

I do things a bit differently here because I like a good snap in my grahams. I turn the oven off and pry the door open with a wooden spoon and let them cool in the oven, checking every so often for the crisp and snap I like.

Added Notes:
While you can certainly sub the graham flour with whole wheat, it's just not the same. Buying graham flour isn't expensive and is well worth it. I use Bob's Red Mill Graham Flour, very often on sale for next to nothing at the local grocer. KAFs Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is Graham Flour, but buyer beware elsewhere, because that is not always the case with all suppliers.

Follow the recipe as written if you want a classic graham cracker. personally, as mentioned above, I prefer to just roll the dough out in its entirety and dock it with a fork, then break in rustic shards, because while I do snack on them, I mostly use them for graham cracker crusts. I also enjoy making them as cookies, in which case they can be made into any shape, but my signature graham cookies are made with 2" scalloped, oval cutter and I dock them by poking pretty designs into the cut cookies.

To prevent sliding pieces of parchment, roll a little piece of dough and stick it onto the counter, placing the bottom sheet of parchment onto the piece of dough. I generally use parchment on the bottom, cling wrap on top, but do what makes life easy for you.

These crackers really keep and freeze exceptionally well.

comments
Submitted by KIDPIZZA on Mon, 2012-12-10 13:52.
GINA~G:
Good morning my dear friend. As you know, but there are others who may not know that GRAHAM FLOUR is whole wheat pastry flour but with the bran finely milled & the germ removed.
Many people like myself would simply employ whole wheat pastry flour,
instead of buying it specially & having an added expense. I have a 5, pound bag of ww pastry flour (BOB'S) in my freezer. I think I may use it for the graham cracker recipe that I use for a cream cheese base.
Gina my friend I enjoyed spending a marvel moment with you once again. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. enjoy the rest of the day.
the
~MASKED MARVEL.

Submitted by GinaG on Mon, 2012-12-10 15:54.
Masked Marvel,
Always a pleasure, m'dear!...I just added a note to the ingredients indicating the brand I use. This, along with your alternative will give people options. I have only used graham flour to make these, the subject on WWP flour vs graham flour has been the cause of numerous debates around here. As you mentioned, WWPF is typically a more refined product. Bob's Red Mill GF is made with whole grain hard spring wheat. BRM WWPF is made with whole grain soft white wheat. I would expect a more delicate cookie w/ WWPF than using a higher protein flour containing both the germ and endosperm.