looking a little sparse right now!
Why would I make my own crackers when there are sooo many varieties from which to choose?
...and my valumart selection would be considered small!
Pick just one type of cracker and you’ll find variation: whole wheat; reduced salt; snack-pac; mini’s…take your pick!
one of the "big players" - and one of b's all-time favourites!
The first time I ever heard of someone making crackers was Gina! This was back in our university days – one year, we got together over the Christmas holidays at Gina’s parents’ house, and Gina had baked up crackers that day. To be honest, Gina, I remember being confounded as to why someone would go to the bother of baking crackers when it was so easy and cheap to buy them!
True: in the last few years, companies have “healthified” their snacky carbs – you’re unlikely to find trans fats in crackers any more. But a lot of crackers taste like a version of salty cardboard, no?
While I’ve done a fair share of baking in my life (esp last year!), I have never made crackers from scratch.
Today that changed. I am now enlightened. I am a convert, and a believer.
I found a recipe in the More With Less Cookbook that seemed neither too complex nor too radical in terms of taste. [Sidenote: this cookbook is a standard find in many a Mennonite household - my note in the front cover tells me I received mine from The Brother at Christmas 1994! MWL is also the "older sibling" to the Simply In Season cookbook that Gina gifted me last week!]
From the sounds of the recipe, it looked like the final result would be a homemade version of this brand:
mild in flavour, more bite and substance than a saltine
Now on with the show!
Here’s the recipe as it appears in the book (with photos and commentary!):
Wheat Thins (More With Less Cookbook; recipe credited to Donna Koehn)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine in mixing bowl:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 T wheat germ
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder **
- 2 T brown sugar
- 2 T dry milk solids [I used soy milk solids as I got confused at Bulk Barn between instant, non-instant, skim, whole...]
** So I’m assembling the dry ingredients and I notice I am out of baking powder…grrr. Decide that a neighbour must have some. Knock on literally 5 different doors on three different floors – no one is home. Have to scoot over to Valumart for the baking powder. Could have saved time by doing that in the first place! Return with enough for several years:
won't be running out any time soon!
Cut in with pastry blender:
- 6 T margarine
while 6 T = 1/4 c + 2 T, i did dole out 6 T so that the margarine lumps would be smaller
Combine separately and stir in:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 T molasses
Knead a little until smooth.
actually did not need the wooden board - i just kneaded the dough in the bowl! (on the right)
Grease two cookie sheets (10 x 15″)…
parchment paper instead - the best find of last year's 40 recipes!
…and sprinkle each with cornmeal. Divide dough in half.
division of dough - check!
Roll out half of dough directly onto cookie sheet with floured rolling pin, rolling dime thin.
tangent note: the rolling pin lives in the back right corner, under and behind that black tray...really need to move it to a better 'hood...
i didn't TRY to make even squares! and dime thin? the best i could achieve was about loonie-thin...
Sprinkle lightly with paprika, garlic, onion or seasoned salt. Run rolling pin over once more. Prick with fork.
this pan i sprinkled with garlic salt...
...while this tray received a few dashes of table salt - and triangle shapes!
Cut in squares or triangles. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
i baked the pans about 14 minutes each...
The recipe states that prep time is 10 minutes. Um, maybe for Ina Garten???! I’d say I spent about 40 minutes, from when I started mixing my ingredients to when I popped the baking sheets in the oven. But then, I’ve never made crackers before, and I know I’m a slow baker to begin with!
Final comments?? These crackers are delicious. Now they are NOT super crunchy, due, I believe, to the thickness I made them, and I could have baked them longer.
But both B and I love the texture and taste: they’re not light like bread, but chewier than a store-bought cracker. B’s favourite is the garlic salt variation while I’m going to give top marks to the regular salted ones.
I would make these again; they’d be great to take to a potluck or a party, esp with a homemade hummus or dip. And now that I’ve been through the process once, I’d make them prettier next go-’round! cutout shapes? heck, I’ll settle for a simple “square” on the tray!
call this experience a success!
care for a bite?!
*#*#*#*#*
We’re going to enjoy the crackers tonight with the first recipe I have made from Eat Drink and Be Vegan! – Tomato Dill Lentil Soup. Smells like a winner!
Have you ever made a homemade baked good that you can typically buy cheaply and conveniently?
And that’s a wrap on New Experience #1 for this year’s 1970 Kiki Project!
Comments
I have made homemade granola and granola bars. They’ve turned out pretty well (well sometimes the bars don’t cut well), but usually I buy them.
I just found your blog and am “catching up”…but I’m enjoying reading about your projects. I’ll be hitting the big 4-0 this year, so it really speaks to me.
thanks for stopping by, zo! i agree: granola bars are tricky to balance between too sticky and too dry…if you find a winner that is easy to cut, please let me know! welcome soon to the 4-0 club! it’s really not that bad!!
I’ve never made my own crackers — and yes I love when recipes say “prep time 10 minutes” because it always takes me at least double if not triple or more.
I’ve seen a few cracker recipes on blogs — I can’t remember who had them though, looked good and somewhat “easy” too!
haha, glad i am not the only *slow* chef around! i know now to disregard the suggested “prep time” – after i read a recipe i can tell if it’ll be a 1,2,3 etc hour affair! angela at OSG has a cracker recipe that looked really good, but hers was quite “seedy” – i didn’t think the husband would be as fond of that, so went with the whole wheat/plainer one!
I’ve never even thought to make crackers-great idea and they look amazing! Better than in the box!!!! I’m bookmarking this now!
yes, do try them! even though they’re not as crispy as store-bought, the crunch is more “satisfying” in terms of taste experience!
Wow! This blog takes me back in time. I haven’t made those crackers in eons! A good reminder to make them again-maybe with Hayes and Hudson tomorrow… they’d love that. I could almost smell and taste them as I was reading your write-up! Way to go, girl – I’m impressed!
Oh, and had to laugh at your baking powder comments… I recently bought TWO containers that size b/c I keep running out of the stuff!
yes, do try with h & h! i think it would be fun to use small cookie cutters with kids!
I’m intrigued and just may have to try this.
I remember being absolutely CONFOUNDED when I once saw Martha Stewart make mayonnaise. I distinctly remember being baffled at why-oh-why someone would do that when there’s a perfectly good jar of Miracle Whip on the shelf in the grocery store.
i think i might have to draw the line at mayonnaise…although never say never, right! homemade mayonnaise on homemade potato salad is likely top notch!
Yum! I love crackers…but I’ve slowed down on eating them over the past few years just because of their contents (and my addictive tendency to not be able to stop eating them once I start!).
I’ve never made anything like that—I’ve done the standard stuff like granola and tried to health-ify cookies and things. I just find I usually make too much (and too much of a mess) and then I eat too much of it too.
I could try the crackers though…I like the idea of taking homemade crackers to a party with a dip!
i liked the amount of dough this recipe produced, too – i didn’t end up with acres of crackers. also, you could easily half the original recipe, given the amount requested for each ingredient. yup, crackers would fall into the “mindlessly nibbling snack” category!
I’ve made both crackers and marshmallows from scratch.
My fav crackers are of the ‘shortbread’ varieties. savoury with time or rosemary and a bit of parmasean mixed into the dough. they are kneaded/shaped into a roll and sliced.
The marshmallows – well the recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten and they taste NOTHING like the storebought variety – SOOO much better, though the recipe makes far more than we could ever consume in our household.
wow, homemade marshmallows – THAT is cool!!! guess you need to make them before a huge campfire/cookout if they make a ton! yes, these crackers have a bit of a shortbread texture, now that you mention it. those spices sound great! and a roll would be easier to configure into a pleasing shape!
I want to know your marshmallow recipe, Deb! Sounds so cool!