Homemade Graham Crackers
If you think store bought graham crackers taste good, wait till you try homemade graham crackers! In fact once you try them, you’ll never want to go back. They are perfect for snacking on as they are, maybe with some peanut butter and jam. Or sandwich them with toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate for the s’mores of your life. Need a graham cracker crust for your next cheesecake? These homemade graham crackers will come to the rescue. And the big bonus? They cost about half the price to make than buying them from the store.
What Ingredients go in Homemade Graham Crackers?
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make your own graham crackers:
- Whole wheat flour
- All purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon (optional)
- Butter
- Oil
- Honey
- Milk
Do I Need Graham Flour to Make Homemade Graham Crackers?
Not really. That’s because whole wheat flour is very similar to graham flour, only it’s a little more refined. Actual graham flour is more coarse and you can certainly use it if you have some. It can be difficult to find, which is why bakers have used whole wheat flour to replace it. You definitely don’t want to confuse graham flour with gram flour, which is actually made from chickpeas. You can read more about actual graham flour right here.
Do I Have to Use Oil?
No you don’t. Oil just makes them a little crunchier. If you would like to avoid using oil for health reasons, you can swap it out with the same amount of butter.
Can I Use Homemade Graham Crackers in Recipes?
Absolutely! Your baked goods will taste so much better too. Crush them in a food processor to create a crust for any pie or cheesecake. It would be a perfect substitute for pastry in any cream pie recipe including the Banana Cream Pie on this blog. They are an absolute must if you plan to make our Graham Cracker Cake. Use them for any type of bar that calls for a graham cracker crust. Aside from enjoying them as they are, these graham crackers are practically an ingredient in their own right for so many baked goods.
If you’ve never made your own graham crackers then let this post be sign that you have to try them soon! And if you do, please rate the recipe and let us know how they turned out for you!
Homemade Graham Crackers
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Pastry blender
- Pizza cutter or knife
- Fork
- Parchment Paper
- Baking sheets
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons oil vegetable or canola
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon (if using) and salt,
- Using a pastry blender, 2 knives or even your fingers, cut the butter and oil into the dry mixture. It should resemble coarse oats and not have any large chunks of butter remaining.
- Add honey and just enough milk to form a pliable dough. Divide in half and wrap each piece in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃. On a piece of parchment paper cut to the size of your baking sheet, roll dough into a ⅛ inch thick rectangle. (Cover other half of dough in plastic and keep refrigerated while working with first half.) Trim the edges of the rectangle with a pizza cutter. Bake these scraps along with the crackers to snack on or crush into crumbs. Score the rectangle into as many crackers as you'd like but do not separate. Prick crackers with a fork to create holes.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes on the middle rack. Crackers will puff and should barely spring back when lightly pressed. While still hot from the oven, cut through the score marks again to separate crackers. Cool 3-5 minutes on baking sheets before transferring onto wire racks to cool completely. Store graham crackers in an airtight container for up to 1 month.