Graham crackers

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Put 150 g whole wheat flour, 120 g all-purpose flour, 3 g baking soda, 3 g salt and 2 g ground cinnamon in a bowl and whisk well. There is only a little baking soda, so it needs to be mixed thoroughly to avoid bitter spots in the crackers. The mixture is ready when it is an even color with no streaks of cinnamon or lumps of flour.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   In another bowl, beat 115 g softened unsalted butter with 100 g brown sugar for about two minutes, then add 85 g honey, 45 g whole milk and 4 g vanilla extract and beat until combined. Honey gives the crackers their signature flavor and helps them bake to a lovely golden brown. The mixture is ready when it is smooth and creamy, with no grains of brown sugar left in the butter.

   Suggested time: about 2 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mix on low speed, then gather it into a soft dough with your hands. Mixing slowly lets the flour absorb the liquid evenly without turning tough. The dough is ready when it is as soft as clay, just slightly sticky and has no dry flour left.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Divide the dough in two, press each half into a flat rectangle, wrap tightly and refrigerate for about forty-five minutes. Dough made with honey is fairly sticky, so it has to be cold before you can roll it thin. It is ready when it feels firm and no longer sticks to the wrap when you peel it off.

   Suggested time: about 45 minutes.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Preheat the oven to 175°C and have a few sheets of parchment paper ready, cut to the size of your baking sheets. You will roll the dough directly on the parchment so you can transfer it to the sheet without distorting the shape. The oven is ready when it has been preheating for about fifteen minutes.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Place each piece of dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it into a thin rectangle about three millimeters thick, keeping it even from the edges to the center. An even thickness lets the whole sheet bake crisp at the same time, with no burnt or soft spots. The dough is ready when it is evenly thin, smooth and almost covers the paper.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Peel off the top sheet of parchment, use a knife or pastry wheel to score the dough into rectangles of about eight by ten centimeters without separating them, prick rows of holes with a fork, sprinkle with 15 g granulated sugar mixed with a pinch ground cinnamon if you like, then slide the whole sheet of parchment onto the baking sheet. Keeping the pieces joined during baking stops the edges from burning too early. You are done when the score lines are clear and each piece has two even rows of holes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Bake at 175°C for about 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through so the crackers bake evenly. Baking long enough is essential, because underbaked graham crackers turn out chewy instead of crisp. They are done when the tops are an even golden brown, the edges are a little darker and the centers feel dry and firm.

   Bake at 175°C for about 15 to 18 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Take out the baking sheet and break the crackers apart along the score lines right away while they are still warm, then set them on a rack to cool for about thirty minutes. Warm crackers are still slightly pliable, so they break cleanly, and they crisp up as they cool. They are ready when they snap crisply in half and the centers are no longer soft.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 9 as done