I can’t believe how quickly the months go by..It seems like I live from Daring Bakers Reveal  to Daring Bakers Reveal with no time in between.  It sort of feels like the movie, Groundhog Day.

This months’ challenge was unusual in both the recipe and the freedom that we had to flavor the challenge item any way we wanted.  We made Lavash, either gluten free or not, and a vegan spread..our choice of ingredients and flavors. Read more

A week or so ago I posted a recipe forgraham crackers… They are so versatile- I am having a great time with them..and so is Kyrie.
Snack foods disappear rapidly here…and with this many kids (and 4 out of 6 are boys) I can’t keep buying graham crackers that look like bunnies, bears, or elves. SO I wanted to see how this recipe would work….
and….

Aren’t they cute? Kyrie loves butterflies. The dough needs to be chilled really well before you roll and cut it for these..and try brushing the tops with heated honey before baking. I am planning on trying other shapes but I wanted to show you these!

On that same note, animal crackers are not hard to make yourself and with some cool, small cookie cutters you can make way more than a circus…You can make a whole ecosystem if you like!

Animal Crackers

1/2 c oatmeal-blended in blender until it is a flour
2 ts honey
1/4 t salt
3/4 c flour
1/4 t soda
1/4 c unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c buttermilk

Do not grease cookie sheet. Grind 1/2 cup oatmeal in blender until fine. Add honey, salt, flour and soda. Cut in butter. Add buttermilk. Roll very thin, cut with animal shaped cookie cutters.

Bake at 400ºF until brown (10 to 12 minutes).

and if you want to make them the BEST…You need to ice them with a simple confectioners icing tinted in pastels…

Is there anything more sacred to childhood than a couple of graham crackers and a tall glass of cold milk? I don’t think so. Like so many convenience foods though, it is easy to pick them up at the store and lull our taste buds into mediocrity. Seriously, try homemade crackers, especially homemade graham crackers, and you will be hooked on them. The taste is very intensely different. The graham flour is different than regular whole wheat flour, you may need to get it at the local Whole Foods type store.

I was going to make these today and post the pictures however life happened and so I will be making them tomorrow…and posting pictures. But, as a fair trade I decided to post a picture of my favorite vintage tea set. Enjoy!

Homemade Graham Crackers:

350F 4 dozen
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat graham flour (Bob’s Red Mill is the brand I use)
1/2 cup sugar (use half brown sugar)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

4 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or maple extract..yum)

In a food processor or the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter and mix or process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the honey, water, and vanilla. Mix until the dough comes together in a ball. Between 2 sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap, roll the dough 1/2-inch thick. Chill for 1 hour, until firm. Lightly flour the dough and roll 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife or cookie cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Arrange the crackers on nonstick, silpat, or parchment lined cookie sheets. With a fork, prick several holes in each cracker. You can sprinkle with some sugar crystals if you like. Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan.

The day I discovered homemade saltine crackers I was hooked on them…No more Zesta or Nabisco for me!

  Crackers have a long and fascinating history…If you will recall the Israelites had matzah as they set out for their journey from Egypt…they had been instructed by God  to make bread without leavening…In 1801 Josioah Bent of Massachusetts apparently got busy and distracted and over baked biscuits, turning them into crispy breads which he named crackers due to the crackling sound that they made.   The first crackers as we know them were made in Vermont in 1828..and I guess they have just gained popularity from there..Can you imnagine tomato soup without crackers? Yeah, that’s what I am saying!

  But over the years the commercialization of all foods has brought crackers from a delicious treat to an insipid starch. Unless, of course you make them yourself.

Try these crackers with different flours, different fats, different seasonings…Sprinkle with sea salt, or cracked pepper, or chipotle…or….

 Saltines

4 cups flour

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1/4 c butter

1 1/3 c milk

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and butter . If you are adding seasonings mix those in with the dry ingredients. Cut butter into flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbs. Add the milk and knead to form a ball. Divide in 4 parts and roll out paper thin on a floured surface. Cut the dough into squares (a pizza wheel works great for that!) Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and prick with fork…Sprinkle with salt (or cracked pepper ..or..)Bake at 325 until golden brown..about 20 minutes.

  Mmmmm. Yummy.

 You can also cut these saltine crackers into animal or fish shapes with small cookie cutters, and you might try adding dried cheese powder with your dry ingredients for homemade Goldfish…