Homemade Graham Crackers
Yield: 10 large crackers
Store-bought are just fine, too, but it’s fun and extra tasty to bake your own ahead of time and have them ready for the campfire.
2-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup mild-flavored honey (such as clover)
5 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a food processor or the bowl of a standing mixer (with paddle
attachment), thoroughly combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Add butter and pulse or mix on low, until mixture is the consistency of
coarse meal.
In a small bowl, whisk together honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to
flour mixture. Pulse on and off a few times, or mix on low until dough
barely comes together. (It will be soft and sticky.) Turn dough out onto a
lightly floured work surface and shape into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap
in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.
In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon, and set aside. Divide dough in
half and return one half to refrigerator. Onto a floured work surface, shape
dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. (Dough will be sticky, so
flour as necessary.) Trim rectangle edges to 4 inches wide. Place
rectangle’s short side parallel to work surface. Cut a strip every 4-1/2
inches, making 4 crackers. Gather scraps and set aside.
Place crackers on parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with
cinnamon/sugar mixture. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Repeat with remaining dough. Gather all scraps into a ball, chill until
firm, and reroll. Dust work surface with flour and roll out dough for 2 to 3
more crackers.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mark a vertical line down the middle of each
cracker, without cutting through dough. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick
dough in two rows on each side, starting about 1/2 inch from each side of
dividing line.
Bake 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating
sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.