Graham crackers are made with graham flour, sweetened with molasses, and are a popular snack. They were created by Reverend Sylvester Graham in the 1800s as part of his health food diet. Many modern graham crackers are made with bleached flour and refined sugar. To make them at home, mix graham flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon with butter, brown sugar, egg, and molasses or honey. Roll out the dough, cut into rectangles, and bake until golden brown.
Graham crackers are crackers made with graham flour, a type of coarse grain flour that is high in fiber. Crackers are lightly sweetened, so they taste more like cookies than crackers, and are an extremely popular snack. Some consumers are familiar with graham crackers as one of the crucial ingredients in S’mores, and they’re also used to make cheesecake crusts and an assortment of other desserts. Many markets sell graham crackers and it is also possible to make them at home.
The origins of the Graham Cracker are quite interesting. Crackers were developed in the 1800s by Reverend Sylvester Graham, a man who believed that a healthy diet was the key to a healthy and moral life. The health food craze was alive and well in the 1800s, with numerous whole foods proponents including John Harvey Kellogg, inventor of the corn flake. Like many others during his time, Graham felt that sexual excess was unhealthy and potentially dangerous, and he promoted a sort of abstinence through health foods.
One of the mainstays of Graham’s diet was graham flour, whole-wheat flour that’s left unchanged, so it has a rich, nutty flavor and coarse feel. Graham crackers were a way to attract consumers to flour, and they certainly proved effective. Unfortunately, many modern graham crackers are made with bleached flour, with graham being disliked very much, and may use refined sugar and stabilizers to make their texture more uniform and consistent.
A true graham cracker must be made with graham flour and sweetened with molasses. Small amounts of honey and cinnamon can also be added, to make the flavor more interesting. Refined sugar, white flour and chocolate are definitely out of place, although some manufacturers include these ingredients. Reading the ingredients list on commercially produced graham crackers is a great idea, as they can actually be quite unhealthy.
To make graham crackers, whisk two and a half cups of graham flour together with a teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of baking soda, and a pinch of cinnamon, if desired. In a separate bowl, cream four tablespoons of butter with six tablespoons of brown sugar, then add one egg. Add a quarter cup of molasses or honey, stir to combine, then mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients to form a stiff dough. Roll out the dough to the desired thickness and cut it into rectangles. Pierce each rectangle with a fork so the graham crackers are crunchy when they’re done, and bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) until golden brown, about nine minutes. Lining the pans with the parchment paper will make it easier to remove the finished crackers.
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