Gluten-Free Tuesday: Graham Crackers Recipe
Delicious, no-compromise recipes for those who need to live a gluten-free lifestyle, but don't want it to taste like it.
[Photographs: Elizabeth Barbone]
S'mores, crumb crusts, a quick ice cream sandwich. All of these treats are possible thanks to a humble childhood snack: the graham cracker. S'mores probably weren't what Sylvester Graham had in mind back in 1829 when he created a "honey health biscuit" made from whole grains. Most of today's graham crackers are made from refined wheat flour. If you are on a gluten-free diet, this is a problem. However, gluten-free grahams are easy to make at home. And even if you aren't gluten-free, making homemade graham crackers is a fun—and tasty—way to experience classic graham crackers in a new way.
Brown rice flour takes center stage here. It lends a nice "grain" flavor to the graham crackers without being overwhelming. Also in the lineup are brown sugar and honey. They add a nice sweetness without turning these graham crackers into cookies. (You'll notice that this recipe is egg-free. If you are vegan or have a dairy allergy, the dairy can be replaced with dairy-free alternatives and the honey can be replaced with another liquid sweetener; I like golden syrup.) Unlike other gluten-free recipes, this one doesn't require the structure that xanthan gum provides. So, it doesn't make an appearance in this recipe.
- Yield:about 12 graham crackers
- Rated:
Ingredients
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Wet ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons butter, cold
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 3 tablespoons honey
Directions
-
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a food processor, combine dry ingredients. Pulse to combine. (If you don't have a food processor, whisk dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.)
-
2.
Add the butter. Pulse until flour mixture is coarse. No large pieces of butter should remain. (Or cut cold butter into flour mixture with a pastry cutter, two knives or by rubbing the butter between your fingers.)
-
3.
Add milk and honey. Pulse until dough forms. (Or stir using a wooden spoon.)
-
4.
Turn dough out onto a lightly rice floured piece of 12x16 parchment paper.
-
5.
Pat dough into a rectangle. Dust the top of the dough lightly with rice flour.
-
6.
Place another piece of 12-by-16-inch parchment paper on top of the dough. Roll dough out until it covers all of the paper. Dough rectangle will be about 1/8 inch thick.
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7.
Carefully remove top piece of parchment paper.
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8.
Transfer dough, with bottom parchment paper, to a 12 x 18 baking pan.
-
9.
Using a pizza wheel, score the dough into rectangles. (The rectangles should be 6 x 2 3/4 inches large for "standard" graham crackers and 3 by 2 3/4 for a "s'more" size graham cracker.) The graham crackers will break apart after baking. Do not worry if the dough seems to still be touching after scoring with the pizza wheel.
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10.
Prick dough all over with a fork.
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11.
Chill dough for 10 minutes.
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12.
Bake for 15 minutes or until evenly brown.
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13.
Remove graham crackers from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool. (I slide the parchment, with the crackers, directly onto the cooling rack.)
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14.
Allow crackers to cool completely. Break along scored lines.
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