Graham crackers are an adaptable snack that can be used in multiple ways. From making s’mores to cheesecake crust, using Graham crackers is a fantastic way to reduce processed ingredients like palm oil or high fructose corn syrup while still enjoying delicious food!
Sylvester Graham was an advocate of the temperance movement, an initiative advocating abstinence from alcohol and other substances that he believed inciting sexual desires that eventually lead to social depravity. He believed pleasures of both mind and body promoted sensuality which in turn encouraged sexual lust leading to social degradation.
1. Make Croutons
Graham crackers have become an indispensable component of modern pantry. From spreading peanut butter on them and making s’mores to using them as cheesecake or pie crust bases, their versatility and widespread loveliness makes them beloved staples. Furthermore, making homemade Graham crackers with your children can be an enjoyable kitchen activity; plus it is straightforward enough for even novice bakers!
Sylvester Graham’s original recipe of cracker was dull and unpleasant tasting; this may have been intentional as he believed rich foods like meat and baked goods aroused sexual drive and led to moral depravity; his solution was creating a simple whole wheat cracker which promoted modesty and self-control.
At present, production of graham crackers involves dough being transferred onto a conveyor belt and thin-rolled with metal gauging rollers, with different types of whole wheat flour absorbing water differently. After being thin-rolled, the dough is sent into a tunnel oven where it bakes in stages until reaching its desired shape and size before cooling and being cut into either squares or animal shapes before being packaged up for sale.
2. Make DIY Bird Feeders
Make use of any leftover graham crackers by turning them into homemade bird feeders using nuts and string to make a perch, fill the rest of it with peanut butter, and hang it outside for birds to enjoy!
Graham crackers make for an excellent snack, and are also often used as the foundation of desserts like cheesecake or pie. For an interesting and unique flavor and texture in homemade pie recipes, why not switch out your store-bought crust for one made with graham cracker crumbs instead?
Homemade graham crackers can be created quickly with ingredients you likely already have on hand in your pantry, providing a nutritious alternative to store-bought options.
Sylvester Graham first developed the original versions of graham crackers during World War I. Graham believed that eating like Adam and Eve did in Eden was key to good health; thus advocating whole food diets using hand-ground graham flour for hand-ground graham flour crackers he called “trash,” with white bread being one of his “favourite vices,” tea being another, coffee another and masturbation being at the core. Graham’s creation has evolved into our modern day S’mores treat today!
3. Repurpose Leftovers
Homemade graham crackers offer rich flavors and cruncheness that surpass store-bought versions, plus they’re super simple to make with only three ingredients!
Graham crackers were created by Reverend Sylvester Graham, an American clergyman who believed whole grains to be essential components of biblical diet. To address this need he devised the recipe for these nutritious crackers made with unsifted and coarsely ground wheat flour – as an antidote for white bread that causes cholera outbreaks.
Graham advocated strict veganism but never sought profit from his innovations. Instead, he open-sourced many of his recipes so his followers would spread his message and lead a healthy lifestyle. Yet Graham would likely have strongly disapproved of cinnamon or honey-flavored graham crackers (and extramarital sex), believing these spices and foods aroused sexual desire and led to moral depravity. Now they’re popularly sold as tasty snacks in desserts and baked goods!
4. Make a Snack Bar
Graham crackers contain plenty of sugar and fat, but when combined with sources of protein, fiber, and healthy fat they can make for an appealing part of a balanced diet. Plus they make a tasty snack in their own right!
Graham flour is a coarser-ground whole wheat flour that was originally used in making these childhood favorites and gives them their classic flavor and texture. Unfortunately, graham flour can no longer be easily found; however, you can create your own using regular whole wheat flour combined with cake flour to achieve tenderness for homemade graham crackers.
The manufacturing process for graham crackers typically comprises five steps: ingredient handling, compounding or machining, baking, post-conditioning and packaging. In the machining step, raw dough is delivered into a hopper and rolled through metal gauge rollers until a thin sheet forms. At this stage ingredients like whey, salt, brown sugar butter as well as leavening agents such as sodium bicarbonate or sodium acid pyrophosphate may also be added for flavor and to increase riseability of dough.
5. Add Nuts
Making homemade crackers is worth taking the extra steps, whether you want to spread peanut butter on them, create cheesecake crust with them or simply enjoy eating them plain – as doing so reduces additives and chemicals found in store-bought options.
Graham flour, named for its inventor Sylvester Graham, is a type of whole wheat that’s coarser than other whole grain varieties, lending these crackers their classic texture and flavor. You can achieve similar results using regular whole grain flour with some cake flour added for help retaining shape during baking.
Sugar is the main component of graham crackers, though you may add honey, dextrose, corn syrup and molasses as additional sweetening agents for flavor and moisture addition. Fats from animal or plant sources are also an integral component – usually hydrogenated vegetable shortening made up of soybean and cottonseed oils (although butter can also be used). Fat helps the crackers maintain their shape during baking.
