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Graham Crackers

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on March 29, 2018

Time

1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling

Yield

Makes 48 crackers

Graham Crackers

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (8 ¼ ounces/234 grams) graham flour ¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces/106 grams) all-purpose flour ½ cup (3 ½ ounces/99 grams) sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled5 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons molasses 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Before You Begin

Graham flour is sold at well-stocked supermarkets and health food stores. Labeling may vary: Both Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Graham Flour and Arrowhead Mills Stone-Ground Whole Wheat Flour work well.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Process graham flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 seconds. Add water, molasses, and vanilla and process until dough comes together, about 20 seconds.
  2. Transfer dough to counter and divide into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap), roll into 11 by 8-inch rectangle, ⅛ inch thick, between 2 large sheets of parchment paper. Remove top piece of parchment and trim dough into tidy 10 by 7½-inch rectangle with knife, then score into twelve 2½-inch squares. Prick each square several times with fork.
  3. Slide 2 pieces of rolled-out and scored dough, still on parchment, onto separate baking sheets. Bake until golden brown and edges are firm, about 15 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Slide baked crackers, still on parchment, onto wire rack. Repeat with remaining 2 pieces of rolled-out dough. Let crackers cool completely. Transfer cooled crackers, still on parchment, to cutting board and carefully cut apart along scored lines. Serve. (Graham crackers can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.)
Graham Crackers
Styling by Kendra McKnight.

Graham Crackers

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling

Yield

Makes 48 crackers

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (8 ¼ ounces/234 grams) graham flour
¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces/106 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3 ½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
5 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (8 ¼ ounces/234 grams) graham flour
¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces/106 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3 ½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
5 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (8 ¼ ounces/234 grams) graham flour
¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces/106 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3 ½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
5 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Supermarket crackers contain far more white flour than the coarse whole-wheat graham flour that gives them their name and signature flavor, so we started by reversing these proportions, using twice as much graham flour as all-purpose. To sweeten the crackers we opted for a combination of molasses for toasty, caramel flavor and granulated sugar for crispness. For flat crackers with an open, striated crumb, we mixed the dough like pie dough, using a food processor to pulse chilled butter into the flour. The crackers need to bake until they're fully crisp, but not so long that they dry out; check them as they bake and remove them from the oven when they are golden and firm around the edges. These graham crackers are also great for making s'mores or pie crusts.

Before You Begin

Graham flour is sold at well-stocked supermarkets and health food stores. Labeling may vary: Both Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Graham Flour and Arrowhead Mills Stone-Ground Whole Wheat Flour work well.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Process graham flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 seconds. Add water, molasses, and vanilla and process until dough comes together, about 20 seconds.
  2. Transfer dough to counter and divide into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap), roll into 11 by 8-inch rectangle, ⅛ inch thick, between 2 large sheets of parchment paper. Remove top piece of parchment and trim dough into tidy 10 by 7½-inch rectangle with knife, then score into twelve 2½-inch squares. Prick each square several times with fork.
  3. Slide 2 pieces of rolled-out and scored dough, still on parchment, onto separate baking sheets. Bake until golden brown and edges are firm, about 15 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Slide baked crackers, still on parchment, onto wire rack. Repeat with remaining 2 pieces of rolled-out dough. Let crackers cool completely. Transfer cooled crackers, still on parchment, to cutting board and carefully cut apart along scored lines. Serve. (Graham crackers can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.)

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