Handmade Graham crackers

Graham-style crackers made at home.

Apparently Sylvester Graham didn't much care for refined white flour. He devised his own way of milling the components of wheat separately, the endosperm ground finely, the germ and bran ground coarsely then recombined to form -- wait for it -- Graham flour -- the panacea for all that ails, a cure-all for a new generation, who are now all quite dead. I'm depressed already.

This is a short dough. A lot of butter in there. A lot of brown sugar too, and I would imagine that would counteract whatever health benefits Graham attained through his specialized uniquely milled wheat. Dontchya think?

I used light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar and I must say these crackers are lacking a certain depth.

Online recipes vary greatly. Some use an abundance of molasses other mix the cinnamon in the dough.  I substituted 2 cups of my own whole wheat and that worked out fine. I think with dark brown sugar they'll be even better, and with entirely white flour you'll be well chuffed with the results although they'd be the opposite of what Sylvester Graham ever intended .

3 cups flour

3 oz (nearly one stick) frozen butter cut into cubes

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. (I could have used more. Maybe 3/4 teaspoon regular table salt will do)

1 teaspoon baking soda. Do you see an acid in here anywhere? Is molasses an acid? Is brown sugar considered acidic? Why the baking soda? What's it for? 

1/2 cup honey

1/4 milk. These two liquids are combined to add to the flour as it processes.

Cinnamon and white sugar combined for the topping.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients until a dough forms.

Refrigerate for a about an hour or so.

Divide the dough in two. Roll out 1/2 the dough.

375°F / 190°C for 11-15 minutes. Watch them like a hawk. Like a hawk that has his eyes on a rabbit in the distance. A hungry hawk. That's it, a hungry hawk with great eyesight watching a careless rabbit who is frolicking around getting lost in the wonder of its environment and has momentarily let down its guard. A hawk that is so ready to swoop and strike that it's not even funny and the whole world can feel the tension and the drama all wound up in the tension of that moment. Because nobody likes burnt Graham crackers.