We like crackers in this house. Who doesn’t, really? We especially like them salty and with cheese. Porter’s Grandma T came to visit this weekend and since we didn’t have any crackers in the pantry, we took a trip to the store and picked up the kind my husband and his mom like. I won’t name the brand, but here’s a picture:
And this is what the ingredient list looks like:
Did you read that? I didn’t either. I didn’t need to because anything with that many ingredients that look like they belong on the periodic table can’t be Real Food. And what is TBHQ anyways?
We Ate ‘Em
They were crispy and gave off a buttery appearance despite the lack of any actual butter whatsoever. Of course, my son LOVED them. So then it became my job to come up with a recipe that I feel good about feeding to him. I scoured the internet and tried my own recipes and this is what I came up with.
Ingredients
2 cups flour – I used Einkorn, but will be using Spelt in the future
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt, plus some for sprinkling on top
6 tbsp cold butter, plus 2 tbsp melted for topping
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2/3 cup milk
Make It
Preheat oven to 400* F
Put the flour, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. You can do this by hand too using knives or a pastry blender.
Add cold butter, small pieces at a time and pulse to combine.
Add honey and coconut oil and pulse to combine.
Add milk and pulse. It should start to form a ball of dough.
Divide the dough in two and roll each half out onto a separate Silpat mat or parchment paper. I used wax paper on top to prevent sticking.
Using a knife or pizza cutter score lines in the shapes you want your crackers to be. Poke holes in each cracker.
Cook in a 400* oven for 10 minutes.
When golden, take out and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Let cool and separate.
They still make plenty of crumbs, Porter proved that immediately. Enjoy!
This post featured in Fight Back Friday, Party Wave Wednesday, Tasty Traditions, Thank Your Body Thursday, Weekend Gourmet, Small Footprint Friday
OMW, I am going to try this cracker recipe! I have not had crackers since 11/11. Mostly because of all the ingredients that are not food! Thank you so much for posting the recipe!! I pinned it and am sharing! Thank you, thank you thank you!!
Awesome Paula! I hope you enjoy them in good health
~Megan
I will definitely be trying these. My oldest thinks those store bought “buttery” crackers are “the best”…and I think they are among the worst (at least ingredient wise!
). Hopefully she’ll take to these. I have not tried Einkorn grain before (or spelt). Most of what I do is regular whole wheat, though I do have some oat flour on hand too. How similar is Einkorn to traditional white whole wheat in this type of thing, do you know?
Hi Stephani!
I hope your daughter likes these too. My son likes them rolled really thin so they’re crunchier. In terms of flours, I used Einkorn because it has a light yellow color and I wanted the appearance to resemble the “original” cracker. Einkorn is an ancient wheat, but unless you’re grinding your own, doesn’t have a lot of bran (but a lovely texture). Honestly, I use it mostly when I bake bread and mix it with spelt because I buy it already ground and it contains more gluten than whole spelt alone. It’s relatively new in the US so I buy it online (it’s a little bit of a hassel). Here’s more info:
http://jovialfoods.com/einkorn.html
Spelt was one of the first wheats people started growing agriculturally and is the basis for our modern day wheat. I choose it because it hasn’t been adulterated as modern day whole wheats have. I can also find it easily at the store, already ground and soaked. That leads me to the real preparation for wheats. No matter the wheat you’re using you should soak it to make it more easily digestible. Here’s a great link for how to soak (any) grains before using them to bake:
http://www.thekitchn.com/baking-tip-soak-whole-grain-fl-119306
Thanks for reading!
~Megan
Thanks, Megan! I keep hearing about Einkorn online so I should get some to give it a try. And thanks for the info on soaking…its something I’ve been thinking about trying.
Would you then soak the flour for this recipe? If so, would it be soaked in the milk and then add the other ingredients after 12 hours?
That’s a good question Doha. I’ve been asking around about soaking Einkorn and the consensus seems to be that if you’re buying the whole Einkorn berry and grinding it yourself than YES soak it first. If you’re buying the pre-ground (which I did in this case) than NO, because it is double sifted and there’s almost no bran left (which contains the phytic acid that is hard to digest). I usually use already sprouted/soaked and pre-ground spelt flour from Whole Foods. There’s no harm in soaking either kind of flour (again). To answer your second question, yes. Soak it in the milk and then add the other ingredients. I hope this helps, I know it can get confusing.
~Megan
Thanks..I was looking for a cracker recipe. Perfect timing.
On a side note: You forgot the honey during the “Make it” section. I’m going to assume you add it around the same time as the coconut oil?
Oh my goodness, face palm moment. Yes, add with the coconut. It’s been fixed. Thanks Kim for the catch!
I will try this asap! We love crackers too and there are 4 little once that will miss it very much if it just vanish out of the pantry. I am on a mission to get rid of it soon. This is perfect.
Those little ones! Good for you, making the change to better food. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. Good luck!
*ones
Bob’s Red Mill is great source of grains, flours, gluten-free items, etc. I’m lucky enough to live nearby, frequent the store, have met Bob Himself; and to have toured the mill. I love the products and the philosophy. Bob retired a few years ago, and gave the company to the employees! Cannot rave enough about them, so if you are looking for an unusual grain, organic flours, wholesome, preservative/additive-free mixes, etc…look here first! http://www.bobsredmill.com/
Wow, how cool! Bob’s is good and they do a good job of supplying our local co-op in Boise too. Thanks for the tip!
Looks fabulous. Do you think you could replace the coconut oil with more butter if you ran out?
Certainly Catherine. The reason I used coconut oil is because with the milk and butter they’re pretty rich. But then again, I’ve never said no to a little more butter
If the richness is too much with all butter, you could try using water instead of milk too.
These look so delicious! I love crackers but don’t eat them very often because of all the icky unpronouncible ingredients they contain. I can’t wait to try making these.
I hope you like them Kimberly!
Real Food Butter Crackers
I made these yesterday and my kids and husband went nuts for them! These will definitely be a staple in our house from now on! Thank you!