Homemade Crackers - Easy to Make, and Fun

Homemade crackers are making a comeback. Crackers are an unfussy, easy alternative to baking your own bread and they are infectiously good, as well as versatile. And, as Carla Emery points out:

It's a lot healthier than feeding the children half-food/half-cookies, or the adults heavily salted treats. Instead you can make their crackers out of all healthy things!

Try experimenting with dried fruit and any herbs you might have in your garden. They are much more impressive at a dinner party than store-bought crackers, and you can pair them with a cheese platter or a creamy dip. Here are three of the many recipes for making your own crackers:

Quick Rye Crackers

Combine:

2 c. unsifted rye flour

3⁄4 c. unsifted white or unbleached flour

1⁄2 c. wheat germ

1⁄2 t. salt, 1 t. baking powder

6 T. butter or margarine.

1. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until you have a mixture with particles about the size of cornmeal.

2. Add 3⁄4 c. milk and 1 slightly beaten egg. Mix, roll out, and cut into diamond shapes by making parallel lines one way diagonally and then the other.

3. Lay the crackers onto a cookie sheet, prick with a fork, and bake at 325˚F until lightly browned. Takes about 30 minutes.

Great Crackers From Esther Adams, Poulsbo, WA

Combine:

11⁄2 c. white flour

1⁄2 c. whole wheat flour

1⁄2 c. sugar

1⁄2 t. salt

1. Using an electric mixer, food processor, or pastry cutter, mix in 3 T. butter (at room temperature) until mix is as grainy as cornmeal.

2. Slowly add 1⁄2 c. milk (you may need a little more). Knead 5 minutes. Roll out a fistful at a time to 1⁄8 inch or thinner on lightly floured surface.

3. Cut into 2-inch squares. Place squares on baking sheet (not touching). Sprinkle with salt. Prick each cracker with fork 2 to 3 times, and bake until golden brown.

Sour Cream Whole Wheat Crackers

Combine:

1 c. sour cream

1 T. melted butter

a pinch salt

1⁄2 c. sugar

1 t. soda

1. Add enough whole wheat flour to make a stiff dough that can be rolled. Roll out to about a 1⁄8 - inch thickness.

2. Cut into the shapes you prefer and bake at 325˚F for 30 minutes (or 400˚F for 10 minutes).