Making S’mores, and eating the Honey Miel Graham Wafers at my grandparents, is a core memory for me as a kid! I knew a sourdough graham cracker was on the horizon when- as usual, I read the ingredients on the box of the store bought ones. Things like ammonium bicarbonate, ‘monocalcium phosphate, asparaginase, vegetable oil & artificial flavourings were all listed… now quite honestly I have no idea what some of these are, and that is the point! Shouldn’t we know what we are eating? You can’t go wrong with a homemade cracker of any kind, but especially a homemade sourdough graham cracker!
Not only are these homemade sourdough graham crackers the perfect s’mores base for all our summer time campfires, but they are just a fun snack to mix in! My boys love them, they are easy to pack with you out and about. You can also make them with different flours, such as fresh milled or einkorn, which is going to make them even better for you and your family, and not to mention the lack of hard to pronounce preservatives and gross junk that the store bought versions contain.
What you’ll need:
- Mixing Bowl
- Dough Whisk
- Plastic Wrap
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Sharp Knife
- Fork
Ingredients:
- Whole Wheat Flour (Or other blends of flours- see below)
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Butter
- Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
- Sourdough Discard- (Need a Sourdough Starter? Check out my FREE guide!)
- Milk
- Honey or Maple Syrup
- Vanilla
How to make Sourdough Graham Crackers at Home?
You can do this one of two ways, now if you know me- I am all about a “One-Bowl” method, for nearly anything I make. So while you can mix your dry ingredients in a mixing bowl separately and set it aside, I will be demonstrating the everything gets tossed in one bowl method. I start by measuring out my butter, and brown sugar and placing them in my mixing bowl. You can do this with a stand mixer if you like, I find using my dough whisk works just fine. You are going to mix your butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy.
Once the butter mixture is well combined, add 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt right on top. Now you can basically do any blend of flour you would like. I find them to be better, heartier and crispier, with at least a mixture of whole wheat vs. just straight all purpose. Einkorn, spelt, fresh milled flour, are all really great options and they taste delicious. Once your dry ingredients are on top, mix them until an evenly crumbly mixture is achieved.
Next we are going to add in the 1/4 cup of flat sourdough discard, 2 tablespoons milk, 2 1/2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix everything until a soft dough forms, it is pretty sticky at this point. If it feels too sticky to handle, add in a small amount of flour and mix again. If you are using fresh milled flour, you may need to add more milk if your dough is too dry. At this point we are going to chill the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, in a disc shape. Then place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour.
Once your cracker dough has chilled it will be easier to handle and roll out. Preheat your oven to 350F. Bring the dough out of the fridge, and unwrap from the plastic wrap. Divide the dough in half- this just makes it easier to roll out. I roll mine out on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, it is easier than rolling it out on the counter, and transferring to a baking sheet.
Lightly flour a sheet of parchment, and begin rolling out on half of your dough. Working it each way to get it rolled as evenly as possible. You don’t want the sourdough graham crackers to be too thick. I find about 1/8″ is the perfect thickness.
Next it is time to cut our homemade graham crackers into shapes. I tend to stick to regular rectangles or squares, but you could definitely use cookie cutters for funner shapes. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut both ways across the rolled out dough, creating rectangles or square shapes. Then to prevent puffing, and to help create crisp graham crackers, puncture each cracker a couple times with a fork.
Once you have cut and punctured both halves of the dough, place them in the oven on middle racks for 10-15 minutes. Bake until the edges start to brown, but watch they don’t overcook or they will be really crunchy. Bring them out and transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Once cooled, enjoy!
Storage Notes:
These homemade crackers can be stored in a sealed container for up to a week, and if they are really sealed well, I find they keep longer and closer to two weeks.
Homemade Sourdough Graham Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour can be a mix of spelt, or whole wheat & all purpose
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cups brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ¼ cups sourdough starter discard flat; inactive
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and set aside
- In a separate bowl, mix the cold butter & brown sugar, and with a dough whisk mix very well. Can also use an electric mixer or stand mixer for this.
- Mix in dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, until it’s crumbly.
- Add in sourdough discard, honey, and vanilla, and mix until soft dough forms.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 mins- 1 hour.
- Preheat oven: to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bring dough out and divide in half.
- On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness.
- Cut into rectangles or your preferred cracker shapes using a knife or cookie cutter. Transfer to the baking sheet.
- Use a fork to prick each cracker a few times to prevent puffing.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Keep an eye on the edges to avoid burning.
- Cool on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container.
Notes
- If using fresh milled flour, you may need to increase you milk by 1-2 tbsp, if your dough is too dry. Fresh milled flour will soak up more of the liquid causing a dryer dough.
