Homemade wheat thins. I jumped at the idea of re-creating them at home. They are thin, crisp, salty, wheaty, and everything you'd want in a homemade cracker. Simply irresistible.
I don't know if I ever mentioned that I lived in Mountain View, CA for two years when I was a teenager. Went to school and everything.
Those two years led me to a string of food awakenings: wheat thins, along with fig newtons and Golden Grahams cereal.
Years later, they're probably my favorite crackers in the world. Highly, highly irresistible, and one of those things I'm happy not to be able to buy here as I can down the whole box in a couple of days.
But then this homemade version came along. And with it went my willpower.
The idea of making these homemade salty crackers had been floating in my mind.
And an adaptation of a sesame cracker I did led me to this recipe today.
I can even say I rolled them too thin and hopelessly burned my first batch. The second was almost burned.
The third time's a charm, they say and it was true.
I lowered the oven a bit and watched them like a hawk. Waited for the 5 to 7 minutes they took to bake in front of the oven door.
Just so that you understand, if you decide to make these, don't suddenly decide to go find a scarf you misplaced or answer an e-mail that's been sitting in your inbox for an hour as you put these crackers in the oven.
Just a warning. He who warns is not a traitor.
These homemade wheat thins together with the eggplant hummus is a flavor wonder.
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Homemade Wheat Thins Crackers
Homemade wheat thins. I jumped at the idea of re-creating them at home. They are thin, crisp, salty, wheaty, and everything you'd want in a homemade cracker. Simply irresistible.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour, finely ground
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus additional for topping
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt, paprika and butter in a large mixing bowl.
- Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
- Add the cold water, and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined.
- Transfer to the counter and knead a few times until it comes together. Don't overdo it.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Lightly grease baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough (half at a time for easier handling) into a very thin rectangle on a well-floured counter. They really need to be rolled thin so they bake crisp. Check frequently to make sure the dough isn’t sticking. If it is, gently scrape a spatula underneath to lift it, then flour the counter again.
- Using a pastry wheel or large kitchen knife, cut squares of about 1 ½ inches. You can make indentations in the crackers with the end of a brochette stick or something similar to resemble store-bought ones. This is optional and will not alter the flavor, but it will make them flatter when they bake.
- Transfer crackers to baking sheets. They don’t spread much so no need to space them a lot.
- Sprinkle with additional kosher salt if you’d like to mimic the salty exteriors of commercial crackers.
- Bake the crackers until crisp and bronzed, about 5 to 7 minutes, always keeping an eye on them as they are thin and can brown quickly.
- Cool on wire racks.
- Store in an airtight container for about a week or more. Or freeze them in an airtight container between sheets of waxed or freezer paper for a month.
Jeannie Tay says
Looks good Paula, I baked some using another recipe recently...have to give this a try too:)
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says
Paula, these wheat carckers look terrific - perfect for just about any time of the day, maybe with some cheese or fruit or with dips such as your lovely red pepper hummus. What a great recipe and picture perfect presentation! I would never have your patience and cust and prick them so flawlessly!
P.S.:I can relate to your studies abroad story...I studied for my two law degrees "in a foreign country" (with more than one official language) and I could be seen running around with two big fat dictionaries under my arms for the first months of my studies - kind of became my "trademark" for a while. Life is the best teacher!
Terra says
Your wheat thins look just like the store bought crackers, that rocks:-) Wheat thins are my favorite, but I would so rather have homemade crackers:-) YUM! Hugs, Terra
Cake Duchess says
gorgeous wheat crackers and hummus.I love to snack on hummus often during the week and will try your yummy recipe:)
Cocoa and Lavender says
Paula - you have had an amazing life, living in so many places! You should write. Book in addition to your blog! These crackers look great, and I can only imagine that they kick the store bought ones in the b*tt! I can't wait to make them. ~David