These easy whole grain crackers are ready in under an hour and only need one bowl to make. They’re vegan, oil-free, unrefined, and super delicious!
Healthy, crispy, flavorful whole grain crackers
Whole grain crackers can come in many shapes and forms. Some are buttery, soft, and flaky. Others, like crisp breads, are strong, snappy, and full of flavor and herbs. These ones happen to be much more like the second option.
I know a lot of “whole grain” or “whole wheat” cracker recipes out there have this pattern of calling for majority refined flour, and then only a small portion is actually whole grain. This whole wheat cracker recipe is not that.
These crackers are 100% whole wheat flour. There’s no white flour at all, so you don’t have to worry about these guys giving you massive bloat later on in the day.
They are also very customizable flavor wise. I add rosemary and thyme, my two most favorite herbs, as well as some garlic and onion powder for a nice savory touch.
Feel free to play around with this recipe, and add things that you enjoy or you think would go well in a cracker.
They are your crackers after all.
Omitting oil for a reason
Maybe you’ve noticed, I’ve been on a bit of a health bender lately. I’ve been working off a couple of extra baby pounds lately mostly through following a high carb low fat diet.
There are numerous articles explaining the health benefits of a high carb, low fat, plant-based diet. Your body really doesn’t need the excess fat oil and butter provide.
So, I’ve made these crackers virtually fat free! You can eat bunches of these and feel all the energy from the unrefined carbohydrates without the crash of heavy fats later.
Healthy snacks that taste just as good as the unhealthy ones are the best thing ever.
One bowl and some hands should do
Preheat your oven to 350°, and line a full size (26″ x 18″) sheet pan with enough parchment paper that it slightly drapes over the ends.
Start with a large mixing bowl. (I’ve got good news for you, this is the only bowl you’ll need! Yay!)
Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl, including the seasonings. Give it a good stir with your hands (or a wooden spoon) until everything is well mixed.
Next, start slowly adding the water. I start by adding 1/2 cup, and then work my way up from there if I need more. Different flours and climates will require different amounts of water to achieve the same level of hydration.
What you’re looking for overall is a dough that is not sticky at all, but still moist and holds together well as we work with it.
I definetly like to use my hands for this part. The dough will start to get very thick, sturdy, and hard to work with when using a spoon.
no knead required
Next, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for just a minute or so. Honestly, it’s not really much of a knead, it’s more just to make sure all of the ingredients are well combined.
Shape the dough into a 1″ – 2″ thick rectangle. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. This will make it so much easier to roll out later on.
Before rolling out, make sure to re-flour the surface, as well as your rolling pin and the top of your dough. Do everything you can to make sure it won’t stick at all.
Roll the dough out to match the size of your sheet pan, approx 26″ long, by 18″ wide. This may take time and a bit of muscle, but I believe in you! Note: try to keep the dough as even as possible.
Fancy Flaked Sea salt
Transfer the large sheet of dough to your parchment lined baking sheet. Using a brush or your fingers, slightly dampen the surface of the cracker dough.
Use either a fork or a docker to “dock” the surface of the cracker dough by poking small holes that help keep any pockets of air from getting trapped.
Finally, sprinkle on any extra herbs or flaked sea salt you like. I love my salt. For these crackers, my go-to is Maldon’s Smoked Sea Salt. Jacobsen Salt Co. is also fantastic for yummy salts that are so much fun to play around with on these crackers.
Bake the crackers for about 30 minutes, or until they are firm and well browned. The longer they bake, the crispier they get. Every oven is different, but I know that in my oven going over 35 minutes starts to get a little too dark. So, keep that in mind when watching your crackers at home.
Once they are finished baking, simply break them up with your hands into whatever sized pieces you like. See, making crackers was so easy, wasn’t it?
And maybe even a bit fun too!
Time for dips and hummus galore
I don’t think I have any spread or dip recipes up yet, but I can confirm that I sure do have some in the works.
I’d love to know what your favorite dips or spreads are. I’m writing recipes for a few right now and would love to include you on the process.
Be sure to subscribe in the sidebar to the right if you haven’t already. Share photos of how your crackers turned out and tag me @alderspirit or use #alderspirit so I can see them too.
Drop me a comment in the comment section below, and of course, happy cracker makin’!
Easy Whole Grain Crackers
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (Bob's Red Mill)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp flaked sea salt (Maldon Smoked Sea Salt)
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a full size (26" x 18") sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Add 1/2 cup of water to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of water slowly, stopping once you've reached the ideal texture. You may not need all of it. (see photos above. The dough will feel moist, but not sticky, and there will be no dry patches. You may eventually want to switch to mixing with your hands.)
- Dust a large surface area with flour and turn the dough out on to it. Knead the dough lightly for a couple minutes to help eveything come together. Shape the dough into a 1½" thick rectangle. Cover the rectangle of dough with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
- Grab your rolling pin and re-dust the surface with fresh flour, adding some to your rolling pin and the surface of the dough as well. Roll the dough out into a large even rectangle, approximately the size of your large sheet pan. (26" x 18") The dough will be fairly thin.
- Pick up the large sheet of dough and lay it flat over the parchment paper on the large sheet pan. Some parchment paper should still be visible on either side of the dough.
- Using a brush or your hands, dampen the surface of the dough slightly with some water. Use a fork to "dock" the cracker dough, poking small holes in the surface of the dough to allow air to escape. (see photos above) Sprinkle the top of the cracker dough with some sea salt and any other seasonings you may like.
- Bake the crackers for approximately 30 minutes. Begin checking them 25 minutes in, and conitnue to check them every 5 minutes, until they have developed n even brown color and are firm to the touch.
- Remove the crackers from the oven. Snap them by hand into smaller pieces, and you're finished! Store these crackers in an air tight container or bag. They will keep for approximately 2 weeks stored this way at room temperature.
Notes
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