trombonish

I'm making a cheesecake for Easter dinner tomorrow, but have no graham crackers for a graham cracker crust. They can't be that hard, right?

Graham Crackers:
2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 t baking soda (I don't know-how WHY, it's not like they are supposed to rise. But it's what the recipe I modified said, so I did...)
1/2 t salt

Stir together

Add:
1 T vanilla
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup honey (if you measure the oil and honey in the same cup, and the oil first, the honey slides right on out)

Stir to combine - now it will be in a very crumbly format

Add while mixer is running (on low/stir)
1/3 cup white flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup water, slowly, until your dough starts to actually stick together

Let it knead for a minute or two - it still won't be completely cohesive, but will actually attempt to stay together.

Plop about half the dough on a piece of baking parchment and roll very thin (like 1/8"), and as square as you can manage. There is no way you will be able to lift it off the parchment so transfer the parchment to a cookie sheet. Repeat for other half.

(I pressed a goodly portion of the first half into a cheesecake pan and baked it that way, for a crust)

If you want uniform squares at the end, score or cut the dough on the sheet before baking.

Bake for about 20 min at 350 - for the pie crust 20 min was a bit short, for the crackers it was a bit long.

After they've cooked and cooled a smidge, break them apart on your previous score lines.

There are plenty of alternatives for cinnamon/other flavors, or doing a crumble on top, but I'm really liking them just plain! Very crispy, the right flavor.

Adapted from:
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/crispy-whole-wheat-graham-crackers

No, I didn't know wheat berries were a food either. At the farmer's market we bought a pound bag of dried wheat for $1.50. I had vague ideas about grinding them for flour, but it turns out I didn't have the piecesparts to do so. But, my cookbook (Better Homes and Gardens: New Cook Book) did at least mention them, something about soaking for a long while then boiling for an hour or so. I thought that seemed entirely too long, but... crockpots! This makes a nice chewy hot breakfast with hardly any actual prep work.

Mind: this is scaled for my little (1.5 qt) crockpot

Night before:

3/4 cup wheat berries
2 1/2 cup water

Combine in crockpot, set on low. Cook overnight (8 hours or so)

Morning:
Cooked grains! Treat like oatmeal. Add whatever you'd like.

Suggested things to stir in:
Brown sugar
Honey
Dried apple bits
rasins
other dried fruit
nutmeg
cinnamon
... whatever you'd put in oatmeal!

Woggy really likes these for breakfast, they are particularly chewy and stick-to-your-ribs ish. And I have been feeding them to him regularly since we've sworn off the packaged oatmeal packets. The 3/4 cups cooked lasts about 3 breakfasts. I find the texture a little weird, but it goes Excelent in granola/yogurt (up next!)