July 5 National Graham Cracker Day #GrahamCrackerDay

July 5th is National Graham Cracker Day #GrahamCrackerDay and I don’t know about you but I believe I will make one of my favorite recipes. Chocolate Graham Cracker Pie with Cool Whip Topping which is so easy to make but be warned you ,ay want to make several Pies because they do not last long.

The month of July calls for many celebrations around a firepit, with one of them being National Graham Cracker Day on July 5th. The extremely well known Graham Crackers make for great S’mores, Pie bases, and crispy crumb coating for your fried foodstuff. Graham Crackers were originally invented as a healthy alternative to eating other foods that were thought to cause epilepsy, tuberculosis, and a range of other illnesses.

The recipe for Graham Crackers included Graham Flour, Brans, and Grains. The Crackers were on the blander side with the slightest hints of sweetness. Soon, people realized that the somewhat bland taste of the Crackers made for a great addition to Pie, Cake, and even frying recipes .Looks like it’s time to start cooking.

National Graham Cracker Day celebrates Graham Crackers, which have interesting origins. The story goes that a Reverend from the 19th Century called Sylvester Graham, who was part of the temperance movement that wanted to curb the intake of Alcohol, invented the Crackers as a way of controlling lustful desires.

Sylvester Graham believed that a simple Vegetarian diet and lifestyle was how God intended human beings to live. The people who followed him were called ‘Grahamites’, and together, these people led one of the first all-Vegetarian movements in America. According to Graham, such a lifestyle, free of sins related to lust and gluttony, also kept diseases like Tuberculosis, Spinal Diseases, and insanity at bay. Thus, Sylvester Graham created the Graham Cracker recipe from coarsely ground Wholewheat Flour, Brans, and Grains. The reverend added only a little sweetness to make it easier to consume, but he kept the flavors mainly bland. 

As commercialization and industrialization started gaining momentum all over the world Graham Crackers started being produced commercially. The commercialized version had different flavorings and ingredients. Graham Crackers were made with refined and bleached Flou.. Because of their versatility, you can use Graham Crackers in a number of recipes, both sweet and savory. 

NATIONAL GRAHAM CRACKER DAY ACTIVITIES

1. The amount of things you can do with Graham Crackers can be crushed and used as a coating for things like meat or other fried items. You can also eat Graham Crackers as appetizers or finger food served with Sour Cream and Vegetables.
2. The combination of Chocolate, Marshmallows, and Graham Crackers is a match made in heaven. The unique and distinct flavors of each of these items go so well together that just thinking about putting them together makes our mouths water!
3. If you have the opportunity then you should put your culinary skills to the test to come up with a new recipe involving Graham Crackers. If you cannot think of any recipe, you can research one and try it for yourself, modifying it to your taste as you go along.

FACTS ABOUT S’MORES

1. The first recorded record of S’mores dates back to 1927, when the recipe was found in a Girl Scouts handbook by the name of “Tramping and Trailing.”
2. The original name of S’mores were originally called ‘Some Mores’, and it was years of usage that led to the name being shortened to Smores.
3. According to a study, about 50% of the Marshmallow sales during the Summertime are intended to be used for S’mores.
4. Marshmallows mounted on a metal rod above a coal fire will cook more evenly as opposed to other methods.
5. 20% of Americans love S’mores so much that they make them all year round.

PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL GRAHAM CRACKER DAY

1. Graham Crackers are a childhood favorite which bring back memories while also becoming important parts of other stages of life. Graham Crackers are a great addition to many recipes, only working to further enhance the flavors and levels of the food.
2. One of the great things about Graham Crackers is how easily they can adapt to any environment you have them in. including a campfire or in the comfort of your own home, it doesn’t matter!
3. Graham Crackers can be bland, but that is actually one of their greatest features and their blandness allows Graham Crackers to blend in with many foods and their different flavors.

Recipe for Graham Crackers

PREP: 15 mins: BAKE: 28 to 30 mins TOTAL: 2 hours 3 mins YIELD: about 2 dozen graham crackers

Ingredients

• 1 cup (113g)  Whole Wheat Flour or 1 cup (96g)  Whole Wheat Pastry Flour*
• 1 cup (120g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup (50g) vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup (85g) honey
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (28g to 43g) milk
• additional milk, for glaze
• cinnamon sugar, optional; for topping

*Also known as graham flour.

1. Combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the oil, honey, and 2 tablespoons milk. Stir this egg mixture into the dry ingredients until you have a fairly stiff dough, adding more milk if necessary. Knead the dough gently until smooth.
3. Wrap the dough and chill it until firm, about 1 hour (or longer, if it’s more convenient).
4. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
5. Divide the dough in half and, working with one piece at a time, roll the dough out about 1/16″ thick onto a piece of parchment paper.
6. Transfer the rolled-out dough on the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
7. Brush both pieces of dough with milk then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
8. Bake the sheets of dough for 10 minutes, rotating the pans after 5 minutes.
9. Remove pans from the oven, and use a rolling pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut the sheets of dough into 3″ x 2″ rectangles; don’t separate them, just cut them.
10. Return the cut crackers to the oven, and continue to bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
11. Turn off the oven, and open the oven door wide for 5 minutes. After the majority of the oven’s heat has dissipated, shut the oven door, and let it cool down for 20 minutes with the crackers inside; this will help them become as crisp as possible.
12. Remove the crackers from the oven, transfer them to a cooling rack, and cool completely.
13. Store the crackers, well-wrapped, at room temperature for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates