Making your own whole wheat crackers at home is super easy and actually a lot of fun! Endlessly customizable with your favorite herbs and spices. Make them the traditional way with olive oil or with coconut milk for an oil-free cracker.Lightly adapted from the "as you like it crackers" in Miyoko Schinner's The Homemade Vegan Pantry.
If using coconut milk, shake the can very well before opening. If the fat and liquid have separated, warm the coconut milk slightly then stir until homogenous. Measure out ½ cup (reserve remaining coconut milk for another recipe).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and any herbs or spices you're using. Drizzle in the coconut milk (or olive oil) and mix with a fork.
Drizzle in the lesser amount of water (¼ cup for the coconut milk version or ½ cup for the olive oil version). Stir again to combine. The dough should look shaggy and rough. If there is still quite a bit of dry flour in the bowl add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of water and mix again. Don't overwork the dough.
Gather dough into a ball, and cut in half. Shape each half into a rectangle about ¾-inch thick. Cut three large pieces of parchment paper (about the size of a standard cookie sheet). Place one piece of dough on a piece of parchment. Place another piece of parchment on top, and roll out until 14 to 16 inches long and 7 to 8 inches wide. Aim for even thickness across the entire sheet of dough. Otherwise, thinner areas will be done first. Carefully peel away top piece of parchment. Re-use that piece of parchment to roll out the other piece of dough.
For bite-size crackers use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut individual pieces, or for artisan-style crackers, simply leave the sheets of dough whole. TIP: sprinkle the tops with extra black pepper for added flavor.
Transfer the bottom piece of parchment and the dough to baking sheets. Bake for 25 to 40 minutes. NOTE:bake time depends on the thickness of the dough. Also, the oil-free version typically requires a longer bake time. Begin checking the crackers after 22 - 25 minutes. They're done when crisp and golden. Allow to cool then break artisan-style crackers into desired size.
Notes
Nutrition Facts represent the oil-free version. A serving size is ⅛ of the recipe.StorageOnce crackers are completely cool, store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.