How to Make Homemade Wheat Thins Crackers

By Molly Durham in Food on Jan 24, 2012 5:00PM

One 14.5-ounce box of Wheat Thins costs about $4. It has about 15 primary ingredients listed, and you're going to make a lot of noise each time you reach your hand in to dive for crackers. Making your own will help you save you money, avoid preservatives and give you superpowers! Okay, maybe not the last one. But it's fun and easy to do. And might save you that crinkling sound from the world's loudest plastic.

The surprise ingredient here is paprika. We never would have guessed that would be involved in these simple crackers, but it gives them that familiar kick. They're super salty, which is necessary if you're trying to emulate the real thing. Some sort of dip and a big glass of water are necessary for eating them.

Homemade Wheat Thins Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups 100% whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for sprinkling on

1/4 teaspoon paprika

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or cover with baking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, paprika, salt).

Place the dry ingredients into a food processor. Pulse the processor for 10 seconds.

Add the butter, cut into chunks, and run the food processor for 10-20 seconds until the mixture forms thick crumbs. Mix the water and vanilla together in a separate bowl. With the processor running, pour in the water mixture through the feed tube. Run the processor for 30 seconds to incorporate.

If the dough still seems too dry, feel free to add a bit more water. Sprinkle a few drops on at a time. Split the dough in half. On a floured surface or on a non-stick mat, roll out half of the dough very thin (about 1/16th inch). Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into whatever shape you want. Transfer the crackers to the baking sheet with a spatula. Sprinkle with more salt.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, watching closely. Rotate the pan halfway through to ensure even baking. Remove when the bottoms are browned and the crackers are no longer soft. Cool completely. Store in an air-tight container.

