What? New Wheat? Why?

Dateline: the Twenty-First Century
The newest whole wheat flour from the American prairie looks more sophisticated than the old dark brown stuff—it is a lovely golden color. A couple of Hard White Wheat varieties are gaining ground (or fields) because of an initiative to produce better quality flours. I’m testing the whole wheat flour from Montana. Mixed with white bread flour made from hard red wheat, it makes a chewy hearth loaf that is prettier (golden) than the loaf I used to bake with the same bread flour and old fashioned whole wheat flour (brown).

The U.S. produces six classes of wheat: Hard Red Winter, Hard Red Spring, Soft Red Winter, Durum, Soft White, and Hard White. The newest class of U.S. wheat, Hard White receives enthusiastic reviews when used for Asian noodles, whole wheat or high extraction applications, pan breads and flat breads.

Here’s my first test of Hard White in crackers.

Graham Crackers
These are not too sweet, and go great with cheese, peanut butter, marshmallows,
or just as is with cold milk or hot tea.
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups whole wheat (hard white) flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

In a mixer, beat together butter, honey, brown sugar and vanilla until fluffy. In another bowl, stir together flour, wheat germ, salt and baking powder. With mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with 3/4 cup water. Blend well after each addition. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

Divide dough in half. Wrap one half & keep it refrigerated. On a lightly floured surface, pat out one portion into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Place it onto a lightly greased baking sheet that has no lip on at least 2 sides. You will be rolling out the dough very thinly, directly on this sheet, and you don’t want to run into sides with the rolling pin! My pan has a lip on only one side.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to an even 1/8-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares. If you have a pastry wheel, that would look nice, but I just use a bench scraper, with a straight down motion so the pan doesn’t get scratched and the dough doesn’t pull. Then prick each square with a fork 3 or 4 times. Can’t show a photo here, but this can be quite attractive: 4 stabs in an X shape, or make your initial—get
points with a personalized graham cracker!

Bake at 3250 until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. (If the crackers on the outer edge brown more quickly than those in the center, remove them early!) Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough on a cooled baking sheet. Store airtight.
Makes about 40.