Homemade Wheat Thins
I love Wheat Thins. I do. But check out the amount of sodium in them:
230mg? That just seems like a lot to me! (According to this article, “Some 75% of dietary salt intake comes from processed foods.” The recommended daily salt intake is 1,500 mg, but the average adult American male consumes almost 4,000 mg a day!)
And what is up with all of the ingredients?
Ingredients: WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR, UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, CORNSTARCH, MALT SYRUP (FROM BARLEY AND CORN), SALT, INVERT SUGAR, LEAVENING (CALCIUM PHOSPHATE AND/OR BAKING SODA), MONOGLYCERIDES, WHOLE GRAIN BARLEY FLAKES, WHOLE GRAIN MILLET, WHOLE GRAIN RYE, WHOLE GRAIN TRITICALE, VEGETABLE COLOR (ANNATTO EXTRACT, TURMERIC OLEORESIN). CONTAINS: WHEAT. BHT ADDED TO PACKAGING MATERIAL TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS.
Ugh. What the hell? Why does the list of ingredients have to be so long? I’d much rather make MY OWN wheat thins…
(Brilliant segue, no?)
Steven found a recipe for Homemade Wheat Thins from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook on this blog, and set out to make them last Sunday.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. paprika
- 4 tbsp. margarine
- 1/4 c. water
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla
- additional salt for topping (optional)
Directions:
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt and paprika. Melt the margarine and mix it all together. Combine the water and vanilla, then add to the dry mixture, mixing until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into four pieces (see below – this just makes it so you aren’t rolling out A TON of dough). Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/16th thick. Trim the edges with a pizza cutter (see below) and cut dough into squares.
- Put the squares on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt if desired. Repeat steps 3-4 with rest of dough.
- Bake the crackers one sheet at a time, until crisp and brown, 5-7 minutes. Watch the oven LIKE A HAWK! You want the crackers crispy, not chewy, but not burnt either! Remove and cool on a plate or cooling rack. They will stay crisp for several days in an airtight container.
Looks just like a Wheat Thin, right?
Perfect for taking to work!
Nom.
We* were impressed. The ones we baked just right, tasted JUST LIKE Wheat Thins! It would be cool if we started making these every week, along with our granola bars.
And I think you could add cinnamon and they would be SUPER tasty sweet treat!
Have you ever felt like a processed food had too much salt or too many ingredients and tried to make your own version?
*And so were my coworkers that I shared these with! They both immediately asked for the recipe.
Themocracy
Wow! That is incredible! They look just like Wheat Thins! Granola bars and now crackers! My hat is off to you!
whoa! those look awesome. You are such a go getter 🙂
It’s not me! It’s Steven! I just ate them! He made them while I was putting away the holiday decorations (yeah, in the end of January) then I came down and took pictures and helped bake them 🙂
I feel like most soups are that way – but usually if I’m grabbing a box of crackers or can of soup it’s for when I know I won’t have time to make a pot of soup or crackers (which I’ve never done but am putting on the list to do – those crackers look good!).
Heck yes I feel like ALL processed food, for the most part has too much crap in it! That’s why I don’t buy it. I agree processed food is PACKED with salt among other things. I LOVE that you made your own!! I’ll try these for sure! thanks!
I used to eat Wheat Thins alll the time, but haven’t been so impressed with the ingredient list once I realized it.
I am making this recipe this weekend!! I love how simple the ingredients are, and if they taste like wheat thins, I’m all over it! 😀
That is SO cool! I LOVE wheat thins, but, like you, I’m never very impressed with their nutritional stats. Thanks for sharing– I can’t wait to give these a whirl!
Those look pretty darn good!
What a great idea. I love what thins, but they are no good for me. I am always looking for a healthy snack. I will definitely try to make these. Thanks for sharing this!
I can not believe how much they look like real wheat thins. I am definitely going to try this. I wish I had known about this recipe when my son was eating just about nothing but wheat thins…it would have made me feel a lot better about it!
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm I think I just found my snowy weekend food project! These look amazing!
Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to try them too!
Wow! Those look just like wheat thins!! If they’re half as good as your homemade granola bars then you’re just flat out amazing!
Wow, I am so impressed! They look just like the “real” (=fake and full of junk) deal, and you said that they taste the same too! That is awesome. I was just telling Harrison that I “FREAKING LOVE WHEAT THINS” but never eat them because they seem like one of those fake health foods.
Processed food definitely has too much salt… but the crazy long ingredients lists and added sugars bother me more. Sometimes I try to replicate things just for kicks! I love experiments. 😉
<3 <3
You’re really amazing, did you know that? Seriously. If I had more time, I’d be very interested in making my own Wheat Thins. But, I don’t. So, I guess I should just be glad that I only eat them when someone else serves them … a few times a year.
Ok you could open your own wheat thin factory. These look just like the ones on the box but are healthier and taste better! Would you take the time to make them again?
We definintely will make them again. Hopefully a double batch this weekend! 🙂
Processed foods sometimes freak me out.. Why on earth does the ingredients list have to be so long???
Anyway, your wheat thins look amazing! We don’t have them over here (the “real” ones I mean) but yours look truly great. I completely agree with Karla – need to make them asap! 🙂
I had no idea that making crackers was this easy! These look identical too. You are so creative in the kitchen…I am very inspired to overhaul some of the more processed foods Ali and Maya like now!!
Thanks! But again, it is mostly my husband who does this stuff! 🙂 I just assist! (don’t want to take all the credit)
I am so going to make these!
Wow that is awesome! I am a really horrible baker 🙁 so I probably wouldn’t try this at home, but I think it is awesome you found a healthier way to eat something you love!
That’s so cool! They really do look just like wheat thins. I try to make homemade versions of pretty much everything lol. Granola bars…yogurt…hummus…
Those are awesome! My current go-to is Back to Nature stuff because the ingredient list is pretty simple. I found a triscuit replacement at Whole Foods, their version only has whole wheat and salt listed. Nice! I would love to make my own crackers because I am a cracker addict. I love them. 😀
What a great idea! These look exactly like wheat thins. Very impressive. 🙂
holy moly those look EXACTLY like wheat thins!!!!!!!!!!!11 how amazing!
Perfect recipe for wheat thins. Doesn’t it amaze you how these companies can promote “healthy” on the packaging when for some people it would absolutely ruin their dietary requirements for a week!
Wow that looks really good! I dont usually eat wheat thins because of all the sodium so this is really cool that you can make them at home!
WOW. I am totally and completely impressed! For some reason, crackers seem like they’d be tricky to make. But yours look PERFECT.
I LOVE WTs, but I can’t keep them around me! I’m not a huge salty food person, but I would much rather have WTs than chips. And the whole box would be gone, in like, two days!
I THINK I do okay on salt, but maybe I don’t? I do eat a ton of soup (homemade, but still) so I always worry about it…
I thought they would be more difficult too!
I have to be careful not to overeat them. Especially if the PB is around… 😉
BRILLIANT segue! wow i love wheat thins so much, but the salt content is killer (esp since i have to be on a low sodium diet, bummer!) i never thought about making my own, but yours turned out fabulously! i’m bookmarking this post so i can try out the recipe soon 🙂
They look really good… I haven’t had wheat thins in a LONG LONG time.. I wasn’t impressed with the ingredient list. Will have to give this recipe a try.
Wow, what a cool idea! I tend to just go to Trader Joe’s for the less-processed version of favorite foods. I like the idea of making them myself, but I seem to lack the motivation (aka, I’m a bit lazy in this department). Yours came out so good!
Brilliant segue, YES! 🙂
Too much sodium is pumped into a lot of our food, especially soup. Recently I discovered Amy’s makes a low-sodium tomato bisque that tastes identical to their full-sodium version, yet they taste exactly the same to me. Why not just produce the low-sodium version as their only version? Anyway, I solve the soup problem by making a lot of my own. And I am definitely going to print out the recipe you posted here. Thank you!
I hate how salty canned soup is! It would be such an easy “on-the-go” snack but the sodium scares me off! (Plus, the ambiguous “natural falvors” listed on many labels as an ingredient)
Those look AWESOME!! Especially since I can’t get Wheat Thins here anyway, it would be a real treat to know how to make them. I am a bit surprised by the sugar and vanilla in them, who knew?
I was totally shocked by those ingreds too!
Wow — I’m going to have to try this recipe!!
I think everything tastes better homemade, but I don’t have the time/energy to make everything I want to eat from scratch (Chipotle salads, for example), so most of the time I settle for the prepared version and drink TONS of water to compensate.
After making an Alton Brown recipe, however, I don’t think I’ll ever have boxed mac and cheese again! 🙂
Alton! He’s the best 🙂
Tell Steven that I, too, am impressed. I’m also impressed with how much you guys get accomplished on the weekends. It’s all I can manage to work out, grocery shop, and make dinner. Heck, I rarely even find time to clean the house!
Also, I KNOW that in general people eat way too much sodium, but I actually had a nutritionist tell me (well, me and my beginning women’s running group) that if you work out a lot and sweat a lot that it’s okay to eat more than the recommended amount of sodium.
Believe me, our house isn’t that clean 😉 Sunday has kind of been a cooking/baking day for us lately. It’s fun to prepare stuff for the week 🙂
Steven actually had to try to take in more salt last year because he is such a salty sweater!
Those look just like Wheatthins! Wow .. I am very impressed.
Whenever I eat processed foods, I am always thirsty from the amount of sodium.
Me too. And it always makes me feel worse – I drink too much water and my stomach hurts!
Wow, girl, that is SO impressive!!! Love Wheat Thins…I never knew you could make it at home, though, so damn cool!
Processed food (too much of it) makes me fatigued for some reason.
those look like they turned out very tasty. I love wheat thins too.
woah that’s awesome! if you’re ever too lazy to bake those again you should try kashi’s TLC or dr. kracker’s products. they are all much more minimally processed.
Wow! I’m super impressed!
Since I don’t have that kind of time to cook…*ahem*… 😉
My new favorite salty/crunchy snack is this:
http://www.amazon.com/Suzies-Puffed-Multigrain-Square-4-9-Ounce/dp/B000FDDJ1Y
I dunno, other people might find them bland but I LOVE them because the list of ingredients is Wheat, Rice, Corn, Oats, Rye, Sea Salt. That’s IT. And only 48 mg of sodium!
(I probably could have more time to cook if I put my mind to it…meh)
Holy crap, those DO look just like wheat thins! That’s crazy.
I always think that products have either too much sodium, too much ingredients, or both. It’s such a pain. Like, do they REALLY need so many obscure/unhealthy things added to it?
CLeary I’ve been eaing far too much salt because 230 sounds like nothing to me. Yikes. Look at you making your own crackers!!
i just got thirsty thinking about it.
Sheesh girl! You are kidding me! You guys rock! I would never think to take that one on. They look exactly like the originals too! Most processed foods are way to salty for realz 😐
Those look JUST like Wheat Thins!! I want to make some!
Wowwww – that’s awesome! Seems simple enough – I should try it!
These look great. If i ever have time to make, roll and bake I’d love to try them. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, your wheat thins look yummy! We have to watch the snacks at school really closely. We can’t serve anything with tree nuts, high fructose corn syrup, or hydrogenated oils. You’d be appalled at all the stuff we have to send back home!