Homemade Wheat Thins
from http://smittenkitchen.com/

As it turns out, wheat thin crackers that you buy in a box are little but thin wheat crackers (see what I did there? oof.) that you can make at home. The dough is a simple combination of butter, whole wheat flour and salt. The trickiest part is rolling them very, very thin.

The result is what I'd call a 97 percent match to the original. Of course, I had to compare them to store-bought versions in my "test kitchen" and found them much less salty and much less… yellow. The ingredient list on the box informs me the the hue is from a coloring derived from tumeric, and hey, no harm if you want to throw a pinch in for a warmer color. You can also salt them more generously.

See the recipe below from Stella Parks.

Homemade Wheat Thin Crackers
Adapted, just barely, from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

I recommend traditional whole wheat flour for an accurate color but white whole wheat flour for a more delicate texture. I used the regular stuff. The original recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract to be added along with the water, but I don’t associate the vanilla flavor with wheat thins at all (nor did I spot it on the ingredient list). Nevertheless, feel free to add this and/or any other seasonings that you’d like (onion or garlic powder, thyme or rosemary, black pepper, etc.)

1 1/4 cups (155 grams) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) table salt, plus additional for topping
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine, cut into small bits

In a food processor: Combine the flour, sugar, salt, paprika and butter in a food processor, pulsing the mixture until the butter is evenly disbursed in the crumbs. Drizzle in 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water with the machine running; run it until the mixture begins to form a ball.

By hand: Combine the flour, sugar, salt, paprika and butter in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work the butter into the mixture until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water, stir with spoon until combined. Knead once or twice on counter.

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Either lightly grease baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.

Roll your dough out, half at a time, to a large, very, very thin rectangle-ish shape on a well-floured counter. Did I mention you should roll them thin? Thinner than you even think necessary is best. Frequently check to make sure your dough isn’t sticking; if it is, gently scrape a spatula underneath to lift it, then flour the counter again. Using a knife or pastry wheel, cut dough into about 1 1/2-inch squares. Dock crackers all over with a toothpick or pointy end of a thermometer. (Technically speaking, I noted a 9-dot docking pattern, like the 9 sides of a pair of dice, on my store-bought Wheat Thins. I highly recommend you do not drive yourself bonkers trying to emulate this.)

Transfer crackers to baking sheets, spacing them only a little as they really don’t spread. Sprinkle with additional table salt if you’d like to approximate the salty exteriors of the store-bought crackers. Bake crackers until crisp and bronzed, about 5 to 7 minutes but please keep a close watch on the first batch as thinner crackers (high-five!) will bake faster and thicker ones will take longer.

Cool in baking pans on racks. Crackers will keep in an airtight container officially for a week but ours are in fact two weeks old and still perfect. You can also freeze them in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper for a couple months.

Yield: About 3 dozen. I highly suggest doubling this recipe.

Homemade Wheat Thins
by Stella Parks, https://www.seriouseats.com/

My recipe hinges on using the same ingredients you find written right on the box: whole grains, oil, sugar, malt syrup, and turmeric. If you don't have any affection for genuine Wheat Thins, you can get away with a substitution or two, but for those of you who want to make a worthy copy at home, it's vital to use the right ingredients. Trust me, it's worth the effort.

What's interesting about homemade Wheat Thins is that they're a thousand times better, with a flavor truer to the original, when made with vegan ingredients. The underlying assumption with most copycat recipes is that store-bought snacks taste better when made with butter. This can sometimes be true, but many of our favorite supermarket treats start with oil, which gives them a very clean flavor as oil's neutrality pushes other flavors and aromas to the fore.

In the case of homemade Wheat Thins, butter browns in the oven to give the crackers a darker, nuttier flavor and color than the real deal. While it sounds delicious in theory, that extra layer of flavor overwhelms the delicate taste of whole grains and malt that gives real Wheat Thins their unique character. But when made with the neutral flavor and aroma of refined coconut oil, these homemade crackers bake up wonderfully light, in every sense of the word.

Along with whole wheat flour and refined coconut oil, the other key ingredients are toasted wheat germ (to match the grainy texture of real Wheat Thins), turmeric (to replicate their intriguing color and aroma), and barley malt syrup—the secret ingredient that makes a Wheat Thin taste like a Wheat Thin.

Once the dough has been thinly rolled, I brush it with a mixture of corn syrup, barley malt, and salt that's been thinned with a little water. This gives my crackers a golden hue and glossy sheen like the original, along with an absolutely addictive burst of salty/sweet flavor from the moment they hit your tongue. I also like to dock the crackers so they look just like the real deal—an entirely optional and purely cosmetic step. Finally, using a pizza wheel, I cut the crackers into 1 1/2-inch squares, to account for the fact that they'll shrink by a 1/4-inch in the oven. I recommend a pizza wheel here specifically because a knife presents problems of its own: a dull one will mangle the crackers, while a sharp one will slice through the parchment below. As a final step, I sprinkle kosher salt on the crackers, for an even more assertive saline pop in each bite.

This order of glazing/docking/cutting/transferring/sprinkling is important. If the dough is docked then glazed, the glaze will pool up in each hole; if the dough is cut then glazed, the brush will peel up the crackers and leave them in sloppy disarray; if the salt is sprinkled too soon, you'll miss out on its sparkling appearance and rough texture, as it may dissolve in the still-wet glaze. So remember: glaze, dock, cut, transfer, and then sprinkle.

Because the dough is so incredibly thin, these crackers can overbake in the blink of an eye—especially if your oven runs hot, or if you use a different type of baking sheet than a standard gauge aluminum half sheet pan (my gold standard for baking). It helps to rotate the pan about halfway through baking, which ensures even browning, but it's important to keep a close eye on the crackers as they near the end of their time in the oven. If you think they're too pale, add seconds to the clock, not minutes. These go from lightly browned to burned super fast!

For the Glaze:
2 ounces light corn syrup (about 3 tablespoons; 55g)
1/4 ounce barley malt syrup (about 1 1/2 teaspoons; 7g)
1/4 teaspoon (1g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight
1 ounce hot water (about 2 tablespoons; 30g)

For the Crackers:
5 ounces whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting (about 1 cup, spooned; 140g)
2 1/2 ounces sugar (about 1/3 cup; 70g)
1 1/2 ounces bread flour (about 1/4 cup, spooned; 40g)
3/4 ounce toasted wheat germ (about 3 tablespoons; 20g)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon (2g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 ounce refined coconut oil, solid but creamy (about 2 tablespoons; 30g)
1/4 ounce barley malt syrup (1 1/2 teaspoons; 7g)
3 ounces water (about 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon; 85g)

For the Glaze: Combine corn syrup, malted barley syrup, and salt in a small bowl, then add hot water and stir with a fork until the salt is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

For the Crackers: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, preheat to 350°F, and cut two parchment sheets to 11- by 16-inches. Combine whole wheat flour, sugar, bread flour, wheat germ, salt, turmeric, cream of tartar, baking soda, and coconut oil in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coconut oil disappears into a fine, powdery meal. Mix barley malt and water in a small glass to dissolve the syrup, then add to dry mix and process to form a stiff dough. Knead lightly on an unfloured surface, then divide in half and drape with a damp paper towel.

To Roll: Place a prepared parchment sheet on a clean work surface, and dust generously with whole wheat flour. Place one portion of dough in the center, sprinkle with flour, and, using a rolling pin, roll into a roughly 5- by 8-inch rectangle. Dust with flour and carefully flip the dough over, sprinkling more flour on top, wherever you notice a sticky patch. Continue rolling from the center out, until the dough extends just past the edges of the parchment and is no thicker than 1/16 inch; the crackers will puff significantly in the oven, so this thinness is key to keeping them thin and crisp.

To Glaze and Cut: Trim away the ragged edges with a pizza wheel, and lightly brush the dough with glaze. If you like, use a docking tool to decorate the crackers. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares with a pizza wheel (they will shrink in the oven), then carefully transfer the parchment and crackers to an aluminum half sheet pan. This can be done by lifting two opposite corners and pulling the paper taut, or by sliding the parchment and crackers on and off a pizza peel.

To Bake: Sprinkle with salt and bake the crackers to a light yellow-brown, about 12 minutes, rotating the sheet pan halfway through to ensure even browning in the ultra-thin dough. The bake-time is highly variable, depending on the exact thickness of the dough, the type of baking sheet used, and any variations in dough thickness. Keep a close eye on the crackers as they bake, as they may brown and crisp faster depending on these variables. Cool to room temperature directly on the baking sheet; the crackers will not be crisp while warm. Repeat with the remaining dough (if rolled/cut in advance, the crackers won't shrink away from each other as they should). Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to one month.

Makes: 140 small crackers