My book group makes the most amazing meals.  There are no assignments; creativity runs wild.  Last week Brigitte brought tomato-basil soup with homemade croutons, Lynne served a quinoa-feta-cranberry salad in a bowl lined with kale, Elaine made a rum cake, or maybe that was Diane.  Beth brought rice balls filled with melting cheese, Nancy brought a claypot filled to the top with bubbly macaroni & cheese, and these are just the dishes I remember!  A few months ago, I took the time to write down a particularly memorable meal that included roasted eggplant appetizer, spinach salad with roasted beets & pomegranates & red onions with white raisins, sweet corn pudding, jarlsberg cheese grated with red onion and served on whole-grain crackers, squash soup, and chocolate-covered strawberries.  There is always a selection of wines, and a scrumptious collection of cheeses and crackers.  Now that’s something we haven’t talked about yet — crackers.

Looking just at the names, it’s nearly impossible to tell which crackers are nutritious.  I mean, who would guess that 10 Ritz Crackers Whole Wheat contain less than a single gram of fiber?  It’s the same for 4 Keebler’s Townhouse Bistro Multigrain crackers, and 10 Nabisco Wheatsworth Stone Ground Wheat crackers.  Less than 1 gram of fiber per serving.  Even Late July Organic Classic Saltines, though they’re made with “organic wheat flour,” contain zero grams of fiber.  Okay, so now what?

I found a smart comparison at www.environmentalnutrition.com, which I give to patients who eat lots of crackers or are just plain curious.  Generally, I recommend that people avoid crackers with less than 3 grams of fiber per serving. 

Which crackers make the cut?  Ak-Mak 100% Whole Wheat Stone Ground Sesame Crackers (but not just because they’re called Stone Ground), Back to Nature Harvest Whole Wheats (but not just because they’re called Whole Wheat), Nabisco Triscuit Thin Crisps (but definitely not the reduced fat ones), Trader Joe’s Multigrain Savory Thins and WASA Multigrain Crispbread, (but not just because they’re called Multigrain), Trader Joe’s Woven Wheat Wafers, RyVita Rye & Oat Bran Whole Grain Rye Crispbread (which pack a walloping 6 grams of fiber per serving), and Mary’s Gone Crackers (my favorite). 

What gives these crackers the fiber that the others don’t have?  Whole-grain flour.  In most cases, the very first ingredient contains the word “whole.”  Whole wheat, or 100% organic whole wheat, or whole-grain rye flour.  The one exception?  Brown rice, which is a whole grain.  So you are looking for either “whole [grain name]” or “brown rice” as the first ingredient.  It has to be the first ingredient. 

Nabisco Wheat Thins 5 Grain Crunch and Keebler Townhouse Wheat crackers, each with less than 1 gram of fiber per serving,  list “enriched flour” first, and “whole wheat flour” second.  Second doesn’t count. 

Nabisco Premium Multigrain Saltine Crackers have 0 grams of fiber per serving, and list “enriched flour” first, “whole grains” second, and “whole wheat flour” third.  Second and third don’t count.  Neither does “rice flour,” the first ingredient in Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins, of which you have to eat 16 crackers to get a gram of fiber.

Dare Breton Multigrain and Kashi TLC Crackers Original 7 Grain may sound authentic, but the first ingredient in both is “wheat flour.”  Don’t let that fool you.  Wheat flour is not whole wheat flour.  In fact, most flour is made from wheat, so “wheat flour” doesn’t buy you whole grains.  Also, don’t be enticed by “enriched flour,” which would not have required enriching if it had not been stripped of its germ and bran first.  “Wheat flour” doesn’t count, and neither does “organic wheat flour.”

By the way, these rules apply as well to bread.  “Wheat bread” is just plain old bread, sometimes with brown caramel coloring added to make it appear more nutritious.  That’s not the same as whole-grain bread.
 
You’re almost done, but not quite.  Now look at the nutrition label and check the number of grams of fiber per serving to make sure there are at least 3.  Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers, and Hain All Natural Wheatettes list whole wheat flour first, but they have 2 grams of fiber per serving.  Not so bad, but not so great either.  You can do better. 

A post about crackers wouldn’t be complete without encouraging you to try your hand at making your own.  Cracker making is a great family activity.  I confess that it’s been a while since I made them myself, but I do remember that they were delicious, and then they were gone.  You’ll find two recipes below, one simple and elegant, and the second somewhat more adventurous.

“Homemade Crackers” from Cooks.com: 
Combine 4 cups whole wheat flour, 1 tsp. salt, and 2 tbsp. sugar.  Cut in ¼ c. butter, and stir in up to 1 ¼ c. milk to make a stiff dough.  Wait 15 minutes, and then roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface.  Cut into squares, and bake until browned.  The crackers will crisp up as they cool.  No nutrition info on this recipe, but you know what’s in them, because you made them yourself, with whole-wheat flour.

“Four-Seed Snapper Crackers” adapted from Peter Reinhart on the LA Times website:
Heat oven to 300.  Grind 1/8 c. sunflower seeds and 1/8 c. pumpkin seeds into powder in a blender, coffee grinder or mortar & pestle.  Stop before they turn into seed butter.   Combine sunflower and pumpkin seeds with 1/8 c. flax meal, 1/8 c. sesame seeds, 1 c. whole-wheat flour, ¼ t. salt, 1 tbsp. honey, 1 ¼ tbsp. vegetable oil, and 3/8 c. water.  Mix ingredients to form a firm ball of dough. It should not be sticky.  Knead the dough by hand on a lightly-floured surface for about 30 sec.  Add a bit more flour if necessary to keep it slightly tacky but not sticky.

Line baking pans with parchment.  Divide the dough into two equal pieces. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll each to nearly paper thin. Continually lift or flip the dough so it doesn’t stick to the surface, and dust more flour underneath if need be.  Transfer to baking pan, and cut into rectangular or diamond-shaped crackers. 

Combine the egg with ¼ c. water, and brush crackers lightly with egg wash.  Sprinkle with more sesame seeds, and bake for approx 25-30 minutes.  The crackers will be dry, crisp, and golden brown, and they won’t spread or rise in the oven.  This recipe makes 3-4 dozen crackers, each of which contains a full gram of fiber.

Hearty appetite!