We all love a loaf of homemade bread or a warm batch of homemade chocolate-chip cookies. But there are certain things that, for whatever reason, we assume just appear fully formed on grocery store shelves. Well, it turns out, they don't. Just about any food can be made at home, and the best part is, the homemade version is almost always healthier and better for the environment than the store-bought version, allowing you to eliminate suspect ingredients and excess packaging. They'll also save you cash, which is why we were pretty happy to find out that all of these unconventional homemade treats were pretty tasty.
Sesame Whole Wheat Crackers
After attempting to make this quintessential snack food, we can see, quite frankly, why an entire supermarket aisle is devoted to crackers. They're simple to make but tricky to get just right. The key seems to be rolling them super thin and cooking them just enough to give them that cracker crispness without burning the edges.
¾ teaspoon sea salt (or 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
1½ cups whole wheat flour, plus extra as needed
½ cup whole or low-fat milk (you can also substitute soy or rice milk as well as buttermilk)
2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup (you can also use brown or white sugar)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (canola, corn, soy, peanut, etc.)
1 egg
sesame seeds for garnish
In a mixing bowl, mix the salt with the flour. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, honey (or agave) and oil. Pour this into the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon until the dough forms a ball and all the flour is absorbed. Knead the dough for a few minutes on a well-floured surface, adding more flour as needed until the dough forms a smooth ball and feels soft and supple but not sticky, like modeling clay.
Heat the oven to just below 300 degrees. Line three baking pans with baking parchment or a silicone baking pad. Divide the dough into three pieces and form each into a ball. Set two of the dough balls aside and roll out the third. Dust the counter with flour and also the top of the dough, pressing it with your hand to flatten it. Use a straight rolling pin to work the dough to a thin oval or rectangle less than 1/8-inch thick. Every few seconds lift the dough and dust under it with more flour and dust the top as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter or the pin. If the dough resists and shrinks back, let it rest for a few minutes and move on to one of the remaining dough balls. Repeat the rolling process with each piece of dough.
Combine the egg with ½ cup water to make an egg wash. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and lightly sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut the dough into desired size for crackers with a pizza cutter or with a knife or pastry blade. Transfer the crackers to the pans, placing them very close together. Place the pans in the oven. Rotate after 8 minutes. Rotate again after 8 minutes. Bake 6 to 8 minutes more until toasted, 22 to 24 minutes total. Remove from the oven and leave on the pan until cool and crisp.
Sarah Earle, adapted from Whole Grain Breads, by Peter Reinhart, from the LA Times website
Yogurt
I'm always in search of fun, earth-friendly ways to save a buck. Perhaps the most lucrative of these cost-cutting experiments has been homemade yogurt. It sounds complicated, but all you need is a little time.
1 half-gallon of milk (preferably local and organic, but anything that isn't ultra-pasteurized will work)
½ cup plain yogurt with live cultures (you'll need store-bought the first time. Then use leftovers from one batch to start the next)
powdered milk (optional)
a few thick beach towels or blankets
Pour the milk into the slow cooker, cover and set to low. (If you like thicker yogurt, whisk in some powdered milk now.) Let cook for 2½ hours. Unplug the slow cooker and let it cool for three hours. Remove two cups of the milk and place in medium bowl. Whisk in yogurt and return to slow cooker.
Cover the slow cooker and wrap it tightly in the beach towels or blanket. Leave it alone overnight (or for at least eight hours).
Store your yogurt in clean, covered glass jars in the fridge. If you'd like, you can flavor single servings with honey, vanilla, fresh fruit or even a dollop of jam.
Cost savings will vary, but I estimate that I save $5 to $10 a week.
Meg Heckman, adapted from crockpot365.blogspot.com.
English Muffins
These breakfast staples turned out gorgeous and way more yummy than any store-bought brand we've tried. And because they only have to rise once, they're not as time consuming as you might think.
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 package active dry yeast
cornmeal
5½ to 6 cups flour (substitute up to half the flour with whole wheat flour for healthier muffins)
1 teaspoon salt
Combine the milk, butter and honey in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the butter melts, then whisk it briefly. Remove the pan from the heat and allow mixture to cool until lukewarm.
Meanwhile, pour the water into a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir the liquid gently with a fork and set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes, until all of the yeast has dissolved.
Line two baking sheets with waxed paper and sprinkle on a generous amount of cornmeal. (This is where you'll set the muffins to rise.)
Pour the cooled milk into the dissolved yeast and gently stir the mixture until well blended. Add 3 cups of flour and the salt to the liquid and beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth (about 100 strokes). Beat in enough of the remaining flour, about one-third cup at a time, so that the dough is firm enough to knead and no longer sticky.
Scrape the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour, then knead for 3 to 4 minutes. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes, then roll it to about a ½-inch thick and cut into circles with a biscuit cutter. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them well apart. Sprinkle cornmeal on the tops. Cover with a dry, lightweight towel and let rise until they almost double in height - about 35 to 45 minutes.
When the muffins have risen, heat a large, heavy, ungreased skillet over medium heat. Brown the muffins for about 10 minutes on each side, adjusting the heat if they begin to brown too slowly or quickly. Transfer each batch to a wire rack to cool. Split them open with a fork to create those Thomas Muffins-like nooks and crannies.
Sarah Earle, adapted from Cooking with Kids, by Disney's Family Fun magazine.
Ketchup
A staple in any family's kitchen, ketchup doesn't have to be the overly sweet, high-fructose-corn-syrup-loaded stuff we all grew up with. Homemade ketchup is fun and easy to make, and the possibilities for add-ins - ground up jalapenos for example - are endless. And instead of the whole canned tomatoes this recipe calls for, you can use the tomatoes in your kitchen (peel and soak in water first) or tomato paste (add about ¼ cup of water and skip the pureeing step).
4 whole cloves
¼ tsp whole allspice
¼ tsp celery seed
¼ tsp chile flakes
1 cinnamon stick
one 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes with their juice
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1½ tsp kosher salt
½ cup white vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
special equipment: cheesecloth
Using kitchen twine, tie the cloves, allspice, celery seed, chili flakes and cinnamon stick together in a medium square of a doubled-up cheesecloth.
In a heavy pot - a simple aluminum boiling pot worked fine - add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, vinegar and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers are very soft, about an hour.
Remove and discard the spice bundle. Let the mixture cool slightly, then puree in batches in a blender or food processor (be careful not to blend too much at one time, especially if the mixture is very hot). At this point, if the mixture is too pulpy for your taste, you can pass the liquid through a sieve. However, I found the mixture to be a perfect consistency and didn't need this step.
Return the mixture to your pot and cook over medium heat, stirring to keep from scorching, until the mixture has thickened and darkened in color, about 30 minutes. (If it starts to scorch, turn the heat down.)
Transfer to a container - a medium-sized Ball or Mason jar works perfectly - and let cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours to allow the flavors to meld. The ketchup will keep for about three weeks.
Jana Marx, adapted from brooklynfarmhouse.com.