What Makes Graham Flour So Special?

Graham flour seems to be relegated only to one product, at least in the popular consciousness. When you think of graham, you probably think of stacks of graham cracker sheets, perhaps cracked in half to form s'mores or ready to be packed into a food processor and pulverized to make a pie crust. But graham flour can be used for so much more than its namesake crackers. In fact, there are a few things that truly set this wheat product apart from your average flour.

One of them is that graham flour is a whole wheat flour. This means it contains all three components of wheat: bran, endosperm, and germ. This is unlike all-purpose flour, which only has the endosperm portion of the wheat. To make graham flour, the endosperm is ground to a smooth consistency while the bran and germ are less processed, which gives the flour a uniquely coarse texture. Graham flour also has a sweet, nutty flavor that makes it perfect for use in baked goods, pie crusts, and, of course, for making graham crackers.

Graham flour is tasty and has a high-fiber composition, but what really sets it apart from other flours is its origins, which, in the scheme of things, is pretty recent. It was invented by Sylvester Graham in the 1820s. Graham was a preacher and part of a food movement that focused on vegetarianism and a restricted diet meant to remove sexual desires, which Graham and his cohorts believed to be sinful. As part of his preachings, Graham recommended that his followers remove such vices as coffee, spices, and meats from their diets, replacing them instead with high-fiber foods, fruits, and vegetables.

Graham crackers, and graham flour, were a key part of what he called the "Graham diet," and were eaten by his followers as part of their restricted diets. These beliefs were not all that unpopular during the 19th century. In fact, we can thank one Dr. John Harvey Kellogg for the invention of Kellogg's corn flakes, a food he developed as a part of his own bland diet plan meant to promote healthy digestion and divert diners away from sin. Graham's crackers back then didn't resemble the ones we now know, though. The modern version of the cracker came about in the late 1800s, when what is now Nabisco began making the cookies on a larger scale. Later, in 1925, the company started the Honey Maid brand, which produced a sweeter product closer to the graham crackers we now know and love.

How does one procure graham flour, and how do you use it? You may not be able to find it at your local grocer, but it is available at some health food stores. If that fails, you can order it online. In terms of baking with graham, there are several options for the unique flour. Commonly, graham flour is used to make cereal, granola, crackers, whole wheat breads, and brown bread. 

You can even use graham flour to make your very own graham crackers to bring an extra touch of flavor to graham cracker soup, a quick and delicious — if not off-kilter — breakfast choice. To make homemade graham crackers suited to your own tastes, even if it might be too sweet for Sylvester Graham, you can combine graham flour with sugar (either white sugar or brown sugar for added richness), baking soda, milk, and honey. You can also swap honey for molasses if you like a warmer taste.