Dr. Kracker

I have always loved eating soup. Growing up in Michigan, soup was part of our daily lunch and, because my mother always served the soup burn-the-tongue hot, so were the saltines that we hungrily dipped into the soup while it cooled. I will admit that the salty zest of a cracker, transfat, shortening and all, was delicious. Now that I live in Texas where it is sweltering hot most of the year, I look forward to the winter temperatures when hot soup can be on the dinner menu again.

Long ago I got away from the white flour, shortening, transfat and high salt content of saltines, but, because I still like my soup scalding hot, I experienced a cracker gap. Dr. Kracker has now solved this dilemma with a Kracker that offers a broad menu of whole grain flavors which complement, enhance and increase the flavors in the soup. The thick Krackers keep their texture, which provides for a robust mouth experience. At Dr. Kracker we are never satisfied with the status quo and are always looking for new ways to bring organic whole grains and organic whole seeds to our customers. This is why we are proud to announce the birth of the Klassic Snack Flat, an awesome soup cracker.

This idea began last year when our miller in Utah showed us a phenomenal whole grain white wheat flour. Since white wheat has been making the headlines lately, a little wheat history is in order. When consumers hear “white wheat,” they are often confused by the name. Those of us interested in nutrition are schooled to reject white flour because it has been stripped of all fiber, vitamins and minerals. Non-whole grain white wheat flour is nutritionally comparable to regular white flour. The whole grain white wheat with it’s deliciously rich flavor and superior baking characteristics, have given us a whole new way to entertain the pallet.

Traditionally, farmers planted only the red winter wheat or red spring wheat that was brought to the United States by German and Russian immigrants. The red refers to the brownish red color in the bran of the un-milled wheat berry. Just as corn comes in multiple colors such as yellow, white, blue, and red, wheat also has color variations (although nothing as extravagant as maize). Whole grain breads baked from red wheats are bitter, so most are sweetened with honey or sugar to mask the bitterness. The white wheats came from Asia and lacked the bitter flavor that characterized the reddish bran. The flavor of white wheats is characterized as rich and sweet, and needs no sweetener to fool the taste buds.

Along with their delectable flavor, the white wheats contain superior baking characteristics. In baker-speak, “superior baking characteristics” means a perfect balance in the wheat’s gluten of extensibility and elasticity that enables the bread to rise without collapsing. Moreover, the white wheats also have more natural pigments, which are the source of the rich flavor that develops as the flour undergoes fermentation during dough preparation and baking. Bread baked with white wheat has a rich, yellow color and full delicious flavor that is unmatched by breads baked with flours from red winter wheats.

The press has heralded white wheat as an appealing alternative to white flour breads. With white wheat, whole grain breads are more palatable without the addition of sugar, which is great for those of us who want to delete sugar from our diets. With improved flavor and baking characteristics, whole grain white wheat gives bakers the means to introduce more whole grains into the diet of children at an early age. This could break the hold of white flour on the diet, which has been the bread icon for far too long. The positive health implications are profound.

We at Dr. Kracker are proud of our new Klassic Snack Flat. This one-half size flat bread is 100% whole grain white wheat. It is baked with no added fats or oils and combines its rich, wheaty flavor with the whole seed goodness of flax, sunflower and sesame seeds. Baked, the thick crust has a wonderfully orange hue. The Kracker is crispy as opposed to hard and, as a French chef told me, “This is the perfect toast!” The Snack Flat is ideal for soups, perfect for snacks as well as salads, and comes in individually wrapped slices for easy carrying. We hope you will be as enthusiastic about it as we are.

Enjoy your soup!