Make Your Own Whole-grain Cereals
October/November 2005
By Bob Langevin
By Bob Langevin
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Eat better by toasting and mixing a tasty, nutritious
breakfast.
We have heard a lot lately about the
importance of whole grains in our diet—even the U.S.
Department of Agriculture has come to this conclusion. Of
course, many of us already knew this.
My wife, Mitzie, and I raised our four children on a small,
self-sufficient homestead in Massachusetts. We discovered
that breakfast was the best time to get whole grains into
our diet. We love old-fashioned rolled oats, but not every
day; so we have come up with a concept that organizes and
simplifies preparing breakfast, and gives us a large
variety from which to choose.
We have a dozen or more kinds of whole grains in tightly
sealed wide-mouth jars arranged on our kitchen shelves,
placed out of the sun to keep the grains fresher. From
these jars we concoct new combinations to our hearts’
content.
We always purchase quality whole grains, avoiding processed
products that have lost their goodness. We think certified
organic is the way to go. Cracked and toasted wheat, rye
and barley berries are flavor enhancers when mixed with
other grains. Corn is another favorite of ours, both whole
and ground into meal. The two corns mixed together create a
thick, creamy cereal.
Other jars on our shelves contain dried fruits such as
raisins, apples, pears and strawberries. Dried Jerusalem
artichokes are a great sweetener; we shred and dry them for
this purpose. Sunflower seeds or nuts can be added to any
cereal. We also sprinkle brewer’s yeast onto the
cereal at serving time.
Toasted grains are a bit time consuming to prepare, but our
method is fairly simple and worth the time. First, the
whole grains are run through a grain mill to crack the
outer shell. We use our 30-year-old Corona hand-crank mill,
setting the adjustment as coarse as possible. Two quarts is
a good amount to mill at one time—so it can be used
before losing its freshness. Toast the cracked grain in a
hot and dry cast-iron skillet, stirring constantly to keep
the grain from burning. You want it to be slightly
toasted—the grain will start popping and give off a
nutty aroma. Remove the skillet to a rack to cool, and stir
a bit longer to make sure the grain does not burn, because
cast iron stays hot for a long time. After the grain cools
completely, store it in a jar with a tight lid and a label.
