It's in the Bag, Gluten Free & The WoW Diet



Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Wheat Berries


Now what exactly is a "wheat berry" you may ask? It is quite simply, an uncracked whole wheat kernel. I'm pondering what would happen if I put these little beauties in a popcorn popper, it probably wouldn't be pretty (besides, who wants to eat popped wheat at the movies? Or caramel pop-wheat-balls on Halloween?), here's a tried and true recipe instead.

Wheat Berry Cereal


2 cup wheat berries*
5 cup water
Selected toppings: nuts, dried fruit, brown sugar, honey, berries, milk, etc.
*yields 4-5 cups of cereal

Now comes the fun part...alternative cooking styles.

Option 1-The Pot Method (no, this is not derived from my time in Yellow Springs)
Combine wheat and water in a large pot with a tight lid, cook on medium heat, simmering for 30-45 minutes, until desired softness is reached(we like it chewy.) Garnish as desired.

Option 2-The Preferred Method
Before going to bed, combine wheat and water in crock pot. Set to low heat. Cereal will be ready in the morning. Garnish as desired.

Option 3-The "OH NO! I forgot to turn the crock pot on!" Method

Before going to bed, combine wheat and water in crock pot. The phone rings, your kids start crying, the house catches fire, your mother-in-law comes unannounced, or what have you. In the end, you forget to turn the crock pot on. Set to low heat when you get up in the morning. Cereal will be done in approximately 4 hours. Soaking it overnight cuts the crock time in half. Garnish as desired.

Options yet to be Fine Tuned
Stewing in a conch shell over a hot rock.
Boiling in a hubcap balanced on a radiator.
Wrapped in banana leaves and steamed in a volcano.
Vote for your preferred method, or feel free to add your own creative ways!

The cereal comes out chewy, yet tender. Being an unrefined wheat kernel, it still has plenty of fiber and really sticks to your ribs. We think it's heartier than oatmeal. It's happy! It's healthy! It's wheaty! Give it a try and let us know what you think!

2 comments:

  1. I have to tell you how incredible darling you are and how much fun it is to read this blog. You are such a creative and gifted writer that I just LOL with your verbage. Keep it up. I may just try this even though I was tormented with hot ceral growing up. Needless to say my children don't know what hot cereal is but they do know good mothers feed their children the stuff.

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  2. You know, now that you mention it, I can't remember ever having hot cereal at your house. I have a vague vision of grape nuts/granola coming to mind, but my most vivid breakfast memories revolve around Spencer running around in his cowboy holsters. Thanks for reading! :)

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