Mama’s Spelt Cereal

Back in the day, my mom would pour out food samples directly into peoples’ hands as friends stopped by the farmer’s market booth. My dad would say, ‘Hit ’em with a shot of that!’ ‘THAT,’ which my father was referring to, was my mom’s homemade Spelt Cereal. Baked goods has never been something we sold. It’s the stuff that goes into them, the freshly milled flour, honey, and other farm direct products we grow that we’ve always been so passionate about.

Nothing shows off the value of our organic, whole grain spelt and soft red wheat flour more than Mama’s Spelt Cereal. Yes, you can use the Soft Red Wheat, some people prefer. However, we love that special nutty something spelt’s flavor gives this cereal that you just can’t find anywhere else. Fresh, super crunchy, whole grain goodness with a touch of honey sets this recipe apart. I would say it’s like grapenuts cereal (remember that healthy cereal by Post?) with all the nutritional benefits, but I sure like this cereal a lot more. One benefit of making it at home is you’re in control of how much sugar, vanilla, and other spices – so tinker to your heart’s content and enjoy the delicious flavors.

Also, my mother recommends that this is ‘GREAT to make with kids!’ I remember it was one of the only times, my mom let us make a complete mess all over the kitchen table – tearing apart the ‘cakes’ into crumbles!

Note: The recipe below makes about 16-17 cups of cereal. Don’t worry. Kept in an airtight container it holds freshness very well (thank you honey!).

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Mix together all the ingredients to cake batter consistency. Grease a couple 9 x 13 cake pans and pour batter into pans for baking.

• Bake at 325 F for about 40-45 minutes until the cakes are golden brown and you can stick a toothpick through the center and pull it out clean.

• Let the cakes cool to a warm/cool touch. Dump the cakes onto a clean surface to crumble. This is the part that is fun for kids! Then toast the crumbs at a very low temperature around 180-200 degrees F until toasted.

• Toasted crumbs should have a nice golden brown color and be VERY crunchy!

• If you desire a more fine cereal, grind the crumbs with a grinder of food processor to your desired crumb. Then store in dry, airtight container.

Eat simply as a cereal with milk, or use it as a delicious topping on your yogurt or other favorite things. DELIGHT!