Homemade Multi Grain Hot Cereal Food

MULTIGRAIN BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Place cereal mix in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100-105 degrees (F), about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, whisk flours and salt together in separate bowl; set aside.
• Once grain mixture has reached 100-105 F, add honey, butter, and yeast and stir until combined.
• Let mixture sit for 5-10 minutes.
• Add flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough starts to come together.
• Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let dough rest for 20 minutes.
• Knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3-4 minutes. If it does not clear sides, keep adding 2 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour and knead until it does.
• Once it comes together, continue to knead dough for 5 additional minutes.
• Add seeds, and knead until seeds are evenly dispersed throughout the dough and dough forms smooth, round ball.
• Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl; cover tightly with plastic, and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.
• Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans.
• Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and divide in half.
• Stretch first piece of dough into 9×6 inch rectangle.
• Roll dough into a cylinder, and place dough seam-side down in prepared loaf pan.
• Repeat with second piece of dough.
• Spray loaves lightly with water or vegetable oil spray.
• Sprinkle both loaves in oats.
• Cover loaves loosely with greased plastic, and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size 30-40 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Bake until loaves register 200 degrees, 30-40 minutes.
• Transfer pans to wire rack, and let loaves cool in pan for 5 minutes.
• Remove loaves from pans, and let them cool to room temperature on wire cooling rack.

HOMEMADE MULTIGRAIN BREAD

Steps:

• Add the multigrain flour to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large heat-proof mixing bowl. Pour in the boiling water, and carefully stir the flour and water with a rubber spatula until it forms a thick paste. Stir in the butter until well combined. Let the mixture cool for about 20 minutes.
• Once the multigrain mixture is warm to the touch and not hot, stir in the honey until thoroughly combined. Stir in the yeast (and vital wheat gluten if using, in that order). It's important to make sure the mixture truly is lukewarm before adding the yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
• Add the all purpose flour, ¼ cup at a time, and knead until the dough ball is smooth. This will take about 10-15 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky, but should not stick to a rubber spatula. Soft dough makes soft bread, so do not use more flour than necessary!
• Use the rubber spatula to clean the sides of the bowl, and form the dough into a smooth ball. Cover the bowl with a plate, and let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
• Once the first proofing is done, sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt over the dough and knead again for another 5 minutes to make sure the salt is evenly distributed.
• Shape the dough into a smooth dough ball, cover with a plate, and let it rise again in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size. If you are proofing the dough in the microwave like I do, you'll need another large mug of boiling water for the second proofing.
• While the dough is proofing, grease 2 loaf pans (9" x 5") with cold butter and set them aside. I use cold butter, as it's easier to handle and goes on in a thin layer. I simply take a cold stick of butter, peel back the wrapper, and rub it along the inside of the loaf pans to coat.
• After the second proofing is done, cut the dough into two equal portions. Knead and roll each piece into a loaf shape with a smooth top. On a clean work surface, spread the rolled oats in a thin layer.
• Very lightly brush the top of the loaves with water and gently flip the moistened top onto the thin layer of rolled oats. The oats will cling to the loaf. Then carefully place the loaves, oat-side up into the greased pans. Allow to rise for 1 more hour before baking, repeating the proofing protocol as in the first and second proofings.
• When you're halfway through the last proofing, preheat the oven to 375°F. When the third proofing is complete, bake the loaves in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes, until golden brown. If you tap the bread, and it sounds hollow, it's done.
• Cool for about 5 minutes, and carefully remove the hot bread from the pans. Transfer to a cooling rack to prevent the bread from steaming inside the loaf pan. Slice and serve!

MULTI-GRAIN HOT CEREAL

Steps:

• The grains need to equal 1 cup, so I used heaping tablespoons. The flaxseeds are in addition to the 1 cup. You can use any dried fruit and nuts you like and any combination of grains as long as the grain to water ratio is 1:3. Next time I make it, I think I'm going to try adding brown rice and quinoa into the mix. I'm also thinking of grinding the grains in the blender to make more of a creamy cereal, but I honestly don't know it that will work or not.
• Boil water. Stir in grains and flaxseeds. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in fruit and nuts. Cover and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Serve with a little soy milk and your good to go! Store leftovers in the fridge.
• Enjoy!

HOMEMADE MULTIGRAIN ENGLISH MUFFINS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the multigrain flour and boiling water. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Stir in the yeast while the cereal mix is still warm. Cover and let stand for another 5 minutes.
• Add the salt, sugar, and yogurt, and mix everything together. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time, until you get a firm dough. Knead the dough for 10 -15 minutes (I usually mix the dough by hand...it's good for the soul. But you could also do this entire process in a mixer with a dough hook attachment).
• Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, dust a small handful of semolina flour on a large baking sheet. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about a ½ inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter or a water glass to cut circles out of the dough. Gather up the loose pieces, and roll them out again. Cut more circles. Continue the process until all the dough is used up. You should get 12-14 muffins.
• Place the circles on the baking sheet with semolina flour. Shift them around to coat the bottoms of the muffins with the semolina. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the muffins rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
• Place a skillet over medium low heat, and use a pastry brush to brush a very thin layer of oil on the bottom of the pan. Cook the muffins in batches, about 6-7 minutes per side (12-14 minutes total for each muffin).

SOFT MULTIGRAIN BREAD

Steps:

• Place cereal mix in a large heatproof bowl (you can also use the bowl of your stand mixer). Pour boiling water on top. Let the mixture cool until a digital thermometer reads about 110°F (43°C). This usually takes 20 minutes. Pay attention to the temperature because if it's too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it became too cool, however, it's not a problem- the dough may just take a few extra minutes to rise.
• Whisk the yeast, sugar, and all of the warm water/cereal mixture in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until foamy and bubbly on the surface.
• Add the butter, salt, and 1 cup (about 130g) flour. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add another cup of flour. Beat on medium speed until relatively incorporated (there may still be chunks of butter). Add all of the remaining flour and the seeds/nuts (if using), then beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If it seems too sticky, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. *If you do not own a mixer, you can mix this dough with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle!*
• Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if you used the paddle) and beat for an additional 2 minutes OR knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes. Dough is soft, yet heavy.
• Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
• Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
• When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Lightly flour a work surface, your hands, and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 8×15 inches. It does not have to be perfect- in fact, it will probably be rounded on the edges. That's ok! Roll it up into an 8 inch log and place in the prepared loaf pan.
• Cover shaped loaf with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until it's about 1-2 inches above the top of the loaf pan, about 1 hour. (See photo above for a visual.)
• Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). (It's best to bake the bread towards the bottom of the oven so the top doesn't burn.)
• Bake for 35-40 minutes- if you notice the top browning too quickly during bake time, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. How to test for doneness- give the loaf a light tap. If it sounds hollow, it's done. For a more accurate test, the bread is done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F-200°F (90°C-93°C).
• Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Feel free to let it cool completely before slicing, too.
• Cover leftover bread tightly and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

HOMEMADE HOT CEREAL MIX

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients in a quality blender and pulse until well blended. The mixture should be a very coarse powder, not quite as fine as flour but very small pieces throughout. If you want even more control over the texture of your mix, you can pulse each ingredient separately and then combine. That's it! Easy, right? Just store in an air tight container and use whenever you like.
• To make hot cereal, cook with a 3:1 ratio of water. I usually cook 1/3 cup hot cereal mix with 1 cup of water for a serving because I like to add lots of nuts, fresh fruit, sometimes nut butter, sweetener and sometimes almond milk. If you don't plan to add much to your mix, then I'd recommend cooking 1/2 cup mix with 1 1/2 cups water for a serving, but this is really up to you.
• Bring water with a sprinkle of salt to a boil. Whisk in your hot cereal mix. Cover, reduce the heat, and cook for 8-9 minutes. Remove the lid, stir, and continue to cook for another minute.

HOMEMADE MULTI-GRAIN HOT CEREAL

Steps:

• NOTE: Measurements above are arbitrary. Feel free to omit any grain or substitute your favorite grain(s).
• In Dutch oven on medium heat, lightly toast the hardy grains (such as brown rice, whole barley, buckwheat groats) for approximately 8-10 minutes or until fragrant.
• Keep stirring grains constantly so they don't burn.
• Add remaining grains and toast another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool mixture slightly.
• Process grain mixture in batches in food processor, grain mill or blender fitted with steel blade. Grind grains to medium coarse consistency (grainy but not powdered.) Transfer ground grains to airtight container and store in refrigerator or freezer.
• To prepare hot cereal*: To 1 cup of rapidly boiling water add 1/3 cup scant of cereal. Continue boiling 30 seconds, breaking up lumps with a fork. Reduce heat, cover pan and simmer cereal for 10-12 minutes.
• *For thinner consistency cereal either increase water or reduce amount of cereal.
• Season with salt to taste.
• Add your favorite toppings such as cinnamon, flax seeds, milk, etc.

MULTIGRAIN HOT CEREAL

Steps:

• Rinse the grains and soak them in water to cover for 30 minutes. Drain. Place the soaked grains in a rice cooker or a saucepan along with the apricots and 2 cups of water. Cook over low heat until the water is absorbed, about 17 minutes in a saucepan; a rice cooker will shut off automatically. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.