For the first time since we got married, last week I finally pulled out the recipe to make grape-nuts. The girls were amused and intrigued by the very pioneer-ish look of the batter, and couldn't imagine how it would possibly be turned into a good cereal.
Much to their surprise, everyone loves it, and I see it becoming a go to recipe for our family, successfully breaking the teenage promise I had made to myself to not be making grape-nuts once I'm in charge of all food decisions.
They take simple basic ingredients, and while they do take a long time to make .... I can't believe I'm saying this ...... they're worth it. Here's the recipe I used, but you may want to reduce the size.
Grape-nuts
7½ cups milk
½ cup vinegar
4 cups blackstrap molasses
2 Tbsp baking soda
2 Tbsp vanilla
1 Tbsp salt
5 lb whole wheat flour
In a bowl combine milk and vinegar. Allow to set for a minute or two.
In a large bowl, as in, a really large bowl combine molasses, milk mixture, salt, vanilla, and baking soda. Stir until thoroughly combined. Add flour, about ¼ of it at a time, mixing well after each addition. Divide batter into 3 - 9x13 cake pans and bake at 400º for 40 minutes.
Once cool, cut into chunks and grate. I can't imagine trying to do it without my King Cutter, but LV's family used to use a handheld grater when they made them.
Spread the grated crumbles onto a cookie sheet and bake at 210º stirring every 10-15 minutes until they're dry and hard. It took me 12½ hours to dry them all, working with two large cookie sheets in the oven the entire time.
Pour into a bowl to cool, then store in an airtight container.
These are really filling. When eating I would suggest starting off with only half a cup full. They absorb a lot of milk, so we always add more than you would think would be needed.
Thank you for taking the time to type this out. I plan to try it soon. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome .... and I hope you'll enjoy it.
DeleteYum! We love homemade grape nuts! Some of my kids "dislike" granola, so I remember every once in a while to vary things with grape nuts. I've never done a batch this big though! : ) Isn't it funny how long it can take to "get over" a food you had a lot as a kid? I'll never be able to enjoy whole wheat pasta or brown rice. Give me white every time!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind grape-nuts ... I guess it was more a streak of laziness that made me despise making them so much.
DeleteYour picture makes me want to make this! Then I read molasses and that makes me not want to make this! LOL I love that I see crumbs on the counter like real life and not a staged photo!
ReplyDeleteI have some recipes that asked for brown sugar instead. I've never tried it that way, but it probably would be good.
DeleteI like the store-bought variety so I'm sure these will be far tastier - I'm assuming absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteDoes the recipe cut in half well? I'm not sure can eat that much before it starts to go bad... :)
Thanks so much for sharing!
Lea
Yes, you can easily half the recipe, or even quarter it if you like.
DeleteSince they are dried they keep for a very long time if kept in an airtight container.
Thanks so much! I have them on the menu for next week - I can't wait!
DeleteHave a wonderful evening,
Lea
You're welcome! I hope you'll like them!
DeleteWe also grew up on homemade grapenuts and I still make them.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that you still make them. Are they similar to this recipe?
DeleteMine uses brown sugar and buttermilk. I add vanilla too.
DeleteMy recipe doesn't call for the vanilla, but I add it anyway. It's from the Mennonite cookbook.
DeleteWow, that looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThank-you.
DeleteWhere does the name grape-nuts come from? Always wondered that!
ReplyDeleteI did not realize they were so easy (relatively) to make.
You can read about the story behind the name here. Behind the Name - Grape Nuts
DeleteThey are surprisingly easy to make even though they're time consuming.
We have been blessed in the past with some of our Amish friends making these for us. Do you think it would work with a gluten free flour blend? We haven't enjoyed them since our family had to go gluten free a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI would probably try a quarter batch with gluten free flour and see what happens. I'd think it should work.
DeleteUm, reduce the size - absolutely! There are only two of us, so what you have there is, considering we are both in our mid-70, probably a life time supply! The do sound good, though, as I have always liked the store-bought kind.
ReplyDeleteA batch like this lasts quite a while even with our family. I like that it's healthy and I can feel good about them enjoying cold cereal for breakfast. My, my .... don't I sound like my mother. :)
DeleteI am excited to try this!
ReplyDeleteDo you know how long they last?
Could I use a dehydrator instead of the oven for so long?
Hope about a food processor instead of a grater? Would the consistency come out wrong?