So apparently, winter isn't finished with us just yet, though we think we are finished with it! Today the sky was blue, blue, blue, and it looked like a spring day, but the air still had teeth in it, sharp little teeth that cut through sweatshirt fabric and reminded us that the winter coats are still the best choice. After last week's 50 degree days, the biting winds of today reminded me of a snippet of poetry by James Whitcomb Riley. While he was describing May weather in his home state of Indiana, I think these lines apply to the fickle month of March here in central Pennsylvania:
| "I jes' bominate its promises, - Little hints o' sunshine and Green around the timber-land - A few blossoms, and a few Chip-birds, and a sprout er two, - Drap asleep, and it turns in Fore daylight and snows ag'in!" We don't have snow, but abruptly we're again wrapping in the afghan during evening book reading, and even Youngest Mystery was seen wearing socks all day long. (Somedays I think he's a Barefoot Wanderer trainee…) Baking is one of the best ways I know to make the house feel warm and cozy on a day like today, so tonight's post is a winter recipe. |   |
Nothing fills the belly like homemade grape nut cereal on a cold morning, or any morning for that matter. I've adapted this recipe from one my mother-in-law used every winter. I had never tasted "store bought" Grape Nuts, Post variety until after I'd fallen in love with the ones Grandma dried on a big screen atop of her coal stove in the kitchen and by then it was too late to develop a taste for gritty cardboard. So while winter gives its last blast, here's a recipe to warm your kitchen and your soul. And, just for fun, if you want to learn something about the history of Post Grape Nuts, (no grapes, no nuts!) you can read more here.
| Combine in a large mixing bowl: 2 cups buttermilk (I use 2 cups milk + 1 T. vinegar, let it "set" until somewhat thickened) ½ cup molasses ½ cup brown sugar 1½ teaspoon soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon maple flavoring 3 ½ to 4 ½ cups whole wheat flour, enough to make stiff batter. Stir together until well blended; the batter will be stiff. Pour/scrape into a 9x13 well greased cake pan and bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick comes out clean. The recipe says 30-40 minutes, but I think it was more like 50 - 60 minutes. It wouldn't take as long if you divided the batter into two 9x13 pans and the outcome would be fine. You just want the batter to be baked into a cake-like form. Cool cake; cutting it into pieces will speed this process. It is also delicious to enjoy just like this – someone at our house loved the thought of eating "breakfast cake". See, there's a piece missing! Grape nut cake and milk. Mmm, mmm. |     |
The next step is where grape nut production gets interesting. The goal? Break down the cooled cake into small crumbles. I have memories of Grandma rubbing the cake pieces on a screen with a bowl beneath it, and I used that method in the distant past. What I remember most is sore hands and doubting if the outcome was worth the effort. I read some online tips that included processing the chunks of cake in a food processor until the desired consistency, but I have no experience with that method, so I say "go for it - at your own risk." My simple technique was to "grate" the cake pieces on the coarse side of my cheese grater into a large glass bowl. It was a surprisingly quick method, and while the driest edges were too hard to grate, they rapidly disappeared from the discard dish! (No picture...couldn't figure out how to grate and click!)
| Finally, the grape nuts need to be dried. I don't have the handy coal stove Grandma used; she owned a special screened tray that she lined with a dish towel and parked on the stove for the day. Grape nuts rested in crusty mountains, drying in a few hours on chilly afternoons. (Other days the tray was piled with apple slices - aka snitz - that generally decreased in size and quantity as the day passed!) I dried the grape nuts in my oven set at the lowest setting, 170 degrees F, and it took about two days of off and on drying to get the desired consistency. It helps to leave the door open occasionally to release the moisture and speed the drying process. (This is also a lovely kitchen warming feature!!) When the process is finished, the grape nuts should "rattle" in the pan and not stick together. |  |
When serving , it helps to pour milk on the grape nuts 10 to 15 minutes before you are planning to eat so that they are soaked and softened. A sprinkle of brown sugar is nice but not necessary! Store in an airtight container and enjoy a wholesome, hearty breakfast!
Bring it on, Winter. We're prepared. We've got grape nuts.
Hummin' B
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