…Even If You Don’t Have a Wheat Grinder
Freshly ground cream of wheat is an incredibly delicious, nourishing and filling breakfast! Below, I share how to make this TWO WAYS, the first one requiring a wheat grinder, and the second is prepared the traditional way by soaking the wheat berries over night, then blended once soft.
We have home-milled our flour for over 15 years, and it wasn’t until this past year that we started making cream of wheat. It’s something I had forgotten about from my childhood, but I always LOVED it when we had it.
If you’re grinding it fresh and using it right away, it will have exponential benefits compared to using boxed cream of wheat. Freshly milled flour contains 75% more major and trace minerals than the refined grains. Not to mention the preservatives and synthetic “nutrients” they add back into it that you’ll be missing out on by grinding it yourself.
However, this is still not in line with the Weston A. Price wisdom. I don’t live by WAPF exclusively, but I do try to be mindful of it and do what I can. Following their advice, all grains should at least be soaked before use, if not fermented. I’m not really interested in fermented cream of wheat! But I did soak the wheat berries and found that they were soft enough to “grind” in a high powered blender with some water. Thus, I am providing 2 recipes for freshly ground cream of wheat!
For best results in either recipe, use a soft flour like soft white, spelt or einkorn.
Freshly Ground Cream of Wheat with Wheat Grinder:
I always weigh the wheat berries, because one cup of wheat berries makes about a cup and a half of flour. But the ratio is 1 cup (130g) coursely ground wheat to 3 cups of water. For my family of 4-5 breakfast eaters, we use 2 cups of wheat.
- 260g coursely ground soft white, spelt or einkorn wheat (I set my grinder to “3”)
- 6 cups of water
- 1/2 tsp salt
I add the water to the bottom of the pan first, then grind directly into the water. Once all the wheat is ground, move it over to the stove and set on medium heat. Add the salt. Whisk thoroughly to ensure there are no clumps. Don’t leave the kitchen, stay around and stir frequently. I switch from the whisk to a strong, sharp spatula that cleans the bottom of the pan with every pass. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium low. I cook mine for about 15 minutes, but you can stop whenever the thickness is to your liking!
Soaked and Blended Cream of Wheat
260g soft white wheat
water
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS some sort of acid: lemon juice, vinegar or lactic acid from ferments like sauerkraut or yogurt (I prefer yogurt since we go sweet with our toppings in the morning!)
The night before you want cream of wheat, soak 260g of soft wheat berries in *purified water and acid of choice. It doesn’t matter how much water, you’ll be rinsing and dumping the water in the morning. Just make sure it’s at least double the amount of berries.
*Be sure to use purified water even though you’ll be dumping it. The wheat berries absorb about 1/2 cup and we want it free of toxins!
The next morning, rinse the grains and strain. In the jar of a high speed blender, add 3 cups of water. Place the soaked wheat berries in, and run on high. (I have a blendtec and use the smoothie button.) We don’t want it turned into fine flour, so don’t over do it!
(SIDE NOTE: Despite the blender cookbooks claiming to grind wheat for you, don’t do it unless they are softened by soaking. I followed the wheat berry recipes when I first got it, and pocked my jar and fed my family who knows how many micro plastics.)
Pour the contents from the jar and place in a pan on the stove. Turn the heat to medium. Add 2 1/2 more cups of water, and whisk to incorporate. Stay in the kitchen so you can stir frequently. I use a strong spatula so that it scrapes the bottom of the pan clean. Once the cream of wheat comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium low and continue cooking until it is to your desired consistency. It will be around 15-20 minutes.
How to serve cream of wheat:
We eat it like we eat oatmeal… with a myriad of toppings. The primary topping being BUTTER. A little cream, maple syrup, chopped nuts and a dash of cinnamon… mmm mmm mmm! So good.
However you go about it, I hope you make this nostalgic breakfast!
Leave a comment and let us know which method you used and how you liked it!
Freshly Ground Cream of Wheat
Freshly ground cream of wheat is the epitomy of nourishing comfort and nostalgia. Using fresh wheat berries boosts the vitamin, mineral and fiber compared to the boxed variety.
Ingredients
- 260g soft wheat berries
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Fill pan with 6 cups water.
- Grind soft wheat berries directly into the pan. Add salt.
- Place on stove and whisk thoroughly so that there are no clumps
- Turn heat on medium and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium low, and using a strong metal spatula, stir, scraping the bottom to prevent a crust from building up.
- Cook for another 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly until it is your desired consistency.
- Serve immediately with butter, maple syrup, milk and nuts!
Soaked and Blended Cream of Wheat
Soaking grains before eating them provides the most nutrition, pulling anti-nutrients out of them and making them more easily digestible. This soaked cream of wheat uses fresh wheat berries that are soaked in an acid and blended in a high powered blender.
Ingredients
- 260g soft white wheat (or other soft grain like spelt or einkorn)
- 11 1/2 cups of purified water, divided
- 1 TBS acid (my favorite to use is lactic acid found in yogurt)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- The night before you want cream of wheat for breakfast, soak 260g of soft wheat berries with 6 cups of water and yogurt. Stir to mix everything well. Anywhere from 8-12 hours works just fine.
- The next morning, using a strainer, rinse the wheat berries.
- Fill your blender jar with 3 cups of water, and put the rinsed wheat berries in.
- Blend on high, like you would a for a smoothie. (My blendtec has a smoothie button that works perfectly.)
- In the pan you’re going to cook them in, pour 2 1/2 cups of water. Top off with the mixture from the blender and add 1/2 tsp salt.
- Stir to combine, and set the stove to medium.
- Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for another 15 minutes or so, stirring with a strong metal spatula that scrapes the bottom clean, preventing a crust from building up.
- Once it is to your desired consistency, turn it off the heat and serve immediately.
- We like to eat ours with butter, maple syrup, nuts and topped with milk and maybe a dash of cinnamon!
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