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Many people might be surprised to learn that making your own homemade cereal is well worth your time! The reason is that boxed breakfast cereals are some of the most toxic, unhealthy foods you can possibly buy!
What’s more – believe it or not – organic cereal brands and whole grain cereals are the absolute worst!
The reason is that the violent processing required to make boxed cereal (called extrusion) is so high in temperature and pressure that the proteins in the grains are completely denatured and rendered toxic from the ordeal. Organic boxed cereal is the worst of all because it is whole grain and therefore higher in protein. (source)
Ever wondered how all those shapes and flakes are made? The cereal grains are actually liquefied in order to create the slurry necessary to create the desired form. This destroys the integrity of the grains making them difficult to digest and toxic for the body too.
So don’t be fooled by boxed cereals that only have a few ingredients. The ingredients label tells you nothing about the dangerous processing that occurred to produce the cereal!
Toxic foods are frequently the most addictive (think MSG and aspartame/nutrasweet), so even though it is difficult, you simply must eliminate these foods from your pantry for good! Cold breakfast cereals are some of the most addicting processed foods on the market in fact.
I just cringe when I see parents giving their toddlers Cheerios and other boxed cereals as finger foods. If these parents only knew how toxic these foods are, perhaps they would think twice about handing it out so freely to their children.
The good news is that you can make a very delicious, healthy alternative yourself at home!
How to Make Breakfast Cereal (How-to Videos)
The first video below demonstrates how to make and bake the breakfast cereal batter. The second video shows you how to crumble it into bite size pieces and gently dehydrate for the satisfying crunch in a bowl with milk!
The written recipe follows 🙂
If you would like to know how to make this cereal Paleo, here is a homemade grain free cereal recipe to try instead.
Homemade Breakfast Cereal Recipe
Recipe for how to make cold breakfast cereal so that you can avoid the toxic, overly processed boxed versions at the store. Organic cereal isn't any better!
Ingredients
- 6 cups flour preferably freshly ground for optimal nutrition
- 3 cups whole yogurt plain
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup maple syrup dark, preferably organic
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp maple flavor
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbl ground cinnamon preferably organic and freshly ground
Instructions
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Mix fresh flour and soaking medium of choice in a large, glass bowl. Cover with a clean cloth and rubber band and leave on the counter for 24 hours.
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Mix all the remaining ingredients including fresh cinnamon into the batter after soaking is complete.
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Pour into 2 – 9x13 pans and bake at 350 F/ 177 C for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Do not overbake!
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Let cool and crumble the coffee cake into small pieces (see second video above for ideal size) and dehydrate on cookie sheets at 200 F/ 93 C for about 12-18 hours. Turn cereal pieces every few hours to dry evenly.
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Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
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Serve alone as a finger food snack or in a bowl with either dairy or nondairy milk.
Recipe Notes
Substitute whole milk kefir, buttermilk, or clabbered milk for yogurt if desired.
For dairy free cereal, use 3 cups water plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice or store bought or homemade apple cider vinegar.
Substitute date syrup for the maple syrup if you wish to sweeten only with fruit. Do not substitute honey as cooking honey is not healthy.Â
Other healthy breakfast cereal ideas
- Homemade corn flakes
- Homemade rice krispies
- Overnight oats
- Homemade grain free cold cereal
- Teff porridge
- Amaranth porridge
- Buckwheat porridge
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Isn’t spelt flour bad?
Dear Sarah, is this also true for store bought crackers (the part about extrusion)? Thank you!
Rice cakes .. extruded. If the crackers are puffed in any way, extruded. Some crackers are fine though … I buy the sourdough crackers from Jovial Foods. They are perfect and just like you would make at home.
My whey always seems to mold within a month. I store it in a glass jar in the fridge. The sides and cover of the jar get mold on it. If I just scrap it off is it still ok? it smells fine… I wanted to add a little whey to this to help break down the phytic acid and gluten even further.
Thanks!
I find I have to add more liquid. I’ve added even added milk to bump it up.
I just made an experimental batch using rolled oats instead of spelt flour, with pecans and coconut. Yummy!! ( didn’t grind it into flour, just used the oats.)
Hi Sarah, when soaking the flour, can you use pasteurized yoghurt or buttermilk or does it have to be raw? Thank you
Can you soak the flour in whey?
Hi, Is that a microwave above your cooking range?
Are organic cereals also horrid and disgusting and (insert whatever strong adjective here) for you? Is it a GMO problem or a processing or something else problem? We stopped buying regular cereals when we found out that my Mom severely reacted to chemicals and GMOs and all that. We buy organic cereals now and then (scanning the ingredients for MSG pseudonyms, high triggers for Mom’s allergies) and I’m not sure what is supposedly wrong with them.