If you have a grain mill, you can make Cream of Wheat farina, a hot breakfast porridge made of finely cracked wheat grains cooked with water or milk or a little of both.
A few tablespoons of whole wheat for experimenting
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3 tablespoons of farina per person
An equal amount of water, for soaking
1/3 cup water or milk per serving, for cooking
Optional: add 1/2 teaspoon sourdough starter per person. Or use whey (the liquid that floats on top of yogurt), kombucha, or yogurt.
Start with a little wheat – just a tablespoon or two.
Adjust your mill to a coarse setting and run a tablespoon of wheat through it into a bowl. You may need to adjust the setting a time or two to get it right, so just start with a tablespoon or two at a time.
You will probably have a mixture of cracked grains and powdery flour. This is normal.
Take a small strainer with a fine mesh and pour the wheat through it. The flour will sift through. What is left in the strainer? Now feel the wheat that is in the strainer with your fingers. What size pieces of grain are there?
If the wheat is too coarse, coarser than Cream of Wheat, then adjust your mill to a finer setting. If it is all powdery flour, adjust to a coarser setting.
Try again. Mill another tablespoon or two of wheat. Sift. Feel it with your fingers.
It may take a few tries before your sifted, ground wheat resembles commercial Cream of Wheat. When you’re satisfied, you can grind as much or as little as you like. I have found that I end up with almost equal amounts flour and farina. 1 cup of wheat will yield about 1 cup of farina plus a scant cup of flour. This can vary, depending on your grain mill.
It can be helpful to estimate how much Cream of Wheat your household consumes in a given period of time, say a month or three months, for example, and mill that amount.
Sift it well to remove the flour. Store the flour in a jar in the fridge and use it in your baking.
Divide the farina between two or more jars. Keep enough for a week or two in a jar in the cupboard for convenience. Store the rest in the fridge or freezer. When your cupboard jar is empty, simply refill from your fridge or freezer supply.
Now, let’s cook our farina in a way that maximizes the nutrition and flavor and saves time. The way to accomplish this is to soak the farina overnight in water, by itself, or with a starter to unlock the best nutrition.
Measure 3 tablespoons of farina per person into a jar.
Add an equal amount of water.
Optional: add ½ teaspoon sourdough starter per person. Or use whey (the liquid that floats on top of yogurt), kombucha, or yogurt.
Stir well. Cap the jar and store it in the cupboard or on the counter overnight. If you eat porridge daily, you can get a system going where you use and replenish your soaked farina daily with little effort.
The next morning, scrape most of the soaked farina into an appropriate size saucepan. Leave a little behind in the jar to inoculate your next batch of farina if you want to prepare for tomorrow’s breakfast.
Add 1/3 cup milk or water (milk makes it creamy like “real” Cream of Wheat) and a pinch of salt per serving to the pan. Put the lid on at a tilt, leaving a little space for some of the steam to escape. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Just the barest simmer if using milk. Stir occasionally to prevent lumps. Cook until the texture is just the way you like it, about 10 minutes. If your porridge is too thick, feel free to add a little more water or milk to thin it.
While it cooks, add more farina and water to the unwashed soaking jar. You don’t need to add more sourdough starter as a culturing agent because the lactobacillus bacteria are present in the unwashed jar. Cap the jar, swirl to combine, and set aside for tomorrow. If you opt not to use a culturing agent such as sourdough, then go ahead and wash the jar.
Dish into serving bowls and add a dab of butter and a drizzle of honey, jam, maple syrup, or your favorite toppings. Homemade Apple Butter is tasty! https://chocolateboxcottage.tv/recipe-box/crock-pot-apple-butter/
A hot bowl of homemade Cream of Wheat farina is sure to “stick to your ribs,” giving you the energy you need on cold, blustery days.
Find it online: https://chocolateboxcottage.tv/pantry/homemade-cream-of-wheat/
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