Homemade Raisin Bran

I was probably one of those odd kids whose favorite cereals were Raisin Bran and Cracklin' Oat Bran growing up. But since I have given up boxed cereal I have been craving something other than granola as a quick, easy and portable breakfast. Then I thought about it one day - why not make my own bran flakes and add raisins to it. I had thought about trying completely from scratch on my own, but did a recipe search online first and found that there were in fact many recipes out there. I tried one from Mr. Breakfast, that I adapted slightly the first time. It was okay, but it needed some tweaking. My second batch was much better, which was good news since I doubled the recipe. So, here is what I came up with.

Oh and the soaking part of this is not necessary, but will provide you with more nutrients than you would get without soaking. Also, if you don't have a dehydrator, you can bake it in the oven - I'd say at the lowest temperature, but I've read that anything over 170 degrees is killing some of the nutrients anyway - so no need for soaking if you are going to cook away all those additional nutrients.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday; Whole Foods Wednesday; Simple Lives Thursday and Creative Juice.


Homemade Raisin Bran

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Bran
• 1/2 cup Oats, processed until fine
• 1/3 cup Almonds, finely ground
• 3 Tablespoons Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Molasses
• 1/3 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Raisins to taste

Directions

1. Combine bran through water and mix thoroughly. Soak overnight in a glass bowl covered with a towel or plastic wrap.
2. In the morning sprinkle with salt and baking powder and mix to combine thoroughly.
3. Using parchment paper or a Silpat underneath and a piece of plastic wrap on top, roll out the batter as thin as possible to create one large flake.
4. Place in dehydrator (anything under 150 would be best) or in oven (300 degrees) until crisp. In the oven you may need to flip the large flake over to get both sides sufficiently crisp; check on it frequently.
5. Break into small pieces and add raisins (and milk) to taste.

Prep Time: 9 h Cook Time: 5 h Ready in: 14 h

Homemade Raisin Bran courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.