We are not who you could call as cereal eaters. Our breakfast mostly is made up of toasts, pancakes, typical Indian breakfast items etc. The only reason I actually do buy cereals is for baking purposes. The nutrition in all these fortified cereals now a days available in the market is simply mind boggling and it seems an utter waste to me not consuming them in more ways than just one. Recently while on such a research spree, I came across this Grape Nuts Cereal. Brimming with the goodness of wheat and barley, it caught my eye along with the fact that it was called as Grape Nuts.

I have read quite a few story variations for the origin of the name and this is one from cookbook author Diana Shaw whose recipe is what I have showcased today. She gives a snippet for the origin of the name which I have re produced below:

Why is a cereal that contains neither grapes nor nuts called Grape nuts?
Because during his stay at John Kellogg’s popular Battle Creek Sanitorium (perhaps America’s first health spa), Charles Post observed that people would pay for “health foods”. He first tried to market his cereal as Elijah’s Manna, with predictable results. Then Post renamed his product to exploit the fact that most people thinking “grapes” and “nuts” also think “wholesome,nutritious.” It worked, and Mr. Post’s motto became, “All I have I owe to advertising.”

Regardless of the story, I can tell you one thing which I know for a fact. This bread is indeed wholesome and nutritious. It is one of those breads which is chewy and hearty and would make one wonder what is in it and yet feel completely at peace knowing the benefits that would be reaped from it! Whole wheat flour, Wheat Bran, grape Nut cereal with little of all purpose flour constitutes the bread. Flavor and health do go hand in hand and it is almost fat free. I swerved away from my usual tinkering of a recipe – this was simply perfect as it was.

Method

In a bowl, combine the grapenut cereal, bran and brown sugar.

Stir in the boiling water and set aside until cool.

In another bowl, combine the yeast, granulated sugar and warm water. Let it stand until frothy, about 5 minutes. The froth shows you that the yeast is alive and kicking

Give the Grape Nuts mixture a good stir, then add it to the yeast mixture.

Stirring by hand or using the dough hook/blade in a mix master or processor, blend in the whole wheat flour, salt and as much of the APF as necessary to make a dough that’s soft, but firm enough to handle, starting with 2 cups

and adding more as needed.

Lightly flour a flat work surface. Turn the dough and knead until smooth (about 15 min). Roll it into a ball.

In a clean bowl, place the dough, cover with a plastic wrap.

Set aside to rise until doubled – about 1 hour or so, depending on your area.

Punch down the dough, turn it out again, and knead until pressed out all of the air, about 3 minutes. Shape it into a ball. Cut the ball into 2 equal pieces.

Shape each piece into a tight ball. Take a baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal.

Place the balls on it and cover with a plastic wrap kitchen towel dusted with flour and let rise until doubled – about 40-45 minutes.

If you have a baking stone, then Preheat the oven along with the stone at 450F about 40 minutes before baking. If not, you can follow this method. Deflate the dough a bit, pat them gently into shape again. Using a serrated knife score a “X” on top of both the balls ( or any other pattern you desire) and place the loaves in a Preheated 450F oven.

Close the oven for about 15 seconds. Open the oven and squirt inside with water to make steam using spritzer bottle ( or any gizmo you posses to do this!!). Or else you can simply splash water from a cup onto the oven floor ( be careful not to splash it on the hot Oven light). Close the door for 30 seconds and then repeat.Bake until the loaves are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped from the bottom. It takes about 45 minutes or so to bake.

Cool completely on a wire rack or on kitchen towels/paper towels

Slice and serve. They also freeze well. They made excellent breakfast, as toast also as healthy and filling evening snack.

Bread Machine Option

If you have a bread machine, then place all of the ingredients in your bread maker ( as per your manufacture’s instructions). Once the dough has risen, take it out of the machine, shape it as mentioned in the recipe, and continue to follow the recipe from that point onwards.

This Grape Nuts bran bread finds its way to World Bread Day 2009

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