Wheat cereals such as Farina are very popular, especially in the fall, winter and spring months when a fast, filling, hot breakfast is a boon. Such cereals can become expensive to eat in large quantities, however, and commercial processing and long storage on store shelves often robs the wheat of valuable nutrients. It is very easy to grind wheat for some types of wheat cereal at home.
Wheat Cereal Types
There are two main categories of wheat cereal: flaked wheat, such as Wheaties, and hot cooked wheat, such as Farina. While flaking mills generally are far too large and expensive to have at home--making the production of flaked wheat cereals difficult to impossible by the home chef--cooked wheat cereal is easy for the home chef to prepare.
Grinding Wheat in a Grain Mill
More serious home chefs or those who grind large quantities of wheat often will invest in a grain mill. These can be either electric (often with multiple speeds or blade types for grinding different grains) or hand-cranked.
To grind wheat in a grain mill, turn the mill's setting to "coarse" and run the wheat through on the lowest speed for an electric mill, or at a moderate pace with a hand-cranked mill. Repeat the process if you enjoy finer cereal.
Grinding Wheat in a Blender or Coffee Grinder
Chefs who don't wish to invest in specialty equipment often will choose to grind their wheat in a blender or coffee mill. To grind wheat using this method, place a half-cup or less of wheat berries into the blender jar or coffee mill and pulse at one- to two-second intervals until the wheat is the consistency you like. The less wheat you try to grind at once, the faster it will go.
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