Shredded wheat must be doing something right

I like shredded wheat. My husband thinks I have lost my mind and my sense of taste and makes no attempt to conceal his disdain.

In answer, I point to the fact that those large pillow-shaped biscuits and later spoon-sized versions of shredded wheat have been around for almost 125 years, longer than his processed favorites.

Shredded wheat has been produced by well-known companies, including Nabisco, Kellogg and Post, and sold under a variety of store brand names as well.

A Little History

On July 31, 1893, Denver lawyer Henry D. Perky, a devout vegetarian who believed that simple, wholesome foods promoted good health, patented a machine that flattened cooked wheat between steel rollers. He added devices that shredded the wheat flakes and then formed the shreds into pillow-shaped biscuits which were then baked.

He displayed his invention that year in Chicago at the World’s Columbian Exposition in the Coarse and Dry Wonders of Tomorrow Pavilion. His intention was to sell the machine. Instead, he ended up selling shredded wheat from wagons on the street.

Despite claims that it was “the Wonder of the Age,” a cure-all for societal and personal woes, the shredded wheat biscuit was not immediately popular. (Making its debut in the Coarse and Dry Pavilion can’t have had folks clamoring to try it.)

In order to get his shredded wheat onto store shelves, Perky published booklets – millions, according to smithsonianmag.com. He didn’t think of his whole wheat biscuits only as a breakfast cereal, but as a food that could be paired with other foods. In fact, his 1898 book, “The Vital Question and Our Navy,” included 154 breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert suggestions using shredded wheat, including cream soups and bisques, stuffed fish, scalloped oysters, omelets, Welsh rarebit, souffles, banana and other puddings, jellies, pies and croquettes.

Some of these sounded quite interesting. To see them as well as Perky’s writings on a healthy lifestyle, Google the name of his book and choose the babel.hathitrust.org site.

“Coarse” and “dry” are downright complimentary compared with other words used by its detractors, including “cardboard,” “boring,” “tasteless” and “yuk.”

This blog excerpt from bbc.com is kinder:

“(Shredded wheat) has long been sold as good for the evolving British lifestyle. A newspaper advert in 1902 described it as ‘a relief from the monotony of everlasting porridge,’ while by 1943, it was ‘an ideal food for all war workers.’ The 1980s saw an emphasis on ‘simple, honest goodness,’ while in the 2000s, its long heritage and reliability was promoted.”

Shredded wheat for breakfast

I like shredded wheat for breakfast with milk and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Sometimes I add raisins and banana or other fresh fruit, but I would still eat it plain if none of those were available. I might try honey or brown sugar and possibly orange juice instead of milk, as suggested online by fellow fans of shredded wheat’s nutty taste. Even though it doesn’t actually stay crisp to the end of the bowl, it doesn’t turn to mush like processed cereals with ingredient lists that begin with flour, sugar and high fructose corn syrup and end with ingredients I cannot pronounce.

It occurs to me that bite-sized shredded wheat’s light texture and mild taste make it a good foil for whatever seasonings you might want to add for a healthy snack. I have come up with a couple where I control the amount of sugar, salt, fat, etc., and that taste good and still deliver 8 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein per 1 1/4 cup.

Growing up, one of my favorite homemade snacks was a mixture of cereals, pretzels and nuts, combined and baked slowly with Worcestershire sauce, butter, onion powder, garlic powder and seasoned salt. I always liked the way the nooks and crannies in some of the cereals trapped the sauce. Shredded wheat minis have plenty of nooks and crannies – why wouldn’t they make a good savory snack?

I put about 3 tablespoons of butter in a casserole dish along with about a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and some seasoned salt, and put it in the oven at 300 F to melt the butter. You could use any combination of oil and seasonings you like.

When the butter had melted, I stirred the seasonings and added about 1 1/4 cups of bite-sized shredded wheat. I returned it to the oven and baked at 300 F, stirring after 15 minutes and then reduced the temperature to 275 F for another 45 minutes, stirring at 15-minute intervals. I let it cool in the casserole dish, stirring once or twice to make sure it wouldn’t stick.

I also tried this with cinnamon sugar and butter – same baking times and temperatures.

Both were a success as far as I am concerned. Roasting makes the shredded wheat much crisper and crunchier than it is right out of the box. And it does trap whatever seasonings you are using. In fact, the shredded wheat kind of loses its bland identity.

Even though I have been happily snacking on my experiment, I have no delusions of making shredded wheat palatable to my husband, whose comments included “not bad for cardboard” and “a little better than plain shredded wheat.” He was not a popcorn eater, either, but managed to devour two bowls (salted but not buttered) the other night. Maybe there is still hope.

The cinnamon-sugar version makes a good bedtime snack and is also good with milk for breakfast.

I am also considering these combinations: sugar, salt and butter; granola seasonings; plain or flavored salt, pepper and butter. Other possibilities include coconut oil, molasses, honey, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, cayenne pepper. Actually, any seasonings you would add to popcorn, except chocolate or cheese, would likely work for shredded wheat.

More Ideas

“This is how I get rid of our extra plain, boring shredded wheat that no one really wants to eat,” wrote a genius.com contributor.

Shredded Wheat Cookies

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups shredded wheat cereal (plain, frosted or flavored)

2 cups chocolate chips, divided

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or two.

Combine the shredded wheat and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips in the food processor. Blend until it is finely ground.

Cream butter and sugars in a very large bowl.

Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Stir in the shredded wheat mixture and the remaining 1½ cups chocolate chips

Drop by level tablespoons onto the lightly greased baking sheets and pop them into the oven.

Check after 8 minutes. Baking may take from 12 to 15 minutes, depending upon your oven and the pans you are using.

Remove cookies from oven when edges are slightly browned and the middle looks soft and squishy, but isn't doughy.

Cool completely on a wire rack before packing in an airtight container.

Makes 48 cookies.

Notes: Substitute other candy pieces or chopped nuts for all or part of the chocolate chips. Also, you might want to line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Hot and Creamy Shredded Wheat

Into a microwave-safe cereal bowl place 1 cup bite-size shredded wheat cereal. Add 1/2 cup 1-percent milk. Microwave on 100-percent power for 20 seconds; stir. Microwave an additional 20 seconds.

Top with layers of 1/4 cup each applesauce and plain low-fat yogurt; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon raisins. Combine 2 teaspoons brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over cereal and toppings. Serve with a banana, separately or sliced on top of cereal.

Makes 1 serving. Prep time 5 minutes.

From kraftrecipes.com

A contributor to tasteofhome.com writes, “Intent on giving her family a hearty breakfast during The Depression, my mother-in-law came up with this simple recipe … this unique breakfast survived the generations and is now a favorite meal for my family.”

Fried Shredded Wheat

Soak 4 large shredded wheat biscuits in milk for 5 minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain slightly. Fry in oil in a large skillet until brown on both sides, pressing down while frying. Serve with maple syrup.

From tasteofhome.com, originally from “Cookin’ Up Country Breakfasts Cookbook”

E-mail Linda Brandt at brandtlinda11@gmail.com