When I was a kid, mum used to serve the five of us Red River Cereal for breakfast. As a porridge, with cream and brown sugar, it rocked.
As an adult, I remembered it with great fondness and I tried adding it to my bread recipe and discovered an AMAZING bread with a nutty flavour and a crunch to it that was just great.
Then it went away.
The company that made it got bought by a conglomerate who decided it wasn’t profitable enough and stopped production.
Last week I discovered that the wonderful folks at the historic Arvo Flour Mill (https://www.arvaflourmill.com/) have brought it back! Go see them and buy some so you can make this terrific bread or a porridge that your kids will actually eat! (As long as you don’t skimp on the cream or brown sugar!)
1 cup Red River Cereal
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon yeast
4-6 cups flour
1-2 tablespoons oil
Combine the Red River Cereal, water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a small pot and bring to a boil uncovered over high heat. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn off the heat and cover.
In a large bowl, whisk the hot water, 2 tablespoons of flour and 1 teaspoon of salt together. Sprinkle the yeast on top and cover. Let the mix sit in a warm location for ten or fifteen minutes. Once the yeast is active and bubbly, start incorporating the flour and cooked Red River cereal, alternating a half cup of flour with a couple of tablespoons of the cooked cereal at a time until the dough forms a cohesive ball. Knead the dough on a greased surface for ten minutes or so. Place it in an oiled bowl, cover and set aside in a warm spot for forty five minutes to an hour.
Once the dough had doubled in volume, punch it down, knead out any large bubbles and form into loaves. Bake for fifteen minutes at 425 then for forty five minutes at 325.