Homemade Cold Cereal

Most kids cereal is made by puffing dough or grains and then coating with flavoring and inverted syrup.  However, it seems that the technique for puffing grains and dough balls may be a guarded secret.  Another type of cereal which is fairly easy to make is granola.  Both types can be equally healthy depending on how you make them.  I'm not a huge fan of flakes, so I have not yet looked into this type of cold cereal.

Puff Cereals
The closest thing I have found so far to explaining how this is done is a recipe using a wok.  Step 1: Cook the whole grains of rice, wheat, or whatever grain you want to puff.  Step 2: Once the whole grain is cooked, lay the grains out to dry.   Step 3: Heat vegetable or canola oil to 400 degrees in a wok.  Place whole whole grains in a metal strainer and dip the strainer into the hot oil.  The grains will immediately pop.

The only problem with this method as I see it is that oil must be used.  I will continue to search for ways to pop whole grains without using oil.  From what I've read on the topic so far, the basic principal behind popping whole grains is that the moisture inside the grain is quickly heated until the starch inside expands.  It is somewhat like popcorn but the whole grains must be cooked and dried first in order to get moisture inside the kernels.


Granola 
Granola is a very simple type of cold cereal to throw together.  In fact if you don't like taking the time to make hot cereal in the morning, granola is a perfect alternative to eat with milk.  Here is a great recipe which can be used with whatever type of nuts, seeds or dried fruit that you like.  Crunchy Granola Recipe.