Whiteley Creek Homestead

I'm devoting a second post to whole grain teff as a hot breakfast cereal because I am so impressed with it and I also want to share a bit about its preparation. My intent was to snap a photo of my bowl of teff hot cereal this morning before I dug in, but in my haste to enjoy its goodness… well, as my photo testifies, I got lost in the moment and remembered to grab my camera only after it was nearly devoured. I love teff's texture, flavor, and the comforting feeling it produces in my tummy.   

 
According to the package's cooking instructions, bring 2 cups water to a boil, add 1/2 cup teff grain, cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until water is absorbed. Stir occasionally. Sometimes when I cook hot cereal, I substitute milk for the water for a creamier end product. No more. Let me explain why. Dick and I consume raw dairy products. (Note: For bed and breakfast food preparation, I utilize low-temperature pasteurized dairy products , to conform to Minnesota Dept. of Health regulations, which is still a better choice than traditionally pasteurized and… gasp… ultra-pasteurized milk.) It came to me in an aha moment that by heating the raw milk in the cereal cooking process, I was basically pasteurizing the milk in  my own kitchen… exactly what I had set out to avoid by purchasing raw milk. I was negating my own efforts! Raw whole milk is so rich and luscious, you'll still achieve hot cereal's creaminess by using water in its preparation and pouring milk over it in the bowl prior to serving.