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Cracked-wheat Mush

A simple porridge made from cracked wheat boiled in water with salt, served with cream.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Cracked-wheat Mush

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Grease the inside of a flat-bottomed saucepan with a small amount of lard.

  2. Pour in 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil.

  3. Stir in 1 cup of large cracked wheat and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Cook and serve

  1. Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce heat and cover, simmering for 3 hours.

  2. When cooked, turn the mush into a bowl and serve with cream.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Large cracked wheat
Forms the body of the porridge as its starch swells and softens during long simmering.
Water
Hydrates the wheat so the grains soften and thicken into a porridge.

The step that matters

Simmering for 3 hours. Once the pan is covered and the heat is reduced, the wheat must cook slowly and gently. Too much heat can scorch the bottom or boil over, and the grains need the long, steady simmer to fully soften.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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