Flax Cereal Flakes

Here is another homemade cereal flakes recipe, that is surprisingly easy to do, and well worth the effort. If you plan on making these, you should read my Nutty Bran Flakes post from July 20th, as the technique used here is very similar. These cereal flakes are crunchy and hearty, good with fruit and with or without milk for a nutritious breakfast or snack.

Flax Cereal Flakes
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground oats (see note)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup water

In a medium bowl, mix the first five dry ingredients. Drizzle in the oil and water and mix with a fork. Add more water if necessary, one tablespoon at a time, until dough holds together. Gather dough together and roll out on a piece of parchment paper as thin as possible, 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 300◦F for 30 minutes, until cereal is dry, crisp, and cracked. Once cool enough to handle, break the cereal mass into bite-sized flakes, however you prefer them.
If you rolled out your dough fairly thick, or if the edges got crisp but the middle did not, part or all of the cereal may need to be baked again.  If the cereal mass, or parts of it, are still soft when you break them, place these pieces back on the cookie sheet. Any pieces that feel dry enough can be placed in a container or bowl to cool thoroughly. Bake the remaining pieces at 350◦F for an additional 5-10 minutes or so. Watch carefully, and stir the pieces around every 2-5 minutes. Bake to the desired crispness.