Flaky, in a good way

Oh my goodness, just looking at the above picture gets me giddy for breakfast. Or even a late night snack! Who knew bran flakes could be so darn tasty?

I hope that other food bloggers understand just how much I appreciate them. I spend a lot of time scouring the Internet for easy, go-to recipes that will detach my family further from processed foods. I've made granola before and loved it, but what about flakes? Could it be done? Of course it can, thanks to finding the adorable site Willow Bird Baking (http://willowbirdbaking.com/)!

I doubled the recipe, because my son and I love a good cereal in the morning, especially when we are in a hurry. Keep in mind that this is a super easy recipe, but like all good things, it takes time.

Ingredients:

1 cup of wheat bran
1 cup of whole wheat flour
2/3 cup of almond flour
4 tbsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2/3 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp of ground flax

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add all your dry ingredients to a large bowl, mix well and then add in the wet ingredients. It's a very wet mixture (no way of photographing it well), but trust me, it turns outs awesome.

I cut out four sheets of parchment paper, the size of my cookie sheets. I put a quarter of the dough on the parchment and cover with plastic wrap. Then I roll out the mixture. I make it thin enough that it's almost see through.

Transfer the parchment (carefully!) to the cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Take it out and let cool. Since I doubled the recipe, I just remove this parchment and cool on the counter so I can get the rest of the dough in the oven.

Once all your giant flakes are cooked and cool enough to the touch, break it up into small(ish) pieces. Turn the oven down to 275 degrees and bake the pieces for another 20 minutes. Turn the flakes occasionally so they brown evenly.

I couldn't wait to see if these were as good as store bought cereal. Gave my son a bowl and got the thumbs up! What I really couldn't believe, was how well they held up in milk! Next time, I'm adding a touch of vanilla, cinnamon and maybe some raisins. Breakfast just got a lot more interesting!