These Crunchy Barbecue Wheat Berries are a whole-grain snack that provides fiber and protein, and satisfies cravings for salty, crunchy snacks.
If you were a Canadian child of the 80's or 90's like me, you might remember snacking on Wheat Crunch. It was a salty, crunchy snack made of wheat berries. It was packaged in individual cellophane pouches and came in multiple flavors. My mom bought it as a healthier alternative to chips (and the uncooked ramen noodles that us kids were fond of eating at the time).
A quick Google search tells me that while it's still available to purchase, I haven't actually seen it in person for many years. Some posts that I've seen online lead me to believe that it disappeared from shelves for a while and I don't think that the company that makes it now is the same one that made it many years ago.
But the good news is that you can make yourself a similar snack at home - Crunchy Barbecue Wheat Berries. All you need is some wheat berries and a few spices. It's a filling snack that provides fiber and protein, and satisfies the craving for a salty, crunchy snack. Read on to learn how to make it.
How to make Crunchy Barbecue Wheat Berries
To make this whole-grain, fiber-filled snack you will need to use a two-step cooking process to take the wheat berries from teeth-cracking hard to pleasantly crunchy.
The first step is boiling the wheat berries. Use salted water to add flavor. Once the wheat berries have simmered long enough to become plump and softened (about 20 minutes), drain them and lay them on a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet to dry for at least 15 minutes.
While the wheat is drying, mix up the seasoning. This simply entails stirring together the spices in a small bowl.
Once the wheat is dry, heat a little oil in a large skillet. Add the wheat and cook over medium heat until the wheat smells toasted and is golden brown. Note that the wheat will sizzle and pop while it's cooking (the pops will be small, not dramatic like popcorn). Immediately transfer the wheat to a heatproof bowl and toss with the seasoning. You can start eating the wheat as soon as it's cool enough.
Crunchy Barbecue Wheat Berries Ingredients
- Wheat berries - wheat berries are basically just whole-grain wheat kernels. You could use them to grind to make whole wheat flour. I got a large jar from my mom, who keeps them on hand for making bread. Find them with other grains, most likely in the natural or organic foods aisle. If you can't find them, or if you can only find giant sacks of them, you can use kamut, which is a variety of wheat.
- Water - use whatever water you normally drink. Cold tap water is fine.
- Kosher salt - you will be using kosher salt to season the water that the wheat berries are boiled in, as well as in the BBQ seasoning mix.
- Canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- Smoked paprika - using smoked paprika vs regular sweet or hot paprika ensures that your BBQ seasoning has a nice smoky flavor.
- Sugar
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Chipotle powder - If you don't have chipotle powder, or can't find any, you can use cayenne for a spicier, but less smoky flavor. In this case, I recommend reducing the amount to just a pinch.
Crunchy Barbecue Wheat Berries Substitution Ideas
If you're not a fan of BBQ seasoning, feel free to try something else:
- Use a little Ranch seasoning (homemade or store-bought) for Ranch Crunchy Wheat Berries
- Just use kosher salt for Plain Crunchy Wheat Berries
- Use your favorite store-bought seasoning mix to make your crunchy wheat any flavor you want!
Want more crunchy snack recipes?
Crunchy Barbecue Wheat Berries Nutrition Notes
This recipe is vegan and dairy-free as written.
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for 1 Tablespoon of crunchy wheat.
The calculations for the Nutrition Information estimate that ⅓ of the salt added to the water that the wheat is boiled in gets absorbed. I think that this is a generous estimate and that less of the salt is actually absorbed.
Crunchy Barbecue Wheat Berries
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Fill a small saucepan with cold water and bring to a boil. Add ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ cup wheat berries. Return to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes or until wheat berries are becoming plump and soft, but not mushy and falling apart.
- While the wheat berries are cooking, line a large plate with two layers of clean paper towels. Set aside.
- Drain the wheat berries and spread them on the prepared plate to dry. Leave them uncovered to dry for at least 15 minutes.
- While the wheat berries are drying, stir together 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ⅛ teaspoon chipotle powder. Set aside.
- Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the dried wheat berries, and cook, stirring very often until the wheat berries are turning golden brown, and fragrant, 8-10 minutes. Note that you will hear the wheat sizzling and popping while it cooks. The "popping" should slow or stop by the time the wheat is done.
- Immediately (so they don't burn) transfer the wheat to a medium heatproof bowl. Add the seasoning mixture while the wheat is still hot and toss to combine. Allow the wheat to cool before serving.
Nutrition
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