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WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF

This is how Shredded Wheat is REALLY made… and each one takes 24 hours to create

Channel 4's Food Unwrapped uncovered how Shredded Wheat and Shreddies are made, and the process is complicated!

THE makers of Shredded Wheat and Shreddies have finally uncovered how the popular cereals are made.

In Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped, factory boss Matt Robinson took the TV cameras into Shreddies headquarters. They managed to capture how they shred the wheat from the grain.

 In channel 4's Food Unwrapped, director of operations at Shredded Wheat factory unveiled how the cereal is made
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In channel 4's Food Unwrapped, director of operations at Shredded Wheat factory unveiled how the cereal is madeCredit: Alamy

 

The process is revealed to be quite complicated. It was shown that it takes more than 24 hours to create a single Shredded Wheat pillow, in what was described as a “feat of engineering”.

Whilst the exact formula of how each strand of shredded wheat is knitted together remains secret, the director of operations at Nestlé's Shredded Wheat factory in Wiltshire did show co-presenter, Jimmy Doherty a thing or two.

According to Monday night’s episode, first the wheat, which is all British grown, is cooked to soften while the grains are dried off in a special machine.

 According to Monday night's episode, the grains are first dried off in a special machine
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According to Monday night's episode, the grains are first dried off in a special machineCredit: Alamy

They then rest for 8 hours, after which the shredding process begins.

In the episode, Matt unveiled two rollers: one smooth and the other grooved and showed how each grain of wheat is fed into them.

The rollers then forced the grain into grooves, which in turn shredded them. The result is one long spaghetti-like strand of wheat.

Matt insisted that the wheat had to be rolled at the ultimate temperature.

 They then rest for 8 hours before being rolled out. It then takes 18 hours in a top secret process to shred them together
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They then rest for 8 hours before being rolled out. It then takes 18 hours in a top secret process to shred them togetherCredit: Alamy

“If you shred (the wheat) when too wet, it just smears, and if too dry it shatters.

“It has to be the right moisture and the right texture”.

Interestingly, each Shredded Wheat cereal contains a 100m long strand of shredded wheat.

It then takes 18 hours in a top secret process after the wheat has been shredded to knit them all together.

Finally, the biscuits are baked and then shipped out to supermarkets for you to enjoy.

In other news, do you know why crumpets have all those holes? This is the reason, and it's all about the baking. 

Also, we've revealed the best way to cook the perfect pancake. But, would you really try it?

Finally, have you ever wondered what the difference is between an American pancake, the English style or a French crepe? We tell you how to make them and what exactly the difference is.