Original recipe with my changes in parenthesis. My philosophy is that a good recipe is "begging" to be owned. We own it when we make changes that suit our individual tastes or nutritional guidelines. So, don't be afraid to experiment!
Start with a small box of either All Bran cereal or Raisin Bran cereal.
In a large bowl combine 2 cups of boiling water and two cups of the Bran cereal. Let soak. (Reduce to 1 3/4 cups of boiling water if you use honey in the recipe.)
In another large bowl, combine 1 quart buttermilk (or clabber) and the rest of the bran cereal. Let soak.
In third bowl add the following:
3 cups flour
2 cups whole wheat flour (I use half whole wheat and half white for a total of five cups of flour)
1 tsp cinnamon (I have included up to a Tablespoon. Depends on individual taste.)
1/2 cup Wheat Germ
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon salt
In mixing bowl combine 1 1/2 cups shortening (I use 1 1/2 cups of butter)
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar (I eliminate both brown and white sugar and use 2 cups of honey instead.)
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Add buttermilk bowl to contents, then flour mixture and finally the bran soaked in water.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. This makes a very large batch but will keep in the refrigerator for up to six weeks. You may add fruit of choice to small batches before baking (ie: blueberries, bananas, raisins, etc.)
Note about using honey: Sugar to honey conversion is 1/2 cup honey equals 1 cup of sugar in a recipe. When using honey, you must reduce liquid ingredients by 1/4 cup.