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Bouillie (French baby cereal porridge)
6m+ · The French breakfast bouillie: baby's usual milk thickened with plain cereal flour
In France, la bouillie is the warm cereal porridge that joins a baby's morning or evening milk at around six months. It is simply the baby's usual milk, breast milk or formula, thickened with plain infant cereal or fine oat or rice flour, and given from a spoon, or thinner from a bottle as many French families do at bedtime. It is creamy and mild. It contains milk from the formula, and gluten if you use oat or wheat cereal; there is no egg, nuts, soya, sesame or fish. Chef's tip: choose a cereal with no added sugar or flavourings; you can add a spoon of fruit purée for sweetness later.
- Total time
- 7 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 1
Baby & toddler safety
- Age: from 6 months+.
- Allergens: contains milk. Offer one new allergen at a time, in the morning, so you can watch for a reaction.
- Texture and choking: purée or mash smoothly for 6–9 months, then soft, finger-sized pieces that squash between your fingers. Cut round foods such as grapes and cherry tomatoes into quarters lengthways, never give whole nuts, and always stay with your child while they eat.
- Under 1: no honey, no added salt or stock cubes, and no added sugar.
Every child is different. If you are unsure, especially about allergies, check with your health visitor or paediatrician.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup baby's usual milkbreast milk or prepared formula
- 2 tbsp plain unsweetened infant cerealor very fine oat or rice flour
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: If you are using infant cereal that only needs mixing, warm ¾ cup baby's usual milk to lukewarm (never above about 104°F for breast milk) and go to the next step. If you are using oat or rice flour, it needs cooking: whisk it into prepared formula in a small pan and simmer gently, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until thickened and no longer floury.
4 minStep 2: For instant cereal, sprinkle 2 tbsp plain unsweetened infant cereal over the warm milk in a bowl and stir until smooth. Leave it for a minute to thicken, then stir again.
Step 3: Adjust the texture: thicker for a spoon, like soft yoghurt; thinner if your baby is just starting. A common mistake is making it so thick that it sticks to the roof of the mouth.
Step 4: Check the temperature on the inside of your wrist and serve straight away.
Step 5: Make bouillie fresh for each meal and throw away what your baby doesn't finish, since saliva from the spoon spoils it. If you have cooked an untouched extra portion, cool it fast, refrigerate for up to 24 hours (prepared formula shouldn't be kept longer), and reheat once until piping hot, then cool before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bouillie (French baby cereal porridge) take?
- About 7 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 1 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of baby's usual milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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