How to Make and Prepare Muesli

Muesli can include raisins and other dried fruit.

Muesli is a breakfast dish made from rolled oats that is similar to granola. Muesli was invented by a Swiss doctor in the late 1800s for his patients. It can be prepared hot or cold, with or without protein and fruit in a matter of minutes. Muesli is a verstile dish that can be added to other breakfast meals. You can even change the amount and types of ingredients in a muesli recipe according to how many servings you need and according to what is seasonally available.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Rolled oats
• Wheat germ, flaked bran, barley or rye flakes
• Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries or dates)
• Nuts or seeds (sunflower nuts, almonds, flaked coconut, walnuts or flaxseed)
• Yogurt (optional)
• Fresh fruit (optional)

1. Begin with rolled oats as the base. Oats come in different forms: rolled and steel cut. For muesli, rolled oats are the best because they are flaky and tender.

2. Add another grain, such as wheat germ, flaked bran, barley or rye flakes.

3. Choose some seeds or nuts to add protein and texture. You can add sunflower nuts, almonds, flaked coconut, walnuts or flaxseed to muesli.

4. Mix dried fruit into the muesli. Cranberries, raisins or dried apricots provide sweetness. Dates or dried nectarines can also be added to a muesli recipe.

5. Decide whether you want your muesli hot or cold. If you choose to prepare the muesli cold, add milk and eat like cereal or sprinkle over plain yogurt or fresh fruit such as strawberries or blueberries. If you choose to prepare muesli hot, place the muesli in milk and warm over low heat until the oats are swollen and soft; eat like oatmeal.

Tips & Warnings

• While exact measurements are not necessary to prepare muesli, add nuts and dried fruit sparingly. Nuts are high in calories and dried fruit adds high sugar content.

• You can also eat muesli by adding 2 or 3 tbsp. cream and 1 tbsp. brown sugar over fresh, sliced apples. Muesli is also delicious with yogurt juice or atop a bagel with cream cheese.

• If you are watching calories, reduce or eliminate the amount of nuts you add to the recipe.

References

• Cooking.com: Swiss Muesli
• "The Guardian"; Bircher Muesli Recipe; Yotam Ottolenghi; January 2011
• BBC: Basic Muesli