Granola is common in America, but in Europe, Muesli is the popular choice. It takes many forms depending on the country and usually contains no added sugar. The Swiss and UK versions may contain mostly oat flakes, wheat flakes, barley flakes, mixed dried fruit, such as sultanas or raisins, and chopped Hazelnuts and/or Almonds. Some will include whey powder (cows’ milk).
For some inexplicable reason, American breakfast cereals have desert-level amounts of sugar and if the cereal approximates anything like muesli, the costs is premium. I want a hearty meal to kick start my hike. For these reasons I make my own Muesli for breakfast at home and on the trail. I don’t tend to eat muesli hot, though it can be, so this is a breakfast I usually take in the shoulder seasons and summer, preferring hot oatmeal in winter.
Ingredients
- Rolled oats
- Sliced Almonds
- Hazel nuts
- Raisins
- Cried Cranberries
- Peanuts
Cooking instructions
There’s no hard rules on the quantities of the ingredients. You can heat the rolled oats in a dry iron skillet or bake them on a cookie sheet. The aim is to make the oats dry and slightly toasted.
- Spread rolled oats on a cookie large tray about 1/2 deep.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Bake oats 20–25 minutes. You can stir the oats half way through the process to get an even roast if you want. I don’t bother.
- Pour roasted oats into a large cooking pot. Add whatever amount of nuts and dried fruit you prefer. Mix and put in storage container.
On the trail, you can add hot or cold water. For a weekend trip, I usually prefer to bring an 8 oz container with 4–6 ounces of plain oat or soy milk.
Weight: A cup serving of muesli will weigh around 3–4 ounces.