Bircher Muesli

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Bircher muesli is a wonderful, nutritious and simple breakfast dish made up rolled oats, a liquid – usually juice, milk and/or yoghurt, fresh fruit – typically apple and often banana, nuts and seeds. It was developed by Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, a Swiss physician and nutritionist, at the beginning of the last century.

He understood that eating a healthy and varied diet would benefit his patients hugely and he believed that eating fresh, raw fruit, was an important part of a balanced diet. To encourage his patients to eat more raw fruit, they were served a small bowl of this muesli at the beginning of each and every meal. The original recipe was made using condensed milk with some lemon juice, possibly to balance the sweetness. Also the whole apple, including the core, was grated into the mix. Over time this has changed to a mixture of yoghurt, milk and juice and the toppings added to it have become ever more varied and interesting. Grated apples are a consistent ingredient however, and I confess, I always remove the cores!

Rather like Overnight Oats, but with a lower proportion of oats to fruit and yoghurt ratio, there are many iterations of this recipe. The key for me is to make it how you like to eat it, keeping it as healthy and including as much fruit as possible.

How far ahead do I need to make Bircher Muesli?

Classically the basic muesli is mixed the day before you want to eat it and left in the fridge overnight. This allows the oats to swell, soften and become more easily digestible. However, if, like me, you forget to do this the night before, don’t worry. Just make it up as directed and leave it for as long as possible before eating. Even if it is just 10 minutes, it will still be delicious.

Where is this particular recipe from?

This recipe is from a wonderful Swiss website called Helvetic Kitchen. Set up by Andie, a Swiss-Canadian living in Switzerland, she shares a host of delicious Swiss and alpine recipes. See here for Andie’s Bircher Muesli post. Andie has also written about Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner and given his original recipe. They are really worth a read. You should take a look at her site, it is a real gem.

How to make Bircher Muesli

NB Ideally the basic muesli needs to be mixed the day before, you want to eat it.

Collect all your ingredients together:

Basic ingredients per person –

• rolled oats
• liquid – milk, water or juice
• yoghurt – natural or fruit flavoured
• apple – peeled (optional), cored and grated
• banana -peeled and chopped

Suggested additional ingredients –

• Fruit – such as raspberries, blueberries (halved, if large), strawberries (hulled and chopped) chopped mango, chopped kiwi, chopped pineapple, pears (cored and grated)
• Cooked fruit purees – such as apple, gooseberries, blueberries, rhubarb, plums, raspberries, strawberries
• Dried fruit – such as raisins, sultanas, currants, figs, dates, apricots, mango, pineapple, cranberries, coconut
• Nuts – almonds, hazelnuts, pecan nuts/walnuts, pistachios, macadamias, cashews
• Seeds – pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, flax, chia
• Crunchy granola – homemade or shop bought
• Jam – spoonful of your choice of jam
• Nut butter – spoonful of peanut, cashew, almond or pistachio butters
• Sweetener – I prefer not to add any extra sweetener. However, if you have a sweet tooth, honey or maple syrup can be drizzled over before you eat it.

How to make this wonderful nutritious breakfast:

1. Ahead of time – chop the banana, core and grate the apple and mix both with the oats, yoghurt and milk. Also, stir in any additional fruit of your choice. You could also stir in the nuts and seeds but I prefer to add these the following day so they are nice and crispy.
2. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 10 minutes or, ideally, over night.
3. Before you eat – give the muesli a good stir and if necessary, add any extra liquid, until it is the consistency you are looking for.
4. Add your chosen extra ingredients. I added nuts, seeds and sultanas to this muesli.
5. Nuts and seeds – I like to quickly roast my nuts and seeds for a minute or two in a medium hot pan. This brings out their flavours and ensures they are nice and crispy.

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Blueberry Bircher Muesli with Blueberry Compote

Basic ingredients per person:

• as above but I used blueberry yoghurt, less apple and added blueberries

Topping:

• blueberries
• water
• roast nuts and seeds

How to make Blueberry Bircher Muesli with Blueberry Compote

1. The night before – as above
2. Compote: tip the blueberries into a saucepan with the water. Cook over a moderate heat until the blueberries have burst. Store in the fridge overnight. (Alternatively, cook this in the morning.)
3. In the morning – stir well and serve with the compote and roasted nuts and seeds

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Made this recipe?

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