Ingredients
Original Bircher
- 3 tbsprolled oats
- 3 tbspwater, for soaking
- 1 tbspsweetened condensed milk
- 1 tbsplemon juice
- 1large apple
- 1 tbspground hazelnuts or almonds
Modern additions
- 150 mlmilk or apple juice
- 150 gplain yoghurt
- honey, to taste
- berries, banana or dried fruit
Equipment
- a coarse grater
Directions
- Soak the oats in the water overnight, or for at least a few hours. The lemon juice does two jobs: it sharpens the dish and it stops the grated apple browning.
- Grate the whole apple including the skin, and Bircher included the core as well.
- Stir the grated apple through the oats immediately so the lemon coats it.
- Scatter the ground nuts over the top.
- Serve at once, in the original, though a modern version is left overnight fully assembled. Then add the grated apple, honey and fruit in the morning, keeping the apple to the last minute as before.
- Add more milk if it has set solid overnight.
Technique
- Condensed milk in the original is a period detail and cream or yoghurt is the usual modern substitute.
- It keeps two days in the fridge without the apple.
- Rolled oats work; instant oats turn to paste and steel-cut ones never soften enough.
Substitutions
- Cream, yoghurt or plant milk in place of condensed milk.
- Any nut, though hazelnut and almond are traditional.
Variations
- With berries, banana or grated pear.
- Made with apple juice instead of milk, which is dairy-free.
- Overnight oats, the modern descendant.
History
Devised around 1900 by physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner as raw apple with oats and cream for patients at his Zurich sanatorium.
Frequently asked questions
What is Muesli?
Muesli is a breakfast from Switzerland: oats soaked with apple, nuts, milk; a Swiss doctor’s invention. Devised around 1900 by physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner as raw apple with oats and cream for patients at his Zurich sanatorium.
How long does Muesli take to make?
Muesli takes 10 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 2 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Muesli?
Yes, within limits. Cream, yoghurt or plant milk in place of condensed milk. Any nut, though hazelnut and almond are traditional.
What is the most important thing to get right in Muesli?
Grate the whole apple including the skin, and Bircher included the core as well.
