Member
Central Maine
Yet another heart healthy recipe I dusted off.
Decades ago there was a breakfast cereal made by Familia called Swiss Birchermeusli. It was absolutely outstanding. It still exists but the recipe has changed drastically. What once was full of dried apple now is made of sticks and wood chips.
The following is as close to the original as I can get. The recipe will make approx' 1 gallon of dry mix, more if one adds more oats. The recipe is flexible.
I find that 1/2 cup is plenty as a serving. I add liquid to mine (Brians milk substitute) and it will actually expand and if one begins eating before it's fully hydrated it will expand and even though one is eating, it will swell and you won't be able to keep up with the expansion and one winds up with the bowl actually "being more" after beginning eating than at the start. I find that I like to add more liquid as time progresses.
I make it in an Ankarsrum Assistent (not a typo) you'll need to use what you have.
Here is everything, including development notes. I did mention that the recipe was flexible did I not? If you want more oats, add them. This last time I added dried bing cherries, went heavy on the roasted hazelnuts, and didn't add dates. I also used oat groats and not rolled oats.
Brians Swiss Birchermuesli
(As I remember from when I was a child, but can no longer purchase)
This 1st recipe has been superceded; it’s for historical reasons only
1# Quick or rolled Oats (this can be increased)
1# Hazelnut Meats
.7# Sliced Almonds (this can be increased to 1#)
2# Dried apple
12oz Raisins
Optional:
Diced dry peaches
Diced dry apricots
Diced dates
Roast the nuts (350 degree oven) to enhance their taste. Do the hazlenuts and almond separately for better control and don’t leave them, as they roast they rapidly approach peak flavor (20 minutes?? Depends on the oven and personal taste) then go just as rapidly to being over roasted. The dry apple needs to be really dry for cereal use, not just dehydrated as they come from the store. Dry them further in a warm oven, this will take all day.
The hazelnuts can be broken if desired, but this isn’t necessary. The apple slices after getting them good and dry needs to be powdered or finely ground in a blender or by another process. The Oats can be left as is or also processed to a finer consistency. For cereal use, mixing with milk, I prefer a finer consistency with the nuts adding the crunch and chew. For eating out of hand, leave things larger and the apples won’t need to be further dried in the oven.
Mix everything together, store in jars.
For use as a cereal, take a smaller quantity than you would normally eat of factory cereal. Add liquid generously, milk or water both work, I haven’t tried soy, oat or almond milk but see no reason that they wouldn’t work.. In a short time this cereal will thicken and absorb the liquid so add more liquid as needed. No sweetener is necessary, it’s marvelously sweet and naturally flavored as it is. If anything this version is even better than I ate as a child. (Familia brand Swiss Birchermuesli- it isn’t the same today, so don’t waste your time and $)
11/29/13
Familia Swiss Birchermeusli Knock Off
I remember the original from my childhood (50 +years ago) and it was by far my favorite way to begin the day. This breakfast cereal never came out except on Sunday morning, and then not every Sunday. It was unbelievable delicious (it still is IMO). I also remember it being quite pricey. So is this version, but it yields a very large amount of product for the price if you make it yourself. Plus it’s a "really good for you" breakfast. No predigested grain here- it’s all "real" ingredients - no factory modified junk to make it easy to manufacture. It’s not difficult to make, but it can be tricky if one doesn’t follow the gist of the recipe. Many of the ingredients can be difficult to process if one doesn’t read the recipe first.
The meusli should be chewey, soft, naturally sweet, have texture, and just be delicious. It will also stay with you for a very long time while having quick energy and long term energy. It will also require far less for a breakfast than your eyes think will be required, so be warned. It will swell in your bowl and in your stomach. There’s all sorts of chew to the cereal, and also all sorts of fiber, so even the quick acting sugars in it are absorbed slowly by the naturally occurring fiber. The longer acting energy sources are also more slowly absorbed. This cereal is awesome as a breakfast. I normally eat no lunch and IMO none is required after a decent serving of this. Make it in your bowl then sit back and get ready for a relaxing chew while you think to the day ahead.
I always ate the original with cold milk and it plumped up on it’s own, but there’s no reason it couldn’t have hot milk or hot water added. See notes far below for more ideas.
Yield: one zip-loc gallon bag +. It will scale up or down nicely and no quantities are carved in stone.
I get all of the ingredients from the local natural food store.
16ozs dehydrated apple rings (then further dried) chopped after further drying
8 ozs sliced raw almonds
16 ozs rolled oats, flaked (divide into 2 piles by eye) Note: to make the cereal much less expensive the amount of oats can be increased substantially, or the other amounts reduced.
8 ozs+ hazelnuts, cracked or whole; roasted to taste. With skins left intact and in the mix.
8 ozs raisins
8 ozs dates (chopped)
TIPS/PROCESSING:
Divide the pound of oats into 2 even piles; by eye is fine. One pile will be used in the blender or food processor to keep the sticky chopped fruit from forming a mass. Quaker oats will do if that’s all you can find, but I prefer fresh.
I like my hazelnuts roasted @ 350°F for 20 minutes thereabouts, but roast yours to taste.
The dehydrated apple needs to be really dry for cereal use, not just "leathery" as they come from the store. Dry them further in a warm oven, this will take all day. Don’t rush it with high temps.
Add oats as necessary to the blender or food processor as required to prevent sticking as the apple is turned into pieces/powder. Use oats from one of the piles only. Keep one pile whole and out of the blender. Do much the same thing with the dates if you wish to use them. But add the oats before blending/chopping the dates to keep them from forming a sticky mass.
Instructions:
Add all of the ingredients to a roasting pan and mix well. A large bowl or stockpot would also work, but the bowl will need to be huge. A honkin' big stockpot is probably easier to find in the right size.
Put into a container for storage; a 1 gallon zip-loc bag works fine, and the bag will be quite full. You may need to settle the contents to get it all to fit in. The meusli will not look like granola and you shouldn’t expect it to. You’ll be able to see the distinct and separate ingredients and the pieces will be from dust size up to pieces the size of a hazelnut.
To serve pour an amount into a bowl, add milk or heated water or milk. Allow to plump, or if you can’t wait, just dig in. It will thicken in the bowl as you chew so don't be surprised if you'll need to add more liquid. You will not be able to inhale this breakfast in a rush, it will require time and chewing. Enjoy!
NOTES:
There is no real recipe for this, unless Familia has one in their archives, but todays Familia Swiss Birchermeusli IS NOT the same recipe of 50 years ago. Today it’s made of sticks and twigs and no where near as good as it once was. Where am I going with this? If you want to add something to my knock off recipe, go for it. The recipe I suggest is the knock off as best as I can remember it from my childhood, but it isn’t carved in stone. I would suggest not turning it back into sticks and twigs. If it becomes that add more dehydrated fruits and work them in as you did the apples.
I can think of one variation that I’m very interested in trying... add non-instant dry milk (or know how much non-instant dry milk powder to add to a quantity of the base meusli and mix in the bowl) and add hot water for a complete hot breakfast cereal. Edit 12/ 3/ 13: I’ve tried this since we rarely have milk on hand. I used non-instant milk and hot water (1:4 non-instant milk powder to hot water) and it worked fine. I added the milk powder and hot water to my bowl. I had to add it twice since the cereal soaks up liquid like a sponge . It will take some figuring out; make it to your spec’s. FWIW, to a bowl of this meusli I added 1/4 cup of non-instant milk powder and 1 cup of hot water. I did that in 2 additions though, 1/8 cup and 1/2 cup.
Other flaked grains might also work. I know that soft wheat flakes fantastically, maybe even better than groats. Hard wheat also flakes wonderfully. Nutrients from as many sources as possible is how our ancestors ate, we should too IMO.
Do you want to add more variation to the nuts or dry fruits? Go for it. Again, the recipe isn’t carved in stone. Why wouldn’t dry cherries be delicious in it? Or blueberries? Don’t forget fresh when they’re in season. Then there are dry peaches, apricots, a whole list of potential fruits and nuts. Again, this is the Swiss Birchermeusli of my childhood, but that doesn't mean you're in any way restricted to these items or this recipe.
Bran, especially oat bran, within reasonable amounts, could also be added and would be completely unnoticed. But this breakfast has plenty of soluble and insoluble fiber already. It’s awesomely healthy!
Have fun with it! Enjoy!
12/15/13
The original Familia Swiss Birchermeusli was quite fine and easy to eat. I’ve been working on that texture and so far this is the best I’ve come up with. Allow it to sit with cold milk and the similarity to the original is almost 100%.
The recipe itself stays the same, so the flavor hasn’t changed, but the production has changed for those wanting a faster and easier to eat meusli. It loses quite a bit of the chew, but still has texture. I also don’t have all of the answers, like ... oh well, I’ll get to that in a bit. I find this retains enough chew to make me happy, but cuts down on the endless chewing time by about 75% (a guesstimate).
Basically, this fine grates a lot of the ingredients. Try doing this grating operation by hand. I dare you! :-) No, I’m kidding. Don’t hand me the hospital bill.
Items left whole:
Hazelnuts
Raisins
Chopped dates (choose this list or the below list for this ingredient)
Almonds (choose this list or the below list for this ingredient)
Items grated:
Groats
Apple
almonds
Using the Ankarsrum Assistent and the grater that goes on the end of the Ankarsrum “Mincer” (meat grinder) put everything but the hazelnuts and raisins, through it. Some of the items can be sticky so mix everything together, oats included.
Some of the oats can be made into flour in a blender if you want to stay true to my first version. If doing that you might as well also chop the apples and dates in with the oats as in my first recipe. Doing so will also coat the sticky ingredients and make them much less sticky.
OK, using the correct grater as described above, and the spattershield, and medium speed (you can increase speed if you need to after it gets going), put the ingredients through the grater. This will go extremely fast even on medium speed. Does this mean that you don’t need to flake the groats? I have no idea. I intend to continue to flake the oats. If you try it without flaking first, let me know how that works out.
Put everything in a container to mix it and you’re done.
6/13/18
The oats that didn’t get turned into flour were put through the grater. If there is any appreciable difference in any quality I don’t detect it.
Decades ago there was a breakfast cereal made by Familia called Swiss Birchermeusli. It was absolutely outstanding. It still exists but the recipe has changed drastically. What once was full of dried apple now is made of sticks and wood chips.
The following is as close to the original as I can get. The recipe will make approx' 1 gallon of dry mix, more if one adds more oats. The recipe is flexible.
I find that 1/2 cup is plenty as a serving. I add liquid to mine (Brians milk substitute) and it will actually expand and if one begins eating before it's fully hydrated it will expand and even though one is eating, it will swell and you won't be able to keep up with the expansion and one winds up with the bowl actually "being more" after beginning eating than at the start. I find that I like to add more liquid as time progresses.
I make it in an Ankarsrum Assistent (not a typo) you'll need to use what you have.
Here is everything, including development notes. I did mention that the recipe was flexible did I not? If you want more oats, add them. This last time I added dried bing cherries, went heavy on the roasted hazelnuts, and didn't add dates. I also used oat groats and not rolled oats.
Brians Swiss Birchermuesli
(As I remember from when I was a child, but can no longer purchase)
This 1st recipe has been superceded; it’s for historical reasons only
1# Quick or rolled Oats (this can be increased)
1# Hazelnut Meats
.7# Sliced Almonds (this can be increased to 1#)
2# Dried apple
12oz Raisins
Optional:
Diced dry peaches
Diced dry apricots
Diced dates
Roast the nuts (350 degree oven) to enhance their taste. Do the hazlenuts and almond separately for better control and don’t leave them, as they roast they rapidly approach peak flavor (20 minutes?? Depends on the oven and personal taste) then go just as rapidly to being over roasted. The dry apple needs to be really dry for cereal use, not just dehydrated as they come from the store. Dry them further in a warm oven, this will take all day.
The hazelnuts can be broken if desired, but this isn’t necessary. The apple slices after getting them good and dry needs to be powdered or finely ground in a blender or by another process. The Oats can be left as is or also processed to a finer consistency. For cereal use, mixing with milk, I prefer a finer consistency with the nuts adding the crunch and chew. For eating out of hand, leave things larger and the apples won’t need to be further dried in the oven.
Mix everything together, store in jars.
For use as a cereal, take a smaller quantity than you would normally eat of factory cereal. Add liquid generously, milk or water both work, I haven’t tried soy, oat or almond milk but see no reason that they wouldn’t work.. In a short time this cereal will thicken and absorb the liquid so add more liquid as needed. No sweetener is necessary, it’s marvelously sweet and naturally flavored as it is. If anything this version is even better than I ate as a child. (Familia brand Swiss Birchermuesli- it isn’t the same today, so don’t waste your time and $)
11/29/13
Familia Swiss Birchermeusli Knock Off
I remember the original from my childhood (50 +years ago) and it was by far my favorite way to begin the day. This breakfast cereal never came out except on Sunday morning, and then not every Sunday. It was unbelievable delicious (it still is IMO). I also remember it being quite pricey. So is this version, but it yields a very large amount of product for the price if you make it yourself. Plus it’s a "really good for you" breakfast. No predigested grain here- it’s all "real" ingredients - no factory modified junk to make it easy to manufacture. It’s not difficult to make, but it can be tricky if one doesn’t follow the gist of the recipe. Many of the ingredients can be difficult to process if one doesn’t read the recipe first.
The meusli should be chewey, soft, naturally sweet, have texture, and just be delicious. It will also stay with you for a very long time while having quick energy and long term energy. It will also require far less for a breakfast than your eyes think will be required, so be warned. It will swell in your bowl and in your stomach. There’s all sorts of chew to the cereal, and also all sorts of fiber, so even the quick acting sugars in it are absorbed slowly by the naturally occurring fiber. The longer acting energy sources are also more slowly absorbed. This cereal is awesome as a breakfast. I normally eat no lunch and IMO none is required after a decent serving of this. Make it in your bowl then sit back and get ready for a relaxing chew while you think to the day ahead.
I always ate the original with cold milk and it plumped up on it’s own, but there’s no reason it couldn’t have hot milk or hot water added. See notes far below for more ideas.
Yield: one zip-loc gallon bag +. It will scale up or down nicely and no quantities are carved in stone.
I get all of the ingredients from the local natural food store.
16ozs dehydrated apple rings (then further dried) chopped after further drying
8 ozs sliced raw almonds
16 ozs rolled oats, flaked (divide into 2 piles by eye) Note: to make the cereal much less expensive the amount of oats can be increased substantially, or the other amounts reduced.
8 ozs+ hazelnuts, cracked or whole; roasted to taste. With skins left intact and in the mix.
8 ozs raisins
8 ozs dates (chopped)
TIPS/PROCESSING:
Divide the pound of oats into 2 even piles; by eye is fine. One pile will be used in the blender or food processor to keep the sticky chopped fruit from forming a mass. Quaker oats will do if that’s all you can find, but I prefer fresh.
I like my hazelnuts roasted @ 350°F for 20 minutes thereabouts, but roast yours to taste.
The dehydrated apple needs to be really dry for cereal use, not just "leathery" as they come from the store. Dry them further in a warm oven, this will take all day. Don’t rush it with high temps.
Add oats as necessary to the blender or food processor as required to prevent sticking as the apple is turned into pieces/powder. Use oats from one of the piles only. Keep one pile whole and out of the blender. Do much the same thing with the dates if you wish to use them. But add the oats before blending/chopping the dates to keep them from forming a sticky mass.
Instructions:
Add all of the ingredients to a roasting pan and mix well. A large bowl or stockpot would also work, but the bowl will need to be huge. A honkin' big stockpot is probably easier to find in the right size.
Put into a container for storage; a 1 gallon zip-loc bag works fine, and the bag will be quite full. You may need to settle the contents to get it all to fit in. The meusli will not look like granola and you shouldn’t expect it to. You’ll be able to see the distinct and separate ingredients and the pieces will be from dust size up to pieces the size of a hazelnut.
To serve pour an amount into a bowl, add milk or heated water or milk. Allow to plump, or if you can’t wait, just dig in. It will thicken in the bowl as you chew so don't be surprised if you'll need to add more liquid. You will not be able to inhale this breakfast in a rush, it will require time and chewing. Enjoy!
NOTES:
There is no real recipe for this, unless Familia has one in their archives, but todays Familia Swiss Birchermeusli IS NOT the same recipe of 50 years ago. Today it’s made of sticks and twigs and no where near as good as it once was. Where am I going with this? If you want to add something to my knock off recipe, go for it. The recipe I suggest is the knock off as best as I can remember it from my childhood, but it isn’t carved in stone. I would suggest not turning it back into sticks and twigs. If it becomes that add more dehydrated fruits and work them in as you did the apples.
I can think of one variation that I’m very interested in trying... add non-instant dry milk (or know how much non-instant dry milk powder to add to a quantity of the base meusli and mix in the bowl) and add hot water for a complete hot breakfast cereal. Edit 12/ 3/ 13: I’ve tried this since we rarely have milk on hand. I used non-instant milk and hot water (1:4 non-instant milk powder to hot water) and it worked fine. I added the milk powder and hot water to my bowl. I had to add it twice since the cereal soaks up liquid like a sponge . It will take some figuring out; make it to your spec’s. FWIW, to a bowl of this meusli I added 1/4 cup of non-instant milk powder and 1 cup of hot water. I did that in 2 additions though, 1/8 cup and 1/2 cup.
Other flaked grains might also work. I know that soft wheat flakes fantastically, maybe even better than groats. Hard wheat also flakes wonderfully. Nutrients from as many sources as possible is how our ancestors ate, we should too IMO.
Do you want to add more variation to the nuts or dry fruits? Go for it. Again, the recipe isn’t carved in stone. Why wouldn’t dry cherries be delicious in it? Or blueberries? Don’t forget fresh when they’re in season. Then there are dry peaches, apricots, a whole list of potential fruits and nuts. Again, this is the Swiss Birchermeusli of my childhood, but that doesn't mean you're in any way restricted to these items or this recipe.
Bran, especially oat bran, within reasonable amounts, could also be added and would be completely unnoticed. But this breakfast has plenty of soluble and insoluble fiber already. It’s awesomely healthy!
Have fun with it! Enjoy!
12/15/13
The original Familia Swiss Birchermeusli was quite fine and easy to eat. I’ve been working on that texture and so far this is the best I’ve come up with. Allow it to sit with cold milk and the similarity to the original is almost 100%.
The recipe itself stays the same, so the flavor hasn’t changed, but the production has changed for those wanting a faster and easier to eat meusli. It loses quite a bit of the chew, but still has texture. I also don’t have all of the answers, like ... oh well, I’ll get to that in a bit. I find this retains enough chew to make me happy, but cuts down on the endless chewing time by about 75% (a guesstimate).
Basically, this fine grates a lot of the ingredients. Try doing this grating operation by hand. I dare you! :-) No, I’m kidding. Don’t hand me the hospital bill.
Items left whole:
Hazelnuts
Raisins
Chopped dates (choose this list or the below list for this ingredient)
Almonds (choose this list or the below list for this ingredient)
Items grated:
Groats
Apple
almonds
Using the Ankarsrum Assistent and the grater that goes on the end of the Ankarsrum “Mincer” (meat grinder) put everything but the hazelnuts and raisins, through it. Some of the items can be sticky so mix everything together, oats included.
Some of the oats can be made into flour in a blender if you want to stay true to my first version. If doing that you might as well also chop the apples and dates in with the oats as in my first recipe. Doing so will also coat the sticky ingredients and make them much less sticky.
OK, using the correct grater as described above, and the spattershield, and medium speed (you can increase speed if you need to after it gets going), put the ingredients through the grater. This will go extremely fast even on medium speed. Does this mean that you don’t need to flake the groats? I have no idea. I intend to continue to flake the oats. If you try it without flaking first, let me know how that works out.
Put everything in a container to mix it and you’re done.
6/13/18
The oats that didn’t get turned into flour were put through the grater. If there is any appreciable difference in any quality I don’t detect it.
Brian. Lover of SE razors.