Honey-Toasted Muesli

Read food blogs and you'll notice one thing - food bloggers have this common tendency to re-create a supermarket-bought product at home (think jams, sauces, vanilla extract) and then go on to write about how easy it was to make it. About how much better the home-made stuff tastes compared to the "awful" and "over-priced" versions in supermarkets and then invariably, the post will end with the words "make this once and you will never go back to the shop-bought version" or something along those lines!!! And without doubt, topping that list of products is home-made muesli and granola!!

 

Since, I now consider myself a bonafide food blogger, I thought I would let myself into this Martha Stewart-esque world to see what the fuss was all about. My first stop was going to be ...  why muesli, of course!!!

Scour the Internet and there are literally hundreds of muesli and granola recipes. The difference between muesli and granola is that while they both contain oats and dried fruits, granola has oil and honey added, making it more crisper and sweeter. I took the middle path and since, I still had some honey left over from when I made this bread, I went with this recipe of honey-toasted muesli that I had seen on Masterchef Australia!!

The recipe can't get any simpler .. weigh out all the ingredients in a baking tray, toss them around, drizzle some honey on it, in to the oven for 15 minutes and the aroma from the oven will tell you that you are done!!! You know that, more often than not, the recipes I blog about are fuss-free and hardly take any time. But even by my standards, this seemed a bit too simple ... I actually re-read the recipe twice to check if I had missed out any steps. Nope, it turns out.. that is all there is to it!!!

 

But, does it really taste any better than the shop-bought stuff. Here's the thing .. make muffins at home and then buy some from a supermarket (not some fancy bakery). There will be a difference, the home-made ones will feel and taste fresher, less greasier and you will taste flavours besides, just sugar!! It is the same deal with this muesli.

Personally, I have always found store-bought muesli a bit chalky and this is where the home-made stuff triumphs. You can discern each and every component - their texture, their flavour, their shape and their colour .. all of it!! In simple terms, it's all that much fresher!!!  

Make it at home and you can play around with the ingredients. Omit the stuff you can't stand and add in the stuff you love!! There are no rules. Search the Web for inspiration or make your own mix.

 

I do realise that while people see the benefits of making stuff at home, sometimes, with the pressures of work and life, it is just more convenient to buy stuff from the supermarket. It's just that much more practical!! But in this case, I'll make a case for this muesli a bit stronger... all it will take you is 20 minutes from start to finish to get a week's supply of breakfast!!! And this will sound cliched .. but it's 20 minutes well spent!!!

Personally, muesli is not so much for breakfast but for my 4 pm hunger cravings, that special time of the day when all my good diet behaviour of the day comes undone!! A bowl of this with some yoghurt is the option I highly recommend. 

 

And yes, I admit .. I've enjoyed this little foray of mine into the world of making home-made supermarket stuff. Next stop.... home-made vanilla extract!!!

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Honey-Toasted Muesli

Adapted from this original recipe from Masterchef Australia.

Recipe can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I went with Quakers)
• 30 gms flaked almonds
• 3 tbsp dried cranberries
• 4 dried figs, halved and quartered
• 1/4 cup melon seeds (pumpkins seeds, sunflower seeds are an option)
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 1/3 cup puffed rice

Cooking Directions:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 deg C.
• Sprinkle all the muesli ingredients except the puffed rice onto a lined baking tray. I used aluminium foil to line my baking tray.
• Drizzle honey over the top. With a spoon simply stir all the ingredients around.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture is golden.
• Now, add the puffed rice to the mixture and toss all the ingredients around.
• Store in an airtight container.