Whole-grain malted muesli worth a wait

Press, 15 May 1985, Page 17

Whole-grain malted muesli worth a wait

Alison Holst’s

Food Facts, / i

For many years I have looked enviously at the whole, flaked grains on display in stores in North America and England! Now we have them here, and I’m sure that you will find, as I have, that they make excellent muesli and interesting, coarse-textured porridges. I think the muesli I am making at the moment, using whole, flaked grains, is the most popular I have made in 15 years of trial and error! Who knows — this may be the last muesli recipe that I publish. If you want to buy only whole flaked grain I suggest you use only oats. If you prefer a mixed grain product, as I do, you can use a mixture of oats, rye, barley, wheat, and rice. For this recipe you need 12 cups altogether — I use 8 cups of whole grain, flaked oats which I buy in a plastic bag, more cheaply than the other boxed products. The recipe makes a lot — but it gets eaten fast — and is fiddly to make in small quantities. It keeps a long time in airtight jars or plastic bags — or you can give it to your friends — I know people who mail it regularly to away-from-home children! K you don’t have a really large saucepan or preserving pan to mix your muesli in, use a plastic bowl, or even a plastic bucket to combine everything. 1 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons salt 1 cup orange or apple juice 1 cup malt *4 cup honey (optional) 1 Ikg packet (about 8 cups) Wholegrain flaked oats

1 pkt (about 4 cups) stabilised wheatgerm 2 cups baking bran 2 cups wholegrain flaked wheat or barley 2 cups wholegrain flaked rye or rice cup toasted sesame seeds (optional) 1 cup soya or corn oil

In your largest saucepan, or in a preserving pan, heat together the (packed) brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and fruit juice until the sugar dissolves. Add the malt (and the honey if you like sweet muesli) and stir until evenly mixed. Do not heat more than necessary. If you are using a large container, add the flaked grains, wheatgerm, bran, and sesame seeds to it. If you do not have a large pot mix the dry ingredients in a plastic bowl and add the warm syrup from the smaller pot. Mix until the cereals are evenly coated, then add the oil and mix again! (You can leave the mixture to stand at this stage, if desired.) Spread some of the mixture on a non-stick or sprayed roasting pan or sponge roll tin so it is about Icm deep. Bake at 150 C for about 30 minutes, stirring once, after 15-20 minutes.

The mixture should darken very slightly when cooked, but it will not be crisp until it has cooled. Tip the cooked mixture into another bowl or bucket, or on to clean newspaper to cool, and cook more. If you have a microwave oven, use it to cook some of the mixture. Two cups of uncooked muesli spread evenly on the turntable or a large plate should cook in about 5 minutes. Watch the first lot carefully and estimate the exact cooking time, then cook a second batch for the same time. When all the mixture is cooked, mix it with other optional ingredients, or leave it plain. I always mix it with a packet of malted bran cereal, and I often add 1 to 2 cups of sultanas. You may like to add 1 to 2 cups of sunflower seeds which have been toasted in a dry pan while the muesli cooked, and 1 to 2 cups lightly browned coconut. If you don’t mind the extra cost you can also add finely chopped, lightly toasted cashew nuts, or almonds. NOTE: If the mixture is left uncovered for long, it will lose its crispness. Reheat it in a low oven to return it to its original condition.