Puffed grains

I regularly make my own muesli. Or should I say granola? I’m never quite sure what the difference is other than I used to call it muesli and now I call it granola. Similarly, I used to eat it with milk and now I usually choose yoghurt.

Regardless, the basic approach is the same - toasted oats or other flaked cereal, with a mix of dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Recently I’ve been adding more flavourings – some coconut oil, a little maple syrup and some citrus zest all get stirred into the mix before it gets toasted – perhaps this is what makes it granola.

I’ve found something new to add, which I’m really enjoying – puffed grains. When I was a child, one of the few breakfast cereals we could buy in Malawi was puffed rice and I remember liking these toasted puffy grains as my cereal. I suppose they were a bit like rice crispies but I remember them having more substance to them.

Here in Germany it’s very easy to find a whole range of “gepufft” grains – the ones I bought most recently were quinoa and amaranth, neither of which I particularly enjoy in their more normal state. They're only tiny but added to my granola mix, halfway through toasting, along with the dried fruit (otherwise it can get a bit dried out), they add an extra layer of flavour and texture. I recommend giving it a try.