Guglhupf breakfast: Bircher muesli

Finally visited the oft-mentioned, always in glowing terms and regularly frequented Guglhupf Bakery and Cafe in Durham, NC over family weekend.  To think I have missed 4 other opportunities to enjoy it!  Now it's firmly on the list of places not to be missed whenever I'm visiting Sara at Duke.  German bakery and German girl.  Love match.  Sara had amazing pancakes, Greg a beautiful omelet and for me?  The Bircher Muesli and a visit to the bakery after breakfast for some to-go treats.  Many thanks to Sara and her crew for conquering Guglhupf and showing us the way.

Best muesli I ever had prior to the Guglhupf version?  Bakery breakfast in Banff, Canada before our glacial river white-water rafting day.  Amazing food in Jasper and Banff on our Canadian Rockies trip with the girls a few years ago.  And it was not just the altitude and or the scenery.  But the Guglhupf version of muesli was perfection.  I had to tweak some recipes and make it for myself at home.  Can I tell you how many muesli mornings I have had since our trip down South?  No, because I have lost count.  It's the perfect food for me with enough protein to get me through the whole morning and the best part?  I whip up a two day batch after dinner a couple of times a week and I can grab a bowl before work (well, sometimes at work if time is short).  I've also started packing my work lunches at the same time.  Trying to streamline my life a little.  It's lovely when I pull it off.  Worth it.

Anyway, muesli is a cold cereal made overnight so the grains soften and the flavors meld a bit.  You can use other grains and any dried fruit and/or nut combination you like.  I've tried it with lemon juice, but the orange juice does not require squeezing and tastes just right to me.  You could stir in a little peanut butter or throw in a few chocolate chips.  Or both with some banana and raisins.  You could stir through some amazing fruit-packed jam.  It's the grated apple, oats, yogurt, juice and honey that are the base for your creativity.  Give it a go!

Guglhupf Bircher Muesli

when this is what your latte looks like, it's a good sign

upstairs at Guglhupf with Sara
(we were going to Duke basketball later in the day, can you tell?)

it is adorable

bakery goodies

Bircher Muesli

one large or two small Granny Smith, Macintosh or other tart apple(s), peeled and grated
1 C old fashioned oats
1 C nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 C low sugar orange juice
1 T honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C or more dried fruit (partial to blueberries and or raisins)
1/2 C walnuts or almonds, optional
one banana, sliced (if you are keeping it for more than one day, add banana when serving)

Grate apples into mixing bowl.  Stir in all remaining ingredients.  Taste for spices and honey.  Add more juice to thin (it will thicken quite a bit as the oatmeal expands).  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Serve cold the next morning.

blurry ingredients at night in my winter kitchen

grated apple

stirring together before refrigerating

next morning:  my Bircher muesli!