What to eat Wednesdays - Chai spiced breakfast muesli

I love Chai drinks. That heady mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom soothes me. So when I saw a recipe for Chai flavoured granola over at Simple Bites, I was inspired to try my own soaked version.

And I love it. Eating Chai spiced breakfast muesli with fresh raw milk is a lovely way to start the day (typed as I munch down on a bowl).

Ingredients

• 8c rolled oats
• 1/4c whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/4c butter, melted
• 1 1/2c sour dairy, eg. plain yoghurt, milk kefir, cultured buttermilk or whey
• 1c water (or up to two cups if needed to wet mixture)
• 1 1/4c honey
• 1t natural sea salt
• 4t vanilla extract
• 4t cinnamon
• 2t ground nutmeg
• 1t ground cardamom
• 1/2t ground ginger
• 1/2t ground cloves
• 1c dessicated coconut
• 1c chopped almonds
• 1/2c sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• 1c raisins
• 1c mixed dried fruit, eg. chunks of dried apple, blueberries, cranberries

Method
1. In a large bowl mix rolled oats and flour with sour dairy, melted butter and water. Cover with a clean tea towel or dinner plate and leave to soak for 24 hours. This soaking process makes the nutrients within the rolled oats easier to digest.

2. When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 100°C / 220°F.

3. Place honey, sea salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger and cloves in a double boiler (a bowl placed on top of a saucepan of boiling water) and gently melt together, stirring until the honey becomes thin.

4. Combine liquid with the oats, mixing well to incorporate.

5. Spread mixture out in two oven trays lined with baking paper.

6. Bake at 100°C / 220°F for 2-3 hours, stirring every hour and alternating which tray is on top and which is underneath.

7. When the mixture is starting to dry out, turn the oven off, stir your mixture one last time and place back in the oven to finish drying as it cools.

8.  Mix in coconut, almonds, seeds and dried fruit.

9. Store in an airtight container and serve with fresh raw milk to enjoy.

Thanks for letting me share this recipe with you. Please let me know if you try it, as I would love your feedback and suggestions for improvement if you have any.