Cold-Soak Hazelnut Oat Jar
Oats, chopped hazelnuts, and three dried fruits, softened in cold water while you walk.
- calories
- 690
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 138
- protein
- 13 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 3 min
- water
- 250 ml cold
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Cold soak
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Day hike
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Rolled oats | 1 cup | quick oats soften faster if you are impatient |
|---|---|---|
| Chopped hazelnuts | 1/4 cup | |
| Mixed nuts | 1/4 cup | whatever bag is cheapest |
| Raisins | 1/3 cup | |
| Dried cranberries | 1/3 cup | |
| Dried apple slices | 1/3 cup | break them up before packing |
| Brown sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Honey | 1 tbsp | carried in a small squeeze tube |
| Rapeseed or canola oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Salt | a pinch |
Method
- Pour 250 ml of cold water into the bag or jar with the dry mix. Add less than you think.
- Squeeze the air out, seal it, and shake until nothing is dry in the corners.
- Let it sit 30 to 60 minutes. Stash it upright and easy to reach in your pack, not buried under the tent.
- Open it, squeeze in the honey and oil, stir, and eat straight out of the bag.
- If it is soupy, add a handful of dry oats and wait five more minutes.
No stove means no fuel, no windbreak, and no waiting for a boil. Cold water will soften rolled oats and dried fruit on its own in about half an hour, which happens to be the length of a walking stretch between breaks. You start it and forget it.
Water is the part that takes practice. Too much and you are drinking oatmeal out of a bag; you can always add more, so start short. The fat matters as much as the sugar here. Oil and nuts are what turn a bag of fruit and starch into a breakfast that holds until noon. Honey and oil go in after the soak, not before, since they coat the oats and slow the water down.
Packing
Dry mix goes in a zip bag at home, and that bag goes inside a second one. The inner bag is the bowl. Honey and oil ride in their own bottles so a leak stays contained.
Variations
- Swap the honey for maple syrup or more brown sugar and it is vegan.
- Start it at the last break the night before and it is ready before you are awake.
- Milk powder or soy protein powder in the dry mix adds body and protein.
https://omienpolkujenkulkija.fi/2024/08/29/vaellusruokaa-cold-soaking