Saturday, 22 September 2012

Homemade Granola

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I like my granola darkly toasted and clumpy, strewn with fruit, light on seeds, heavy on pecans and salty-sweet-savoury from sea salt, honey and extra virgin olive oil.



Originally I added the dried fruits at the beginning but they became too crunchy and you couldn't really detect the flavours. Now I add them near the end - just long enough for the fruits to soak up some of the liquid and meld into the mixture.

For breakfast, I dollop a few spoons of greek yogurt into my bowl, add whatever fresh fruit is to hand (sliced apple or banana, berries etc), splash in some milk and then scatter a handful of the granola over the top. It's also good with straight milk, though I like the complexity some fruit and slightly sour yogurt adds. Sometimes I take a little box of it to the library, to eat outside when I'm getting some fresh air. It's my granola break - a fag break for sugar-dependent non-smokers.

Finally, learn from my mistake: don't put it in a clear plastic box on your worktop. Whenever I'm in the kitchen I find it impossible to keep my hands from cracking the sides of the lid open and sneaking a few clumps. It taunts me every time I make a cup of tea.



Homemade Granola
(adapted from Nekisia Davis' recipe on Food 52)

135g oats - rolled or porridge or a mixture
60g pecan halves, broken up/chopped
20g brown sugar*
30g sunflower seeds
30g coconut strips
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 - 1 tsp fine sea salt
1/8 tsp ground/microplaned nutmeg
100ml runny honey or maple syrup
70ml extra virgin olive oil
40g dried cranberries
40g dried apricots, roughly chopped
30g raisins

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F. Get out a big mixing bowl and add the oats, pecan halves, sugar, sunflower seeds, coconut, cinnamon, 1/2 tsp sea salt and nutmeg (I put the bowl on my scales and zero as I add each one). Stir together. Add the honey and olive oil and stir well. Tip out onto a big baking sheet (with some sort of side) and spread out.

Put into the oven and bake for 10 minutes then stir (don't worry about how gloopy it looks) and put back in for another 15 minutes. Add the cranberries, apricots and raisins and stir in. Put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes until the granola is a rich golden brown. Stir occasionally as it cools, breaking into small clumps if needed and scraping the bottom. Add the extra salt if you think it needs it. Keeps well in a sealed box or tin (mine has always run out in under a week).

(Makes 1 smallish batch, easy to scale up)

Tip: I pour the oil into my measuring jug first, then tip it around a bit so the sides are oily. Then pour in the honey up to the 170ml mark. It'll slip easily out into the bowl without the honey sticking.

* UPDATE 2014 - I now use 20g instead of 40g sugar - it's a touch less sweet and the flavours seem more pronounced. I mix and match the add-ins (i.e. nuts, seeds and fruits) according to my cupboard that day - dried cherries and chunkily chopped skin-on whole almonds are some of my new favourites. I also switch between honey and maple syrup - you can use the same volume.


17 comments:

  1. There's nothing in this world like homemade granola---I love how dark you toast yours, that must have some intense flavor!

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  2. i love this recipe. my adapted version of it features coconut palm sugar but that olive oil and sea salt. it's lip smacking. and you are right. it's dangerous to keep it on the counter top. i think i've eaten most of it out of the glass jar that holds it than for breakfast with yoghurt!

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  3. Ooh, homemade granola sounds perfect for quick morning breakfasts! I like mine with yogurt. :)

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  4. This looks great and just having stopped myself from spending alot of money on granola at a food fair your recipe has come at the perfect moment. Thanks GG

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  5. It's so funny but just as you posted this yesterday, I was making my first ever batch of Granola! Mine is sweeter though.

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  6. I do love a good granola and now that it's autumn I'm moving away from my usual bircher muesli. Yours looks a gorgeous colour and love the different add ins. I'm a fan of seeds AND nuts - the chunkier the better but I do realise sometimes less is more ;-)

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  7. Emma, this so cracked me up. I was just eating a bowl of homemade granola this morning and I had to hide the container way back in the cupboard so that I wouldn't snack on it all day. SO tempting!
    xxoo from Berkeley,
    E

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  8. We've been making our own granola since we changed out diet and it's much better than any cereal you can buy. Like you I do snack on it during the day too.

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  9. Looks fantastic, love these ingredients. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

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  10. Sue - I think the photos probably enhance the darkness but it is nice and toasty - the honey seems to caramelise. You're right - homemade is something else.

    mehrunnisa - Coconut palm sugar sounds lovely - can you taste the coconut? I was wondering what it'd be like with coconut oil in place of the olive too.

    Katrina - It's so addictive! I hope you get to try making granola at home, it's really quick.

    Eileen - I like being able to chuck together a breakfast like this when I'm sleepy. Yogurt is definitely a good plan.

    GG - It's great to make at home - quick and you can adapt it exactly to your taste. Plus, as you say, it must be cheaper.

    C.K.B. - How funny! Which recipe did you use? I love the way it makes the house smell so good.

    thelittleloaf - Hehe well that's the best thing about making granola - you can make it however you like it! My mum likes more seeds too. I do like pumpkin seeds as a change.

    erin @ yummy supper - I can just imagine you hiding it! It's so dangerous.

    Domestic Executive - I agree - it's definitely better than most bought stuff - though I did have some great types in California, but they were bakery/B&B made.

    Sarah - Thanks! I love how adaptable granola is to individual tastes.

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  11. Hi Emma. I am glad you are still blogging. I made a version of this today. Delicious! The hard bit was waiting for it to cool before eating it! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

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  12. This looks sooo delicious!! And congrats on your win, very well deserved!!

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  13. Making this recipe now and I'm already licking the spoon! Can't wait to put on top of my morning yogurt. Thanks for sharing!

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  14. As someone who's totally clueless about this type of snacks, how hard would be to press it into a bar somehow? Looks delicious, but I'm not used in eating it in this way. Thanks. :)

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    1. I'm not sure - you could try it. I've never had much success with granola bars! You can carry this about in a little pot and munch on it that way.

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