now that i have all ya’lls attention,
i’mma give you this:
my favorite granola
3 cups rolled oat flakes
1 cup rolled rye flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup wheatgerm
1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
3/4 cup raw walnuts – chopped to halves or quarters (or sometimes shelled pistachios – no salt)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/8 (1/4 + 1/8 for the fractionally challenged) cup walnut oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
3/4 cup dried sour cherries (or sometimes dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or raisins).
2 large baking sheets with 1 inch rim
yeilds: approximately 1 & 1/2 quarts
1. preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. toss all of the dry ingredients together except for the dried fruit. reserve the fruit for later.
3. mix in vanilla extract, walnut oil & honey or maple syrup. i like my granola with a barely audible stroke of sweetness so 1/4 cup of sweetener is perfect for me. but you could add more, up to 1/2 cup, without it becoming cloyingly sweet. note: if you use the same measuring vessel for the oil and honey, and measure out the oil first, the honey will slide right out of the measuring cup quite nicely.
4. mix well so that the oil, sweetener and vanilla are distributed evenly.
5. distribute mixture equally into the two baking sheets. shake sheets from side to side so that mixture is quite spread out and there are no layers.
6. place in oven, you will most likely use two racks. bake for 30 minutes. halfway though switch the sheets so that the one on bottom rack is now on top and toss both a bit to redistribute.
7. you will know it is done when the color changes slightly – it begins to golden. make sure not to brown too much or the nuts will burn. err on the side of less. depending on your oven the sheets my not toast evenly at the same time, don’t be afraid to leave one or the other in longer.
8. take baking trays out and toss in dried fruit directly while still warm. adding the fruit here is the key to a good texture (don’t you hate when you buy granola and it has stone-hard little bits of dried fruit in it? it’s because they bake the already dried fruit).
9. let cool completely, store in airtight container for up to a month.
if done correctly you have my word that this will
a) not be too sweet
b) not be too oily
c) not have fruit that will break your teeth
d) not have hard bits of granola better suited for bars than breakfast
my favorite way to eat granola is with homemade yogurt. mix it up fresh in the am right in your breakfast bowl.
here’s another granola-yogurt scenario all together that you gotta try(!): mix a bowl, or a jar, of granola and yogurt at night before you go to bed. let it sit overnight in fridge and the next morning you will have the most wonderfully textured bowl-o’-breakfast as the toasted oats and rye swell up and soften. and when fresh fruit is in season, add some chopped the night before, you won’t believe your taste buds the next morning.
ok, i do make granola, i did just say wheatgerm up there, i do have dreaded hair, but i do not wear birkenstocks…
just so we’re clear here.
peace out.
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Thank you for this. I love granola, but all of the recipes everyone posts have sunflower seeds in them. And I am deathly allergic to sunflower seeds.
I know I can just substitute for them, but then I will have to tinker to find the correct flavor balance with the substitution – and by then I am making my own recipe.
And really, sometimes I just want a recipe that someone else has already gotten the dinks out and that I can just make.
robbingpeter- you are very welcome! let me know how you like it. i think you will!
Where do you get Rye Flakes?
I buy this stuff called Bola Granola at the Farmers Market. It is so good – it is evil. I'm lucky if the package lasts 24 hours in my house. And at $6.50 for a small bag – I should definitely start making my own.
ok, seriously…. the oil and honey trick…brilliant… it's the type of trick that's so clever that I'll think I'm so clever just for knowing it and not discovering on my own…heh…love the idea. have a source for local sour cherries here in the summer – thinking we may have to dehydrate them as well
Recipe looks great Tigress,
joel
daisy mai-
i get them in the bulk section at my co-op. i've seen them in bulk sections at wholefoods. i believe bob's red mill and king arthur flour are also other sources.
wellpreservedtoronto- oh joel, you are clever, you don't need a honey and oil trick! but do use it
dehydrate those cherries!
The Birkenstocks come with age. I was 46 before I gave in and bought a pair.
terri- no!!!
I think I may have to try this with home-dried apples. I just bought a peck from the Farmers' Market 'cuz the kids ate all the apples I already dried.
Yum & darn, I have evrything but the rye flakes! Will have to see if I can scrounge some up at the health food store.
hippieingeeksclothing- for sure, it sounds like dried apples could be a delicious addition!
kim-the rye flakes add a subtle depth of flavor that i love, but if you have everything else, just use 4 cups of oats, you can't go wrong with that!
Hi, I clicked on the link for what I assume was a homemade yogurt recipe and it said that page did not exist. I make my own yogurt, but wanted to see how you did it. Can you find us another way to get there?
duckandjunebug-
thanks for bringing that to my attention – and sorry! it's all fixed now.
Thank you! I have posted my marmalade recipe and almost have my bag packed. Hello Costa Rica!
I found the rye flakes and made this today…yum! I gave my husband a spoonful when he came home from work and he said "so this can be dinner?"
I make all our yogurt and will try the over night trick tonight.
kim-
so glad you tried this! my stash is low, i think i'll make some more in the am! do try the overnight trick, and let me know what you think!
OK, we love it & I'm like you in that I don't like it too sweet. I did it overnight in one of my homemade yogurts and that was good too. I'm really wanting a grain to go in my yogurt that will soften up. There's a brand of yogurt we eat in Germany that has grains in it versus flakes. I'll have to read the label this summer…lol.
i have made this a few times and i love it! it knocks commercial granola right out of the water. recently i subbed in steen's cane syrup (it's a louisiana thing) for the honey which was fun.
julia f – so glad you are enjoying this!