Cooking the Alphabet: G is for Granola

I was introduced to a lot of foods and food tricks while at college ... reconstituted dried eggs (although I’m not sure that really counts as food), the use of ketchup to disguise scrambled eggs made from reconstituted eggs, veal, and several others that escape me at the moment—probably because they were deservedly forgettable. Not so the granola. I’m not sure what their source was, but it was excellent granola: crisp, with a hint of sweetness, and a good ratio of raisins and nuts to the oat base.

Since then, I have looked high and low for good granola; and in the process, I’ve sometimes paid quite dearly for it too. It was our very own Polka who first encouraged my thoughts of making my own—and who, in the process, reminded me that in some parts of the world the stuff goes under the term muesli. After collecting several recipes and experimenting with a few, I really don’t see myself buying the mass-produced product ever again—especially since, as Wendy McElroy points out, it’s easy to dehydrate one’s own produce. Using dried fruit is a boon in another way—the cook can experiment with varying combinations that simply aren’t possible with fruits that ripen at differing times in the season. It isn’t a good candidate for long-term storage [thanks, SRS and Mama, for correcting me on this!], but it’s so easy and good that it’s worth doing.

Procedures for making granola vary somewhat: some call for pre-toasting the oats and/or nuts before baking the granola mixture; some instruct one to mix and boil the sweeteners/oils before mixing; some have only liquid sweeteners while others combine liquid ones with sugars of varying sorts; and some add spices before baking while others nix that idea. Lest you take all this as a warning sign, I encourage you to consider it as broadening your granola possibility-scape immensely. If you know you like deeply roasted, complex flavors, try pre-toasting everything (Indian cuisine frequently calls for toasting spices so don’t automatically reject that option). If you prefer a clumpy result, then preheating the liquids is best avoided, as that seems to be the thing that reduces clumping most in my experience thus far.

Proportions of ingredients can similarly be thought of as overly fiddly or wiggle room for the adventurous or frugal cook. While oats are the backbone of muesli and granola, if one wants a richer result, adding more nuts and/or fruits is certainly doable. For variety/economy, rolled barley might be added; flax seeds can add texture and nutrition too. It’s a relatively easy thing to make small test batches of various combinations in order to find the ones that please you the most. If nutrition/healthfulness is a factor, tweaking the sweetness is certainly possible—but that’s also the “glue” that holds everything together, so it is possible to cut back too much. I’ll offer general proportions and the procedure that I like best so far.

Granola Master Recipe

Yields approx. 6 C.; serving size approx. 1/2 C.
Preheat oven to 325° F; grease or spray a large jelly roll pan and set aside.

4 C. rolled oats (old fashioned, not instant)
1 C. nut(s)
1/4 t. salt
spices to taste
1 C. liquids
2 T. oil
2 C. dried fruit(s)

Combine oats, nuts, salt, and spices (if any) in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Set aside.

In saucepan over medium heat, mix liquids and oil and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over oat mixture, stirring to coat everything well. Pour mixture onto prepped jelly roll pan. Bake 30–40 minutes or until browned to your liking, stirring every ten minutes.

Remove mixture from oven; stir in fruit(s). Cool completely; store in an airtight container. Serve as is, with milk (can be warmed too), mixed into yogurt, or atop ice cream.

Nuts: Sliced almonds are common, but the possibilities really are limited only by budget and preference. Chopped pecans, walnuts, and peanuts are obvious basic choices; if one prefers a tropical flair, consider macadamia nuts; if something middle eastern is more to taste, pistachios and walnuts (and sesame seeds too) are a good start. What about hazelnuts and cacao nibs for a yummy combination? For nuts that aren’ very challenging to cut, starting with the whole nut and slicing/chopping it oneself preserves more nutrition and flavor.
Liquids: For depth of flavor, I like to use two different sweeteners, and to help with the nonclumpy texture I prefer, I add some water. Start with 1/3 C. water and 2/3 C sweetener(s) and adjust to your preference. For a great, all-purpose foundation, try 1/3 C honey, 1/3 C unsulphured molasses, and 1/3 C water. Other sweeteners to consider include maple syrup (the real stuff), agave syrup, corn syrup (without HFCS, if you can find it), treacle, or flavored honeys. If you want to use sugar, adding it to the other liquids and boiling until it’s dissolved will keep it from adding a gritty texture to the granola. (Or, using demerara or some other nonmelting sugar would add a sweet crunch to the final product.) If you have nut oil, that would add some flavor, but it isn’t really necessary here (and those oils are expensive!). I have corn oil on hand, and use that. Olive oil might add an unwelcome flavor, so I wouldn’t recommend it; peanut, salad oil, canola oil, or coconut oil are all safe choices.
Fruits: Raisins and dates are typical, but again, why limit oneself to the typical? There are so many dried fruits readily available, and making one’s own is so easy. Cranberries, blueberries, apples, bananas, peaches, cherries, figs, strawberries, coconut, blackberries, raspberries, pineapple ... even dried cantaloupe, papaya, or mango could be heavenly in granola.
Spices: Cinnamon is the easy choice, but should be considered just a start. Nutmeg goes very well with bananas and several other fruits. For more punch, consider freshly-ground cloves. Allspice, mace, and cardamom are others to play with, alone or in combination with the other spices mentioned here.

As an example, consider the granola I made yesterday (which inspired this ramble). I wanted something not overly sweet, with a good amount of nuts and a complex flavor so it would be pleasing to the adults here. I had almond slivers on hand, and used about half a cup of those, plus a generous half-cup of roughly chopped macadamia nuts. For the liquids I used a scant 1/3 C molasses, 1/3 C honey, and water. I forgot about the spices, and ended up with about 1/2 t. of cinnamon and a generous pinch of cloves. For fruit, I used dried cherries and coconut; and I also tossed in some cacao nibs just because I have them and wanted to. The mixture might be a little browned for some tastes; but we like it. Darlin’ Daughter turned up her nose at the smell pre-baking—probably from the molasses, with which I do not regularly cook—but really likes the final product. (Sorry, still no photo capability here.)

The batch is over half gone already ... which is a shame, because I can’t decide what to try next! Apple-cranberry with maple syrup and walnuts ... or banana-pecan with lots of nutmeg ... no, maybe a tropical one with coconut, pineapple, and macadamias? So now you know why I’ve rambled on about this: you can help me decide! Seriously, homemade granola is so easy, and so much better for you without stabilizers and preservatives and excess sugar, it’s worth trying at least once.

I’m also wondering how a savory version might work ... dried carrots, celery, potatoes, and onions ... soy or barbecue sauces ... spices ... for use in soups, or a crunchy topping for salads. Possibility overload!!