by Erin Otto
You’ll find all sorts of granola ingredients – from rolled oats to rolled kamut, from raisins to dried cranberries – on our order form. Order here for local pick up in Tennessee or here to have your order shipped.
Granola is kind of like cookie dough.
You mix up the gooey raw ingredients, lick the spoon maybe twice, and before you even preheat the oven, your bowl of sticky, buttery, nutty oats is half empty. Whoops!
Did you ever notice that some of the sweetness fades when you bake up your granola? Or that it comes out chewy and dense rather than crisp and light?
I’ve tried a dozen or so other granola recipes, but this is the one I keep coming back to for two reasons. One, it’s soaked, making the nutrients significantly more available to your body. And two, other recipes have failed either the crunch test or the sweetness test or both. This one is still light and crisp several weeks after I make it, and its sweetness doesn’t flinch.
Here’s my recipe.
You can choose to soak your rolled oats for several hours or overnight, or make the recipe without a soaking time. The benefit of soaking is that more nutrients are released and the granola will be easier to digest. If you’d rather not soak it, that’s fine too. The recipe works well either way. The instructions were different enough that I provided two sets – one that includes soaking and one without – to avoid confusion.
Ingredients
8 cups regular rolled oats
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup honey or maple syrup
3 tablespoons whey, kefir, or yogurt for soaking the oats (optional) I use whey.
1/2 – 1 cup rapadura
2 tablespoons vanilla
3 cups dried coconut
1 – 2 cups nuts and seeds (optional) I used pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sliced almonds.
2 cups dried fruit (optional)
Note on substitutions: Go ahead and substitute a different kind of rolled grains than what I use, different kinds of nuts, seeds, or dried fruits, but the butter and sweeteners are non-negotiable. It just doesn’t turn out crisp and sweet when you get creative with these ingredients.
Instructions For Soaked Granola
- Measure the rolled oats into a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and honey together over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the whey, kefir, or yogurt. The acidity of these ingredients helps to break down the phytic acid in the grains and releases vitamins and minerals while the grains soak.
- Stir the butter mixture into the rolled oats.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for 8 – 12 hours or overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and butter or oil two 9 x 13 inch baking pans.
- Stir in all of the remaining ingredients, except the dried fruit.
- Distribute the granola evenly between your two pans.
- Bake the granola for about 25 – 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. You’ll know it’s done when it turns a light golden color and a spoonful of granola set on a plate becomes crispy as it cools.
- Add your dried fruit once the granola is completely cool, and store in an airtight container for up to several weeks.
Instructions For Unsoaked Granola
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter or oil two 9 x 13 inch baking pans.
- Measure the rolled oats, dried coconut, and your choice of nuts and seeds into a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, honey, and rapadura together over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Stir the butter mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Bake the granola for about 25 – 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. You’ll know it’s done when it turns a light golden color and a spoonful of granola set on a plate becomes crispy as it cools.
- Add your dried fruit once the granola is completely cool, and store in an airtight container for up to several weeks.
