Sunday, November 3, 2013

Foolproof granola

I'v made granola a couple of times now, and while I still search for that perfect savoury granola recipe, I think I finally landed on a recipe for the sweet version that's pretty much foolproof.

Granola Recipe (foolproof)

1 kg rolled oats (I buy them in 1 kg packets)
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 egg white and 1 whole egg
3/4 cup natural sugar

Mix and match 2 - 3 of these (or all). Note all nuts must be raw.
1 cup peanuts, skins on
1/2 cup each of roughly chopped almonds and cashews
1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

I don't add dried fruit, simply because I don't like most dried fruit (except maybe coconut flakes), but feel free to add them with the nuts.

Preheat oven to 160 deg C. Spray 2 trays with nonstick spray.
In a glass measuring jug, combine the oils, egg and egg white, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Whisk to combine. I find pre-mixing the sugar with the wet ingridients easier - the sugar tends to pile at the bottom of the bowl if mixed with the dry.
Mix the oats and nuts in a large bowl.
Pour the sugar-oil-egg-vanilla-salt mixture into the dry, and stir to combine.
Try to make sure that everything is mixed as evenly as possible.
Pack the mixture into 2 trays (10 x 14"). Pack them as tightly as possible - this is what will make your granola cluster and clump.
Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until the granola appears a dark golden brown.
Don't take them out too pale - it's the crisp caramelization that you want here. You might want to rotate your trays halfway through baking, or use foil to cover and prevent "hotspots" from turning too brown.
Cool, then break into clumps. I use a butter knife.
Store in airtight containers.


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