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May 27, 2013 at 11:37AM vs May 27, 2013 at 11:37AM
Mom's Breakfast Granola
<p>Take a large lasagna pan or fry pan and add:</p>
<ul>
<li>6 c. oatmeal</li>
</ul>
<p>Add 3 c. out of the following options:</p>
<ul>
<li>1 c. nuts (you could use mixed nuts or any of walnuts, pecans, almonds - make sure to use baking nuts that aren’t salted or toasted)</li>
<li>1 c. unsweetened shredded coconut (if you can’t find unsweetened reduce the honey later)</li>
<li>1 c. wheat germ</li>
<li>1/2 c. flax seed</li>
<li>sesame, poppy, sunflower seeds</li>
</ul>
<p>Put in a small bowl:</p>
<ul>
<li>2/3 c. safflower or sunflower oil (do not use a strongly flavoured oil like olive oil)</li>
<li>2/3 c. honey</li>
</ul>
<p>Microwave about 1 min. until warm and dissolved. If using hard honey, heat until it melts. Add to liquid:</p>
<ul>
<li>1 tsp. vanilla extract</li>
<li>Optional: 1 tsp. cinnamon</li>
</ul>
<p>Pour liquid onto oatmeal and mix until all the oatmeal is coated.</p>
<p>Bake at 325 deg. for about 45 mins., or until all ingredients are toasted, mixing occasionally. At the end, remove the pan from the oven and add:</p>
<ul>
<li>1 c. raisins</li>
<li>Optional: other dried fruit, e.g. cranberries, currents, apples, apricots</li>
</ul>
<p>You don’t want to toast the fruit at all or it will go hard.</p>
<h1>Talia's Tips</h1>
<p>Homemade granola is delicious, but lacks the oat clusters found in store-bought cereal. Here is an assortment of tips I have found (mostly sourced from <a href="http://vegedibles.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/how-to-bump-up-the-clump-in-your-homemade-granola/">this blog post</a>) that may help to make homemade granola clumpy. Further testing is required!</p>
<ol>
<li>Egg white method: stir 1-2 eggs whites into the granola mix.</li>
<li>Oat bran/powder method: some people swear by adding oat bran, flour, sugar or other powders, which will mix with the oilliquids to form an "oat glue."</li>
<li>Press the oatmeal down into the baking pan before putting it in the oven.</li>
<li>Reduce stirring to form an oat glue.</li>
<li>Press the oatmeal down into the baking pan before putting it in the oven.</li>
<li>Reduce stirring to a minimum while baking.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2007/6/9/the-lip-ladys-secret-granola.html">This interesting recipe</a> recommends using quick oats instead of old fashioned.</li>
<li>Let the granola cool completely (even overnight) before removing it from the baking pan.</li>
<li>Alternatively, divide the finished oatmeal in half. Remove half into a bowl to cool and leave the other half pressed into the tray. When it cools, the tray half is stuck together and can be broken up into smaller chunks.</li>
</ol>