My husband wakes up with a veracious appetite. His routine: brew his imported Costa Rican coffee, stroll down the lane for the newspaper, then settle in for 1-3 bowls of cereal. Over the years, he’s grown tired of the old American cereal selection and lamented the lack of good, healthy muesli or granola he’d been able to find while traveling in Europe. There are plenty of granola cereals available today in U.S. grocery stores, but most are either too bland or too sweet. So, I started making homemade granola a few years back. The problem is, he eats so much; it hardly seemed worth the mess to make small batches. Thus, I started working on recipes for large quantities, which I could then freeze. Yes, frozen cereal. Equipped with 2 multi-rack convection ovens and 6 cookie sheets, I can make enough cereal to last him 2-4 weeks.
I haven’t always liked the results of my concoctions since I never wrote anything down and I experimented with various combinations of flavoring – all the while trying to keep it as healthy as possible yet not entirely bland.
The following is the recipe I finally did write down and is, indeed, my best batch to date.
Making granola, in general, is a bit of a pain because of the mess. Stirring in the oven for even toasting invariably leaves stray oats in my oven and on my kitchen floor, so making a large batch less frequently was part of my goal. Included in this recipe are a few tips for preparation that I think are very important for the overall quality of the batch.
I begin with a 42 oz. (that super large container) of Quaker Oats (old fashioned not quick cook). This I divide into 2 parts. I use a wide low bowl to mix in the wet ingredients because it’s easier to stir facilitating even distribution of the liquid. Oats quickly and unevenly soak up the liquid, so dividing the batch really helps. I also, stir the liquid into the oats first then add the other ingredients and stir them through because I want most of the flavor from the liquid to soak into the oats. Everything else in the granola has some flavor without the sweet goop. Most of the time, a wooden spoon just doesn’t do the trick so I work the oats with my hands.
Next I add in the coconut, toss it and finally I add the nuts. Any nuts and any quantity you want to use should be fine but I wouldn’t overdo the coconut.
I line 6 cookie sheets with parchment paper – another trick for easy cleaning. Granola REALLY sticks to an unprepared pan (yes, the voice of experience).
Liquid Preparation:
In a medium saucepan at medium heat
Add
1 1/4 c. canola oil
1 c. honey
¼ c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved
If you split the oats into 2 batches, you also have to split the liquid. You will notice the liquid separates very quickly with the oil rising to the top. Whisk the mixture as you pour to make sure it doesn’t separate.
Once the batch is mixed, placed onto the cookies sheets. This recipe requires 6 sheets so that each sheet has a very thin layer. The oats will not toast evenly with too much on each cookie sheet.
Bake at 300° (convection multi-rack) for 25 minutes. Stir at 10, 15, 20 minute increments. (again a pain and a good reason to make a big batch)
Once removed from the oven, any choice of dried fruit can be added to the warm granola. We prefer craisins.
When completely cool, I use the original oatmeal container to store the first batch for eating and place all remaining in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze to preserve. Simply thaw when you need more.