Friday, July 5, 2013

multigrain granola

One of my favourite breakfasts, especially in the summer, is granola with plain yogurt and fresh fruit. However, one of the main ingredients of prepared granola is rolled oats, and sadly, oat bran and I do not get along (large-flake oats are the worst, but I can eat a small amount of quick-oats). Luckily, a local natural food store has a wide variety of rolled grains available, so I've been making my own granola for a few years now. What follows is a very general idea of what goes into my granola - every batch is different, depending on what's in my cupboard. But if you find that sort of baking fun, you should be able to make a tasty batch from my directions.

Multigrain Granola


2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
2 cups rolled grains (I use a mix of wheat, kamut, rye, barley, or quinoa)
2 cups puffed grains (I use rice, millet, or wheat, depending on what I can find)
1 cup raw seeds or chopped nuts (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, walnuts, whatever you like)

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 250 F. Place oven racks at 1/3 and 2/3 of oven height. Line 2 large cooking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the grains and seeds/nuts in a large bowl. Place the last 4 ingredients in a small pot, and warm until just bubbling. Pour over the grains, and mix to thoroughly coat everything. Divide the granola between the 2 sheets. Spread into an even layer, and place one sheet on each oven rack, but not overlapping too much (you want good airflow in the oven).
Bake the granola for about an hour, switching the sheets after 30 min. Once the granola feels dry to the touch, increase the oven temperature to 325 F, and toast the granola for another 15 min, or until golden brown (watch it carefully, because it can brown quickly).
Cool the granola on the baking sheets, then store in an airtight container. It should stay fresh for a few weeks, as long as it stays dry.


1 comment:

Unknown said...

It will be a tasty and nutritious breakfast which is the best breakfast to start the day healthy.