Granola
- Thread starter Erik G
- Start date
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
4 c old-fashioned rolled oats
2.5 c sliced almonds
.5 c chopped pistachios
.5 c chopped macadamia nuts
.5 c grated or flaked coconut
.3 t salt
.5 t cinnamon
6 T vegetable oil
.5 c honey or maple syrup or a mix of the two
1 c dried cranberries
.5 c golden raisins
.5 c Zante currants
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 250. Line a large jellyroll pan with parchment.
Toss together oats, nuts, coconut, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir together the oil and honey, then stir into oat mixture until well coated.
Spread mixture in baking pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 100-120 minutes. Stir in dried fruits then cool completely in pan on a rack.
2.5 c sliced almonds
.5 c chopped pistachios
.5 c chopped macadamia nuts
.5 c grated or flaked coconut
.3 t salt
.5 t cinnamon
6 T vegetable oil
.5 c honey or maple syrup or a mix of the two
1 c dried cranberries
.5 c golden raisins
.5 c Zante currants
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 250. Line a large jellyroll pan with parchment.
Toss together oats, nuts, coconut, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir together the oil and honey, then stir into oat mixture until well coated.
Spread mixture in baking pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 100-120 minutes. Stir in dried fruits then cool completely in pan on a rack.
Like always Kevin, thank you. This seems like it will produce loose granola, similar to the consistency of cereal granola. Can you please recommend what I should do to make clusters or granola that stick together. Hopefully it won't involve increasing the sugar content, as I am trying to make this as healthy as possible.
Is the coconut a personal preference or something that's vital in making granola? If possible, I would like to avoid coconut.
Erik
Is the coconut a personal preference or something that's vital in making granola? If possible, I would like to avoid coconut.
Erik
I would lower the temp some 200-210 range and don't stir it, to keep it together like peanut brittle. Turn the pan around in the oven instead of stirring it. You might want to use 2 square pans so you can spin them a 1/4 turn each time. But I think if you used a jelly roll pan and did a 180 every so often that would work out well also.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Brittle is usually made by making a syrup and taking it up to the top of the soft crack stage, mixing it into the soilds, then pouring it out to cool and harden. It would likely require more sugar and liquid.
I'm not sure you'd need to go lower than 250 though Bry may me right about that. What you can do after baking is immediately after the pan is rmoved from the oven, stir in the dried fruits, leaving the granola in the pan. Spread it back out evenly then, using your hands and paper towels spread out over the granola, press the granola very hard. Leave in the pan and leave the paper towels. When it cools, remove the towels. You should have a mix of clusters and looser granola.
Another alternative is not use egg whites in the mix. These would be whisked to the stiff stage, set with a little sugar, then gently folded into the mix.
And another would be the a more typical chewy granola bar thing. This usually requires corn syrup, sometimes peanut butter.
I'm not sure you'd need to go lower than 250 though Bry may me right about that. What you can do after baking is immediately after the pan is rmoved from the oven, stir in the dried fruits, leaving the granola in the pan. Spread it back out evenly then, using your hands and paper towels spread out over the granola, press the granola very hard. Leave in the pan and leave the paper towels. When it cools, remove the towels. You should have a mix of clusters and looser granola.
Another alternative is not use egg whites in the mix. These would be whisked to the stiff stage, set with a little sugar, then gently folded into the mix.
And another would be the a more typical chewy granola bar thing. This usually requires corn syrup, sometimes peanut butter.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Whoops. Never saw that question. Nope, don't need it. (I love it for flavor and am not concerned about fat content so...)
Replace the coconut with more nuts of the same a different variety of the others (you can change any of the nuts you wish or switch amounts between them). Or you can up the dried fruit instead. (You can also alter fruits. I like dried sour cherries with dried mango (chopped well--the unsweetened from TJ's) and chopped apricots.)
Replace the coconut with more nuts of the same a different variety of the others (you can change any of the nuts you wish or switch amounts between them). Or you can up the dried fruit instead. (You can also alter fruits. I like dried sour cherries with dried mango (chopped well--the unsweetened from TJ's) and chopped apricots.)
Kevin, the dried fruit from TJ's is outstanding. I can't get enough of both the unsweetened and the chili mangoes. Their medjool dates (they taste like Saudi Arabian dates) are great also. Come to think about it, every dried fruit I have tried from there seems better than the others.
What do you think about adding flaxseeds and/or pumpkin/sunflower seeds?
I like the idea of inreasing the protein content. So please, if you don't mind, give me a recipe with the egg whites. Hopefully this doesn't throw off the granola taste. Thanks again for everything.
Erik
What do you think about adding flaxseeds and/or pumpkin/sunflower seeds?
I like the idea of inreasing the protein content. So please, if you don't mind, give me a recipe with the egg whites. Hopefully this doesn't throw off the granola taste. Thanks again for everything.
Erik
Erik, I said about lowering the temp of the oven just because of the use of honey, and with lower temps in a oven setting I seem to get more even cooking/browning from mine at lower temps, so I wouldn't need to stir at that low temp. Kevin is prob right, you don't need to lower it but I just know my oven and the higher the temps the more uneven heating, hot spots I have. Like when I crank it up to 550 for pizza it cooks so uneven, really uneven. Even at 350 I have to turn and spin things, though not as bad as 550 pizza. At low temps in the 200 - 210 I get pretty even cooking. If you are using a convection oven then the lower temp is not needed, IMO
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
You'll have to test this. It's coming out of my head and based on what I think might work, adapting one form of granola bars into something less candy-like.
Using the recipe above, add to it:
.5 t baking soda
.75 c evaporated skim milk
4 egg whites
2 T white sugar
Decrease the oil to 3 T
The flow is different:
Spray a 9x11 or 11x13 pan with cooking spray. Heat your oven to 350 (conv).
Mix together the oats, nuts, dried fruit, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the honey, oil and evap milk.
In a med bowl, beat the egg whites till just past the soft peak stage then gradually add the sugar, beating, and take to the stiff-and-glossy stage.
Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry. Fold 1/3 the egg whites into the mix to moisten it then fold in the rest, gently.
Spoon the mix into the prepared pan. Bake till a toothpick comes out clean (I'm guessling 30-40 min). Allow to cool somewhat in the pan, score lightly into bar shapes, cool completely, cut into bars.
Flax will add Omegas. Best if ground at the last moment for more availability but not essenstial. Were I using flax, I'd go with the no-egg version and add with the dried fruits after cooking the mix and before pressing. Were I wanting pumpkin or sunflower seeds I'd do the same or, if using the egg version, add with at the beginning, replacing an equal amount of nuts.
Using the recipe above, add to it:
.5 t baking soda
.75 c evaporated skim milk
4 egg whites
2 T white sugar
Decrease the oil to 3 T
The flow is different:
Spray a 9x11 or 11x13 pan with cooking spray. Heat your oven to 350 (conv).
Mix together the oats, nuts, dried fruit, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the honey, oil and evap milk.
In a med bowl, beat the egg whites till just past the soft peak stage then gradually add the sugar, beating, and take to the stiff-and-glossy stage.
Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry. Fold 1/3 the egg whites into the mix to moisten it then fold in the rest, gently.
Spoon the mix into the prepared pan. Bake till a toothpick comes out clean (I'm guessling 30-40 min). Allow to cool somewhat in the pan, score lightly into bar shapes, cool completely, cut into bars.
Flax will add Omegas. Best if ground at the last moment for more availability but not essenstial. Were I using flax, I'd go with the no-egg version and add with the dried fruits after cooking the mix and before pressing. Were I wanting pumpkin or sunflower seeds I'd do the same or, if using the egg version, add with at the beginning, replacing an equal amount of nuts.