I love Brown Food. If I got offered a booth at a college activities fair, I'd preach the glory of Brown Food with toast crumbs strewn down the front of my shirt and hand out pamphlets about the Maillard reaction1. Consider this edition of soupe du jour an induction to the cult of Brown Food by way of its Jesus, granola.
THE RECIPE. I start by preheating the oven to 350 F, and from there it's all jazz. I’m about to say a bunch of numbers followed by measurements and ingredients, but please do not consider this recipe as prescriptive! My dry mix usually includes 2 cups of oats, ½ cup of untoasted nuts (pecans, almonds, cashews are my go-tos), ¼ cup chia seeds and/or flax meal, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp cardamom, and obviously salt. Then I pour in some vanilla, canola oil, and almond milk. I never measure these because my goal is to only wash 2 dishes (mixing bowl and spatula), but the mixture should be wet without liquid pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Let's say, ½ cup milk and 3 Tbs oil. I tip it all out onto a sheet pan sprayed with coconut oil and bake for 15 minutes before flipping with a firm spatula. From there, I check it every 5-10 minutes until it's deeply browned and crisp. I let it cool completely before transferring it to a fun, airtight container.
The most important thing about granola is getting everything crunchy. That's why I add sugar and oil; they caramelize the ingredients and make them taste good. The milk is essential in getting a nice texture on the oats and binding the components together by hydrating them. If your granola isn't crisping, try adding more oil or sugar, or letting it bake longer. But not too long, because I have burnt many (multiple!) batches. Set a timer if you're multitasking.
Be Your Own Boss!! Here's some suggestions to customize YOUR perfect granola.
Dry ingredients: cocoa powder, unsweetened coconut (add during the last 5 minutes of baking to prevent burning), dried fruit (add after baking or it will turn into little rocks), sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, pumpkin spice blend.
Wet ingredients: runny nut butter, maple syrup, almond extract, coconut oil. One time I added half a roasted, mashed sweet potato (Murasaki variety). It was kind of amazing. Great texture. Go with God!
I'm not going to tell you how to eat your granola (I've said enough), but please send me photos if this inspires you to make some.
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from byjus.com, "The Maillard reaction is an organic chemical reaction in which reducing sugars react with amino acids to form a complex mixture of compounds. This reaction is responsible for the characteristic flavour and aroma of browned food"