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Tired of junk food? Here’s the perfect summer snack food that doubles for breakfast.
Granola! It works for breakfast, as a snack between meals, and as a take-along for summer hikes and activities. We like it as cereal with either hot or cold milk. And like homemade bread, homemade granola is much better. Today, we’ll tell you how to make it . . . and even the secret to those nice chewy clumps.
If you’re busy, we have a homemade granola mix that’s quick to put together. Or you can make it from scratch.
Let your imagination run wild when you make granola. The basic ingredients are cereal, oil, and a sweetener. Then add anything that you like to give it the character, taste, and nutrition that you want. Remember that kids’ tastes are different than yours so make two batches—granola is easy to make.
How to Make Homemade Granola that Clumps
Everyone loves granola that clumps. But most homemade granola recipes don’t clump. The secret to making your granola clump is oat flour. It’s the glue that holds individual pieces together. You’ll find it in the following recipe and in our homemade granola mix.
You can buy oat flour here.
Save time and buy our homemade granola mix. Everything is there for you to mix and bake. It makes great granola with wonderful crisp clumps. You add the nuts, fruits, and flavors of your choice.
Mix and Match Homemade Granola Recipe
The pictured granola was made with rolled oats, rolled wheat, sunflower seeds, brown sugar, vanilla and orange flavor, walnuts, and dried apples.
4 cups Mountain Harvest Whole Grain Rolled Cereal Blend, or other rolled cereal blend
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, or flax seeds
1/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup honey, maple syrup, or a thick syrup made with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2-3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla and/or other extract
3/4 cup raisins or other dried fruit (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together except for the dried fruit.
Set the dried fruit aside.
In another bowl mix the sweetener, oil, and extract together.
Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The liquids will be absorbed and the granola will become darker and shinier.
Spread the granola in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and stir the granola with a large spatula so that it does not over-brown on the bottom and edges.
Add the optional fruit and nuts.
Return the granola to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool on the baking sheet. Letting the granola cool on the baking sheet will retain the clumps.
Once the granola has cooled, scrape it into a large bowl.
Store your granola in a sealed container and use within ten days. May be stored for longer periods in the refrigerator or freezer.
Tips
Granola will become crispier and crunchier as it cools.
Because of the oil, granola will not stay fresh long. Store in an airtight container and use within two weeks. Freeze for longer storage.
Consider adding the following to your granola
Pecan pieces
Pineapple pieces
Coconut
Walnut pieces
White chocolate chips
Dark chocolate chips
Hazelnuts
Peanut butter chips
Diced dry apples
Diced dry pears
Dry cherries
Dried cranberries
About the Author
Dennis Weaver has burned food from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Miami, Florida. He is the founder of The Prepared Pantry in Rigby, Idaho. He loves to help people bake and shares his vast collection of cooking and baking knowledge on his blog as well as in his e-books and magazines. Dennis lives in Rigby, Idaho, with his wife, Merri Ann. They have five wonderful children and six beautiful granddaughters.
