Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Granola
On Sunday besides making wine and sausage (there will be a post eventually on the sausage), I made granola. I have never had homemade granola . I followed this recipe. The recipe called for roasted slivered almonds but all I had was almonds still in the shell so I had to crack them all and chop them up but they weren't roasted and I threw in a few pecans and hazelnut meats too.
I mixed up everything and spread it out on the pan.
It was supposed to cook for 30 minutes. I stirred it three of four times during the cooking. For some reason I thought it would clump together more. It didn't. It smelled absolutely wonderful! I removed it several minutes (like 8) early as it seemed to me that it was getting too dark.
I tried it the first time on some of my homemade yogurt. It was pretty good but wasn't as sweet as I thought it would be. It is very crispy but doesn't seem to have a lot of flavor to me. I really think it cooked a bit long or maybe I just need a better recipe. I'll be looking around for other ones and see what I can find. It is important to me to not have to buy a lot of things to make one thing though so I want it to be made out of at least some things can be produced at home (this one had honey and nuts which could be produced at home though I don't have bees as of yet). If you have a blog post to a good granola recipe please feel free to leave it in the comments :)
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toasting your nuts in a frying pan on low heat will bring out the flavor. You could also add sugar or honey to make it sweeter.
ReplyDeleteI think with nuts you have to get the temperature just right, because they burn very easily. Over-cooked nuts taste horribly bitter.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to reading about how you get into bee-keeping. :)
Well, it isn't bitter just kind of crunch and tasteless. Oh and the bees are going to happen eventually, it might not be right now, but eventually. I will be collecting up stuff just like I have for wine making (I am lacking a few things though with the wine making and only realized it now after a bit more research so I will be scrambling to get those before I actually need them :(
DeleteBecky, not sure what was going on not letting you read my post. I use firefox and have no problems. Have checked with several others and they said it was fine for them. Not sure what to do but will check to see if anyone else has problems and what I can do. I am sorry it was moving so fast.
DeleteIt was moving around the bee line on the side. One line would move out a space every time it hit a bee so every other line would wave but I think it was more than that, something about the font and the red made it hard for me to read too. Not to worry it is probably just me. I went back now and tried to read it and got most of the way through it but it was giving me a head ache. I did see you talk about a coyote and something about a fox. I once had a fox as big as a coyote show up here in the yard. I didn't believe it. Michelle saw it first and told me about it and I swore she was wrong until I saw it myself in the back yard. It was definitely the color of a fox exactly but huge! Not good. Luckily it has not come back recently.
DeleteHi Becky, I tried making granola, too, after having eaten some in Ireland at a B and B that the owner made. Hers was so great, but I didn't get the recipe from her. So I hunted up a recipe and tried it, but mine was more like yours, pretty tasteless to me. So now I need a really good recipe. Hoping your followers send you some good recipes. I am going to check on line, too.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am glad I am not the only one. It just was not sweet or had ANY kind of taste but it was nicely crispy. When it cooked it smelled like cinnamon/oatmeal and we thought it was going to be good but it really wasn't :(
Deletedid you use any spices like cinnamon, anise or whatever in your granola? i have made granola and other snack mixes that call for oats, nuts, honey etc...and usually they call for using ginger, or cinnamon or even nutmeg or all spice.... one of the things i do when roasting any nuts is to add a little of the spices with the nuts while roasting.
ReplyDeleteIt called for cinnamon. There is a link in the post to the recipe I used.
DeleteI have just discovered your site and spent a very pleasant hour looking over your past posts. So many projects I want to try..... I make my own Granola and don't really follow a recipe. I would start again with the recipe you had, but add lots more different things. I use barley flakes, oat bran and wheat germ, and more cinnamon. Stir while you are toasting it, and only add nuts (I add walnuts and almonds) and seeds( sunflower, sesame, linseed chia) about five minutes before it is ready to remove from the oven. Then I stir in some mixed dried fruit.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Thanks so much. I will try it again and add some more things. Maybe it will get better. I had been thinking that raisins or dried apple would have been nice. I have both of those...somewhere in that frig.
DeleteGlad you like the blog! I have really loved doing it and it encourages me to try more things too.
I have never tried granola - is it a bit like muesli.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what muesli is, lol, will have to look it up.
DeleteAh now your making something that I'm not really that familiar with - is granola a topping or a cereal? I do make my own museli but thats more about the rolled oats etc than nuts. One thing you might trying adding is a bit of salt, I think nuts generally need salt to bring out the flavour and then add more honey as well. The other thought would be were your nuts nice and fresh - I do find that sometimes if i leave my nuts around too long they lose flavour.
ReplyDeleteHey lady, I have a few recipes you might like. Africanaussie hit it on the nailhead... you need more things in there to boost the flavor. Can I post the recipes here or send them somewhere else?
ReplyDeleteAlton Brown's Granola Recipe:
ReplyDeleteIngredients
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.
Unfortunately I can't remember exactly where I got this one:
ReplyDeleteGranola Recipe:
3 cups (300 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
3/4 cup (75 grams) sliced or slivered almonds
1/2 cup (45 grams) raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup (45 grams) raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 tablespoon (5 grams) wheat germ (optional)
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil or 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (120 ml) pure maple syrup (preferably Grade A Dark Amber)
1 cup dried fruits (cranberries, cherries, apricots, dates, figs, and/or raisins) (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Either butter or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl combine the rolled oats, nuts, seeds, wheat germ, ground cinnamon, and salt.
In a small bowl, stir together the oil (or melted butter), and maple syrup. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and toss together, making sure all the dry ingredients are coated with the liquid. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 30 - 45 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally so the mixture browns evenly. (The browner the granola gets (without burning) the crunchier the granola will be.) Place on a wire rack to cool. You will notice that the granola may still be sticky when it is removed from the oven but it will become crisp and dry as it cools. Make sure to break up any large clumps of granola while the mixture is still warm. Once the granola has completely cooled, store in an airtight container or plastic bag in the refrigerator. It will keep for several weeks.
Makes about 5 cups.
Note: Once the granola has cooled completely you can add a variety of dried fruits; cherries, cranberries, raisins, and apricots are popular choices.
Melinda's Homemade Granola Recipe
ReplyDelete2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup peanuts or toasted almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut (I always use unsweetened, but you can go for the sweetened kind if you'd like)
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ (I often omit this ingredient, as I tend to forget to buy it)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried fruit (dried apricots, craisins and dried apple are all delicious choices)
scant 1/4 cup cooking oil (not olive)
1/2 cup honey
1. Mix the oat, nuts and grains in a large bowl.
2. Measure oil into the measuring cup and swirl it around before pouring into bowl.
3. Then measure out the honey in the same, unwashed cup. The oil will help the honey exit the cup.
4. Toss everything together until evenly coated and then pour out into a baking pan. I use a large roasting pan, as it keeps everything contained. A cookie sheet with a lip also works, but you have to stir it slightly more carefully if you use that.
5. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, turning it with a spatula every ten minutes or so. You want everything to be an even golden brown.
6. When it is finished cooking, returned the baked granola to the mixing bowl, add the raisins and fruit and stir to combine. Stir gently several times as it cooks, so that it doesn't clump together too much.
Thanks so much! I'm going to print these up tomorrow at work so I can have them for the next time I make some.
Delete