Granola seems like such an American word, especially when it seems as though muesli would suffice just as well. Except I don’t necessarily think it does. Granola is crunchy, sweet, baked and golden. Muesli is chewy, dense and errs on the side of virtue. Muesli gets soaked in juice and yoghurt to become bircher, granola gets more fats and sugars to become snack bars. Even though I’ve settled on this animal fat-free version as my standard, I’m under no illusion that this delicious breakfast is healthy. Sure it’s full of the goodness of grains and nuts and fibre. But there’s a lot of sugar too.
Some notes. I use rolled spelt because I can get it easily and I love the flavour. I’ve also used rolled rye and barley too. If you can’t get or don’t want to use these other grains, just use all oats. You could go the other way and use no oats if that floats your boat.
Golden syrup is an Australian and British thing. You can use maple syrup or honey instead and I think any viscous sweetener would work. Different flavours of course, but the texture’s the thing. I like the flavour of golden syrup, it’s a smooth, deep caramel sweetness that lets the flavour of the ingredients shine. I think maple takes over.
THE Granola
2 cups oats
1 cup rolled spelt
1 cup coconut flakes
3/4 cup pistachios
3/4 cup flaked almonds
3/4 cup pumkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup golden syrup
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
Combine dry ingredients and mix well. Then add the maple syrup and olive oil and mix through the dry mix until it’s all combined. The best way to do this is with your hands and YES, they will get all sticky and covered in the mix.
Evenly spread mixture out onto baking trays in a layer about 1cm thick. You’ll probably need three trays to do this.
Bake at 150 C for about 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, toss the granola on the tray and re-arrange oven so everything bakes evenly. Oats will be golden when it’s ready.
Cool on the tray, stirring after 10 minutes or so to prevent it all sticking together.