The Great Granola Guide

Feeling hungover and wrecked? Great, then let's get back to normal and especially enjoy it. One of my favorite breakfasts is yogurt, banana, blueberries, and granola. But did you know that granola is higher mathematics? That's why we called in the expertise of our neighbors from FavorFlav to dive a little deeper into granola. What it contains, how to make it, and the ratio between wet and dry ingredients. Uuuh, yes, really.

Basic granola consists of five ingredients that you mix together and bake in the oven until golden brown. But even with these essential ingredients, there is a lot of room for variation, as it turns out. If you really want to stand out, you do that best by dressing up your granola. More on that later.

The Big 5

1. Grain. The basic base for your granola. The most well-known grains to eventually stir into your yogurt are oats and spelt, but you can also throw in cornflakes and barley. Even buckwheat and quinoa work well in your grain mix (although they are technically not grains), they provide a good crunch and sound nice and healthy. So mix and match away.

2. Nuts. The same goes for this key ingredient: variation is allowed. Is pecan your favorite nut? Throw it in that bowl! Walnut? Also good. Hazelnut? Hmmm. Almond? Tasty. Pistachios? Let’s go. Macadamia? You get it. Use raw, unsalted nuts. Seeds are also allowed, go for pumpkin or sunflower seeds or a handful of chia seeds.

3. Sugar. You can also bake your breakfast cereals without sugar, but we prefer a sweet start to the day. A bit of sweetness is, in our opinion, so essential that sugar is counted by us as one of the big five. Use maple syrup, honey, or agave syrup. You can actually use any liquid sugar variant.

4. Oil. The binding factor. Some swear by melted coconut oil, others by extra virgin olive oil, and yet another by sunflower oil. Try it out and then choose your most successful version.

5. Salt. Essential. In everything. So also in granola. Without salt, your granola will be bland, and you don't want that.

There must be a difference

In addition to the five main ingredients, you can make your granola distinctive with various flavorings. Herbs, spices, and fruit are the most common enhancers for your bowl of yogurt with grains. Think of cinnamon, vanilla, and cardamom (crushed). Or dried peach, apricot, cranberries, raisins, banana, and coconut. For a spicy kick, add a bit of ginger to your granola mix. Chocoholic? Chocolate chips are also allowed.

Just be aware: (dried) fruit and chocolate should only be added after you've taken the basic granola out of the oven. So don't bake them in. The only exception to this is coconut. Dried, shredded coconut can be baked in.

Make it work – the recipe

The only thing you need to remember is that the ratio between ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ ingredients should be about 6:1. So if your grain-nut mixture is 600 grams, make sure to add about 100 grams of liquid sugar and oil.

Mix the grains, nuts, seeds, salt, and any herbs and spices in a bowl. Add the sugar and oil and mix again. Spread the sticky mixture out on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 – 45 minutes at 175 degrees in the oven. Stir your granola every 10 minutes. When your mixture is golden brown, it's done. Let it cool completely, add the dried fruit and/or chocolate chips, and store your homemade breakfast cereals in an airtight jar.

Geschreven door: FavorFlav