Home-made plain granola
Making my own granola came from a number of reasons. I don’t like raisins. I like oat clusters. I prefer the dried cranberries I can buy separately to the ‘freeze-dried fruit’ you find in ready-made cereal. I don’t eat cereal every day, so the 2-3 times a week I do I want it to be wonderful. Cereal can be surprisingly expensive. And I was absolutely unable to find plain simple granola in any supermarket in London. Why do they always add raisins, nuts and weird seeds? Why can’t it just be plain??
So I took the plunge and made it myself. And I don’t think I can ever go back. It was so easy! I now look forward to cereal days more than ever, as I mix together my home-made clusters with dried cranberries. And sometimes, chocolate chips…
This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown.
Adjust the quantities based on how much you want to make. I made about 2 weeks’ worth. Also feel free to add in any nuts or raisins you like – the best part about this recipe is that it is infinitely customisable!
- 3 cups rolled oats (it is worth splashing out on good quality oats, as you won’t use too much of it and it’ll still be infinitely cheaper than ready-made cereal)
- 1/4 cup white sugar (use brown if you can – I didn’t have any on hand that day)
- 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, mix the oats with sugar and salt. Then pour in the honey and oil and mix thoroughly. Spread evenly onto a baking tray and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes, taking it out and mixing every 15 minutes. Then, turn the oven down to 80 degrees Celsius to let it dry out for 20-30 minutes. Remove, let cool and then put in an airtight container. It should keep for around 2 weeks.
