homemade granola

(I'm not even sure what granola is, otherwise I'd help)

2 cups oats
1 cup wheat flakes
1 cup rye flakes
[both of the above products look just like rolled oats]
raw pumpkin seeds
raw sunflower seeds

2-3 tblsp brown sugar
3/4 cup maple syrup
honey
3 tblsp sunflower oil
pinch salt

dried cranberries
raisins

mixed the flavoring ingredients & the oil with the oats, flakes & nuts. baked in 250 degree oven until lightly browned. mixed in dried fruit and let cool.

need to monkey around with the flavoring a little bit (maybe add some spices, alter the sweeteners--perhaps a bit of fruit juice), and keep in mind that the cereal will crisp up a bit as it sits to cool.

anyhow...fairly satisfied with Breakfast Granola 1.

it's been too long. making a batch today. saw a recipe that used tahini so gonna incorporate that. guess i'll go put on some grateful dead while i'm at it
oats
brazil nuts
sliced almonds
pumpkin seeds
chia seeds
coconut
tahini
maple syrup
coconut oil
cinnamon
cardamom

I just pulled a batch of granola out of the oven half an hour ago. I'm very happy with the recipe. So much so that I've been making it consistently since the 1970s. I have the recipe memorized by now.

In a saucepan, combine:

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil)
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbs molasses
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Warm these at low heat for a few minutes until they are warm and runny.
In a large mixing bowl combine, mixing well:

8 or 9 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 235 degrees (not a typo). Now add 3/4 cup of nonfat dry milk powder to the warmed oil/honey mixture and stir it in. Pour into the oats/nuts mixture and mix until oats/nuts are well-coated. Use your hands if you need to.

Spread out the granola on a couple of cookie sheets. Bake on middle rack(s) at 235 for at least 90 minutes, but a full 2 hours will toast everything beautifully. Remove, let cool for 10 or 15 minutes. Store in covered container(s). Eat. Enjoy.

NOTES: It is easy to monkey around with this by adding cardamom, nutmeg, different nuts or seeds for variety. I never add dried fruit before baking - it gets baked to a crisp - but it is OK to add some in after baking.

Wish I'd looked at thread first and that I'd done that tahini recipe again. Anyways first batch in a few years iirc. Just oats, almonds, sesame seeds, coconut, butter/coconut oil combo, maple syrup. Super basic, and will love it with whatever added fruit

we try to do this often because of food allergies to nuts in commercial granola

often comes out kind of falling apart but I will try above resupee

I'm very interested in making my own blend thanks to this thread, but I was wondering what the foundations are. Oats (duh), some melty ingredient to bind it together, some fat, and some sweetener (last three possibly overlapping). Anything else before getting to the add ins?

no, it's that simple. a flake (oats, rye, spelt, etc), fat (usu use butter, but canola and coconut oils work fine), and sugar (usu maple bcuz it's on hand)

Just made own batch, not too bad though my oven starts at 350 so I'll have to reduce bake time next time.

As for fruit, I've read about soaking for 30 minutes and throwing it in with everything else so that's it better incorporated in the clumps, does anyone have experience with that method?

Sounds reasonable. I generally leave fruit out and add what's at hand when I have a bowl

If my granola's coming out a bit soft and soggy, is that because I piled them in too thick of a layer?

Im suddenly wondering if I can make granola in a bread machine

could well be a factor, Leee. other things that come to mind - is it actually toasted enough? is the oven temp too high maybe? is there too much liquid/moisture in the recipe? i accidentally put too much oil or butter in a batch awhile back and i had to bake for quite a while to get the moisture out. ended up quite toasted but not burnt.

The oats darkened but my oven's lowest temperature is 350, so maybe I shouldn't even bother preheating the next time I make a batch.

preheating shouldn't matter one way or the other for granola, imo. have you tried other recipes with similar result? to me "soggy" is making me question the recipe.