Trade(ing) Secrets

I think I’m a pretty good employee, on most days. I work hard at doing my part to keep the bakery's storefront pretty—the bread and drinks stocked, the coffee carafes and sugar canister filled. I (usually) bite my tongue when incredibly fit mothers reprimand their 8-year-olds for desiring such indulgences as white bread and brownies. I diplomatically field questions like “What do you think of the fat-free fruit muffins?” (Obviously, when you put that much dried fruit in anything, and pretend that applesauce is the same as eggs and butter, it tastes like cardboard.)

But one day, I was not the best employee. A sunny mother approached the counter with a large bag of our granola. I smiled, and went to bag it for her. I also blurted out “youknowit’sreallyeasytomakegranolandit’salotcheapertoo.”

Now, our granola isn’t outrageously expensive: it comes in at $4.75 for a 12 oz bag (compare that to Baked! of Brooklyn’s $8.50 for the same bag). And it’s pretty good—if you like sesame (a relatively cheap ingredient). And a good employee would have smiled, charged her the $4.75 and let her walk out (as we do with most of our customers) believing that what she just bought was the product of some magic, irreproducible process.

(Apparently, most of our customers think breadmaking is magic. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve explained that there can be no such thing as sugar-free vegan bread, because the poor yeast beasties need something to eat. They generally find this disappointingly scientific, and prefer their spontaneous generation theory with regard to carbon dioxide formation in bread.)

But granola baking, like bread baking (see post 1), is no magical process.* In fact, it’s one of the easiest and cheapest recipes in the proverbial book. The flavor is infinitely flexible, and, when poured into prettily decorated mason jars, it makes a lovely and affordable gift. To encourage experimentation according to your own tastes (and those of your loved ones), I’m posting a general formula in addition to a specific recipe that I particularly enjoy. Happy granola baking—to you and to your wallet!

Sweet, Tangy Gingery Granola

Go ahead! Play with spices! 

An amalgam of Melissa Clark’s recipe in The New York Times and a few blogs, plus my own touches

3 c. old-fashioned thick rolled oats (NOT instant)

1 c. slivered almonds

1 c. pistachios

½ c. granulated sugar

½ tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1/2- 1 tsp. ground cardamom

1/3 c. olive oil

½ c. maple syrup (preferably Grade B)

¼ c. pomegranate molasses

½ c. dried apricots, diced

½ c. dried tart cherries

1/4. diced candied (not crystallized, though I'm sure you could use it without consequence) ginger

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients, except dried fruit, in a large mixing bowl. Turn out onto large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake for ~45 mins, or until oats are nicely browned, checking/stirring granola every 15 mins.

Allow granola to cool FOR NO MORE THAN 5 MINUTES (otherwise it’ll stick like the devil to the pan, and you’ll waste granola and time washing dishes) on the pan. Spoon/scrape granola into large bowl, and incorporate dried fruits. Allow to cool to room temperature, and store in airtight container(s).

 Granola, Generally

An easy Sunday morning recipe. Coffee not included. 

3 c. old-fashioned thick rolled oats

2 c. nuts

½ c. granulated sugar

¾ c. liquid sugar (honey, molasses, maple syrup)

1/3 c. liquid fat (melted butter, olive oil, neutral oil)

spices (extracts, such as almond and vanilla, are also nice)

1 tsp salt

1 c. dried fruit

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

Combine oats, nuts, sweeteners, fat and spices/extracts in large mixing bowl. . Turn out onto large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake for ~45 mins, or until oats are nicely browned, checking/stirring granola every 15 mins.

Allow granola to cool slightly on the pan (if using any honey or molasses, watch carefully for sticking). Spoon/scrape granola into large bowl, and incorporate dried fruits. Allow to cool to room temperature, and store in airtight container(s).

*This news spread like wildfire through the foodie community in summer 2009, thanks to Melissa Clark and the blogosphere that picked her up. I’m posting this recipe in case you missed the first Granola Blitz.