I first met granola in Brazil. Then in USA. In Italy it is not known yet, and I don’t understand why.
We can’t find it here at common supermarkets. To be sincere, I’ve never seen granola here. So, the solution is to prepare it by myself.
It is not a bad idea, as the ones we buy often have much more sugar than we need or want. I have found this recipe at this Italian blog Dissapore, written by someone, as me, who likes it and can’t find it here. This is my favorite recipe for now. I’ve been preparing one after another. As soon as it finishes, I prepare it again.
I love to eat it with fruit yogurt, as it is the only yogurt I like. But my husband and children love it with low fat white yogurt.
I like this granola recipe because it has the right sweetness for me. I have found another recipes, but with too much sugar. Here you only have 2 Tbsp of brown sugar and 4 Tbsp of honey.
Ingredients for 1 baking sheet (14x12in, I use my oven’s one):
2 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 Tbsp sunflower seeds (optional)
1 1/2 cup nuts chopped (hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts – I use mainly almonds)
1/3 cup dried fruit like raisins or cranberries
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 Tbsp honey (use maple syrup for vegan version)
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp water
How to prepare it:
Turn on the oven to 300°F.
Chop the nuts with a sharp knife and set apart.
In a capacious bowl, mix rolled oats, brown sugar, salt and sunflower seeds. Add the nuts and mix well.
In a small pan, put together the honey, water and oil and turn on the gas. When it begins to boil, lower the gas and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pour the oil mixture onto the bowl with oats and mix it well.
Pour everything on the baking sheet and spread it all over trying to divide it equally.
Bake for about 25 minutes, taking care of mixing it all every 10 minutes. I use two spatulas as the granola on the border tend to get darker and you just have to mix it all a couple of times during cooking time.
After 30 minutes, take it out of the oven and add the dried fruit and mix well one more time. Put again into the oven and after 10 minutes, mix it all over again and bake 10 more minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the granola inside to cool, so some lumps will form and they are going to be the first pieces you’ll look for.
Just pay attention to its color, as ovens may vary one from another (I cook less than the recipe I copied it from otherwise it is still good, but too dark). It gives its best when you are able to have a golden color.
Buon appetito!
No Comments