Granola can be made even more healthy and tasty with a few useful tips
Homemade granola is a mix of oats, spices, seeds and fruits bound together with a mix of melted butter or oil, honey and brown sugar or maple syrup before laying on a sheet and baking in the oven until crisp and golden. The result is a ready to use cereal that can be served with milk and yogurt for breakfast or as a healthy snack. With a few tips, you can make sure your granola is perfectly cooked.
Baking Tips
Ensure perfectly cooked, crispy, golden granola by baking in a single, even layer in the oven. Turning the tray half way through the cooking time prevents the sugars in your fruit or syrups from overcooking and burning on one side and ensures the granola is toasted to an even color. A piece of parchment paper between the mixture and the baking tray prevents sticking and also provides a handy way of transferring your granola from baking sheet to jar without losing a single grain.
Create Clumps
Create texture by creating granola nuggets. This can be achieved by adding an egg white into the granola mix before baking, then leaving the mixture to cool overnight. The granola can then be broken into light, bite-size chunks that will hold their shape during storage. Alternatively, add more oats to the mixture.
Vary Ingredients
Vary the combinations of flavorings, seeds, nuts and fruits in your granola to create different taste and texture combinations. The only rule is to experiment. Millet and quinoa make interesting additions, as do exotic fruits, such as apricots and pineapple. Crushed peanuts added with honey and peanut butter also creates a delicious contrast between sweet and salty. The only ingredient you should not vary is your oats. Only traditional, rolled oats will do in granola. Otherwise, you risk destroying your cereal by creating a texture that is too chewy or soft.
Separate Fruit
Ensure your granola is full of plump, juicy fruit by adding it at the last minute. Baking dried fruit in the oven will only rob it of its moisture and flavor. Instead, add dried fruit to the granola once it has been baked. For an extra burst of freshness and flavor, add fresh berries, such as blueberries and cranberries, straight to the bowl at serving time.
Cut Calories
Traditional granola contains vegetable oil and high-calorie sweeteners, making it dangerous to dieters. Create a low-calorie version by substituting oil or butter for a binder, such as orange juice, applesauce or bananas, and lower-fat sweeteners, such as grape molasses for syrup, brown sugar and honey. Nuts and seeds can also pack calories into the cereal so cut them back and replace with fruit instead.
Tags: your granola, brown sugar, dried fruit, perfectly cooked
