Granola: the recipe for the crunchy and lightest homemade granola ever

Granola is a mix of cereals, dried fruit, seeds and dehydrated fruit not to be confused with muesli. They are both two breakfast cereals but granola, unlike muesli, is baked in the oven. Granola is a very common recipe in Anglo-Saxon countries, especially in Australia. Granola is the ideal preparation for breakfast, you can eat it with milk or yogurt, but also as a snack as it is also recommended for those suffering from thyroid problems, as it is rich in iodine and selenium.

To prepare the granola, oat flakes are used as a base, to which you add dried fruit to taste, including walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts to be coarsely chopped, as well as dehydrated fruit such as raisins, cranberries or apricots and seeds, especially sunflowers ones. Everything will be wrapped in a honey syrup and baked in the oven to toast it and increase its crunchiness. So let’s see how to prepare a truly irresistible granola to enjoy however you like.

How to make Granola

In a large bowl, place the oat flakes and coarsely chopped nuts and sunflower seeds.

Now prepare the syrup by putting the water, honey, fine salt and extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan, cook on low flame until boiling and then let it simmer for 5 minutes. Once ready (1) add the syrup to dried fruit and oat flakes and mix well until everything is well combined. Spread the mixture into a pan covered with parchment paper and make a thin layer but without crushing too much.

Place in a preheated oven at 150 degrees C and turn every 10 minutes. At half an hour of cooking, add the dehydrated fruit, leave in the oven for another 20 minutes, turning from time to time (2). Once ready, let the granola cool in the oven, so it will be more crunchy.

Now place the granola in an airtight glass container (3) and eat it as you like.

Tips for making a perfect Granola for breakfast

– You can enrich granola by adding dark chocolate chips, coconut flour, cinnamon, so as to customize it according to your tastes.

– Instead of honey you can also use maple syrup, or use them together. In this case the doses will be 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 of maple syrup. You can then replace the extra virgin olive oil with corn oil or butter.

– Remember to turn the granola in every 10 minutes during cooking to prevent it from burning.

How to store Granola

You can store the granola for a maximum of 15 days at room temperature or in the refrigerator, in an airtight glass container.