june 2. homemade granola

Several of you asked on here and instagram, if I'd share my grandmother's granola recipe. Her granola is pretty much a staple in our kitchen. When we first moved to Maryland and lived on the farm with her, I remember standing with her in her kitchen with two industrial sized mixing bowls full of the ingredients. NPR would always be playing quietly in the background while we'd stir and stir and stir those bowls of oats.

I think one of the things I love about making her granola, aside from the memories, is that it's a sign of a good morning at home. The recipe requries a few hours of attention, stepping into the kitchen every 20 minutes or so to give everything a stir and turn in the oven. 

When I made a batch last week, we were all in the kitchen together. The kids took turns stirring, which I've downgraded to doing by hand (literally). And I let them help with the regular stirring in the oven. Which means I think I have officially "christened" my new oven since oats are now thrown everywhere inside. Oh well.

My grandmother had fifteen children. Her recipe for granola is written to feed fifteen children. So one half-batch serves our family of six very well. My favorite way to eat it is over yogurt and raspberries. Most of my family sprinkles it on top of their bowls of cereal for a yummy mix. And of course, it goes really well over vanilla ice cream.

 

Marylea Farm Granola (half batch)

1 large canister of old-fashioned oats (42 ounces, I think!)

2 cups (or to liking) of nuts (I've been using mixed nuts and adding in extra pecans, my favorite.)

1 generous cup of the following:

oil (I've used both a mild olive oil and vegetable oil)

brown sugar

wheat germ (or ground flaxseed)

honey

Preheat your oven to 400. Place all the ingredients into a very large bowl (I found mine at West Elm Market), or divide among two bowls and stir until coated and combined. For added fun and mess, mix by hand. Spread out granola in a layer on the bottom of an rimmed baking sheet or pan. I have an over-sized baking pan with high sides that I use for this. I use this solely for granola-making. Your granola can be about two inches deep in your pan, but the thinner the layer the more quickly it will cook. Because you'll be turning the temp on the oven down before baking the granola, you can also put more than one pan of granola in the oven at a time. You can experiment with time and how thick your layer of granola is and alter your baking times accordingly. Before you put the granola in the oven, turn down the oven temperature to 225 degrees. Place the granola in the oven and stir every twenty minutes or so. It takes me approximately two hours to reach the golden brown stage. When the granola is golden brown, turn off your oven and leave the pans in the closed oven until completely cool. Remove and eat it straight off the pan. I mean, put it into an air-tight container and enjoy!