This is our house granola. It can be sprinkled on yoghurt, served with milk, or with labneh and poached fruits as I’ve done here.
The secret to good granola is cooking it low and slow and not disturbing it too much while in the oven. I let it cool completely before transferring to a jar or container. To make your own labneh, simply tie plain yoghurt in a clean muslin cloth and allow to hang over a bowl for at least 4 hours until thick and creamy.
MAKES APPROXIMATELY 1 KG
Ingredients
300 g (3 cups) rolled oats
80 g (1/2 cup) hulled buckwheat
50 g (3 3/4 cups) puffed millet
55 g (1 cup) coconut flakes
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
100 g (3/4 cup) pumpkin seeds
40 g (⅓ cup) sunflower seeds
155 g (1 cup) almonds
flaky sea salt
80 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
100 ml maple syrup
175 g (1/2 cup) honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped, or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
100 g dried fruit, such as apricots, sultanas, sour cherries etc.
labneh or milk, to serve
Poached plums
3 tablespoons marsala
2 tablespoons brown sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
6 blood plums, halved and stones removed
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the oats, buckwheat, millet, coconut, seeds, almonds and a large pinch of salt.
Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and honey. Stir in the baking powder and take off the heat – it should foam up. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the oats and stir so that everything is well coated.
Divide the mixture evenly over the prepared trays. It should sit relatively flat to ensure even cooking. If the trays are too crowded, use three trays instead. Bake for 1 hour or until a deep golden colour. During the cooking, stir the granola every 20 minutes, more often towards the end, to ensure it isn’t burning and everything is cooking evenly. Allow to cool completely on the trays, then break up into clusters. Add the dried fruit and transfer to jars or an airtight container. The granola will keep in the pantry for up to 3 months.
For the poached plums, simply combine the marsala, brown sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the plums and cover with a lid. Simmer for 5–10 minutes or until the plums have just collapsed. Allow to cool.
Serve the granola topped with the plums and a dollop of labneh or some milk.
Recipe from A Year of Simple Family Food by Julia Busuttil Nishimura (published by Plum)
As part of
