Go from Granola-buyer to Granola-maker!
The journey of your healthy eating phase has just started and, you stroll in the supermarket to pick some healthy alternatives for your meals. You reach for a box of healthy granola only to keep them back on the supermarket shelf after surviving a mini heart attack, thanks to its price. Granola has made us all be there! A box of store-bought granola oats will keep you going for just a week yet, so overpriced! And, not to mention the low health quotient of a store-bought box of granola, always drastically lacking in the required fruit and nut additions.
But the good news is that you can make this delicious crunchy granola right in your kitchen in your comfy PJs! Wondering how to make granola at home? Making your homemade granola is super easy, quick, and easy-on-your-pockets. Just an hour or so is all that a healthy granola recipe asks for and you have with you a big batch of yummy granola to last for a week.
Why Homemade?
Making homemade granola is fun for so many reasons besides saving you bucks. You can chill with music and whip up some granola with your loved ones, getting yourselves some delicious and healthy cereal. Also, you can play around with the granola ingredients to creatively invent your granola in all shapes, flavours, and sizes! Crispy, chewy, crunchy, fruity, nutty, clustery chocolatey, or good old plain, you name it, you make it!
How To Begin?
The first step to becoming a granola maker is to take time and discovering the perfect granola recipe that suits you. Patience is all that you need, for once the first batch is out of the oven, you can start improvising as much as you feel like. You can also buy the ingredients in bulk to begin your journey of baking homemade granola as it makes it inexpensive and also makes sure you have enough to customize it to your taste. Once you have nailed your perfect granola recipe, there is no turning back and, you would never return to that mediocre store-bought kind ever again.
Psst, here are some secrets for that perfect batch of homemade granola!
A simple bowl of oats and your favorite nuts with a little butter and sweetener is all you need to invent dozens of alternatives on this easy snack. But there are some ground rules to be followed for every great invention of granola. Follow these tips to turn out a great batch every single time.
Cluster or flaky?
Everyone has a different choice, and we get it. To achieve chunkier granola, you need to make sure your mixture has more sweetener for the simple logic that it will stick together better. The secret ingredient to bind your granola better is the chia seeds. Soaked chia seeds swell up, and these sticky seeds gel and are the perfect granola binder.
Also, flatten the granola mixture on a parchment-lined pan and ensure to not spread it apart. Finally, after it's done, let it cool entirely before cracking it into chunks.
For a flakier version, reduce on your oil or butter and sweetener and stir the mixture as it cools to avoid forming any clumps.
Set the correct temperature
Always ending up with dark brown and not golden-brown granola? It is a sign that your granola is burnt and not evenly baked. The secret is to slowly bake it at a low temperature and stirring it in between to ensure it is browned evenly. High temperatures can make lighter ingredients such as seeds, sliced nuts, or coconut flakes to burn before it is properly dried out.
Smart alternatives
Granola can be smartly adapted to create innumerable recipes. You can substitute ingredients and make granola for weight loss too. Dried blueberries instead of cranberries? Pumpkin seeds in place of sunflower seeds? Less nuts and more chocolate chips? Yes! Yes! Yes! But keep in mind to ensure your ratio of wet-to-dry ingredients is nearly the same as the original recipe to guarantee unswerving results. Also, remember, some sweeteners will be sweeter than others, so taste them before you pop them in the oven.
Go slow with flavours.
Chocolatey granola or masala granola or one that is richly infused with a flavour of your choice, the key to achieve the right level of flavour is to start small. Anything more than a teaspoon will tend to give a strong taste, making it overwhelming for your taste buds. Start with a quarter teaspoon to half teaspoon depending on the intensity of the flavours, and slowly increase the quantity. Add the flavours before you pop them in the oven to ensure the flavours are well infused with the mixture.
Tips to store your granola oats.
Storing your granola, the right way, be it homemade or store-bought, is key to extend its shelf life and maintain its texture. Ensure to keep your granola after eating in an airtight container or a tightly sealed ziplock bag to not let air seep through as it may make the granola stale and dull. Also, store the box or bag in a dry, cool, and dark place way away from heat. Your pantry or your kitchen cabinet would be good ideas.
What to do if your granola has gone chewy from crispy?
Homemade granola stays fresh for weeks but eventually, you may have noticed that even airtight containers can make the granola lose its crunchiness to become soft and chewy. Do not throw it as you can revive the sad granola effortlessly! You can whisk your magic wand to turn your chewy granola into a wonderfully crunchy one in just a few minutes.
Spread the granola as a single layer on a baking tray lined with a sheet and chuck it in the oven at around 400 degrees for just five to six minutes. Ensure your granola is not heaped up but is in a single layer, so if you have got loads, repeat the process. After it's done baking, cool it completely, and your granola has got its crunch back, and you have got your smile back.
If you are too lazy to do the above, you can revamp it and incorporate the soggy granola in cookies or muffins or use it as a topping in ice-creams or yoghurt.
Here is a granola recipe idea for you!
Granola need not be used only as a cereal. If you are mulling at your box of granola oats, not wanting to eat it with milk, we heard you. Grab some spices, nuts, seeds, fruits and get high on your granola with one of these recipes for snacking at all times. And the best part, granola calorie is healthy for your body! Find below the list of healthy granola recipe ideas that we have handpicked to help you turn your breakfast fun:
Overnight Oats Jar
Granola Bar
Masala Oats
Oatmeal Bowl
Pudding
Baking your granola is easier than you think, and once you get started, there is no turning back! It’s safe as you handpick the ingredients, and you know what’s going in there, contrary to the store-bought ones with preservatives and additives. There are umpteen granola recipes to help you get started, so go grocery shopping now and begin your healthy eating.
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