The Best Granola, Ever!
This is one of my favorite recipes in The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and it isn’t a bread at all. There is really nothing that smells as good as this granola when it is baking. It tastes incredible and makes a fabulous breakfast, snack or gift. It is one of those recipes you will end up baking over and over again.
I developed the recipe for the book to use in the “Aunt Melissa’s Granola Bread” on page 114. My Aunt lived with my father and me on a commune in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. She baked this granola at least once a week in massive batches to feed the many people who lived with us. It was so popular she ended up selling it to the local co-ops and then beyond. Our commune became all about granola production and I still to this day, over 45 years later, remember the smell of it baking.
My aunt passed away many years ago and the actual recipe with her. This one is very close and brings back all of the wonderful memories of that time and of her. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!
Aunt Melissa’s Granola (this is how it appears in the book, but I usually double the amount):
1/3 cup honey (if you are using a honey that has crystallized, just melt it for a few seconds)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 to 2 tablespoons molasses (optional)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup sesame seeds (you can also use flax, poppy, chia, or any of your choice)
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (pumpkin seeds are also lovley)
3/4 cup chopped nuts of your choice
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (I’ve used sweetened in a pinch and it is quite good, but makes a much sweeter granola)
1/2 cup raisins (I usually end up doubling the amount)
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped dried apricots and/or dried cranberries (use any combination of dried fruit that you enjoy and as much of it as you like!)
Preheat oven to 350° and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment or a silpat
Combine the honey, maple syrup, oil, water and vanilla, set aside.
Toss together all of the dry ingredients. (leaving the raisins and dried fruit out until after the granola is baked)
Add the honey mixture and toss with a spoon until the oats are well covered.
Spread the granola over two rimmed baking sheets in a thin layer.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. After 10 minutes toss the granola with a spoon and rotate the trays from top to bottom so they both bake evenly. keep a close eye on it as it starts to turn brown so it doesn’t over bake. It will be a deep golden brown when it is done.
Allow the granola to cool on cooling rack and then put in a large bowl and add the dried fruit.
Eat as a breakfast cereal, give as gifts in glass jars and make it into our “Aunt Melissa’s Granola Bread” on page 114 of The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Robin: We didn’t do nutritional analysis on our book (a very expensive process), but I can tell you that the whole recipe has a third of a cup (5 1/3T) of oil in it. That’s 75 grams of fat (640 calories due to fat). So the question is really, what fraction of a batch constitutes one serving.
You can complete the rest of the analysis the same way, and you may be able to drop the oil to 1/4 cup. Beyond that and it gets pretty tough but see what you think. Jeff
Jeff and Zoe,
I was looking on the internet for a good, easy, and simply amazing bread recipe yesterday and came across your book, videos, recipes, website, and “support group”. I love bread, wine, chocolate and coffee (my favorite things). Ok long story short…I made a lovely, but smaller than I imagined loaf of bread first time! Yeah, I’ve made bread before, but never artisan bread. It is all I buy from bakery-food coop. Wow, with much gratitude I am so pleased and that is even without your book or the stone, both of which I will be purchasing ASAP. I currently have the granola in the oven, and it smells delightful…opps I put the dried fruit in the mix prior to baking ahhh we shall see;~) Did I mention how good the bread was too. I can hardly wait for the loaf I make later in the week after it “brews” (patiently waiting). Much gratitude for taking the fear out of baking an amazing bread! Way to bake out of the pan…
In gratitude
Dayna
Hi Dayna,
Thank you so much for the note! Glad you enjoyed the bread and granola. Hope you like all the recipes from the book!
Happy Baking! Zoë
Hi Zoe,
I just took your granola out of the oven. It was a good way to use up my remaining maple syrup and dried cranberries.
It reminds me of the granola my husband makes for Passover! He looks forward to that treat.
My book is being shipped from Amazon, and I had to return my library book on Sunday. Can you tell me how much granola to set aside for the granola bread? I think it would be a good idea to do this before my husband gets home and tries it. 🙂
Hi Judy,
All you need is 1 1/2 cups of the granola for the bread! So glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks, Zoë
I was wondering if you have tried this in a crock-pot?
I have a small oven, (1) very small baking pan and a toddler pulling at my leg!
I love the smell and ease of doig granola in the crock pot but wonder if I would lose any crispness or such by doing it that way.
Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.
Hi Calimama,
Have you made granola in your crock pot before? just as you mentioned, I don’t think the moisture would evaporate, nor would the granola toast as it does in the oven.
If you have done this, please share your method!
Thanks, Zoë
Have you tried it with agave? Also, hubs is allergic to nuts? Do I just up the oats? Looks so good! We make homemade yogurt, this would be a perfect mix in!
Hi Maria,
Can he do seeds? I was wondering about that as I prepped for a class tomorrow and didn’t want to use nuts just in case? You can up the oats for sure or the fruit or both!
Enjoy! Zoë
My two-cents on the above, to Maria: definitely should work with agave instead of honey.. Jeff
Hey Calimama,
You can do this in a crockpot – works great if you have a temperamental oven!
Just put it on low overnight (time varies depending on crockpot) and leave a wooden spoon in to make a gap so the moisture can escape.
I have a question about the granola bread. I’ve prepared it and it’s doing its first rise. It’s been about an hour and a half and it hasn’t risen at all. Is that normal for this recipe? The granola is AMAZINGLY GOOD, by the way.
Jenny: You’ll get most of your loft from oven-spring– see what happens, and let us know. Any chance your kitchen is very cold? 90 minutes works well if the room is about 66 to 68 degrees… Jeff
I used to get ‘Bear Naked’ blueberry walnut granola and they quit making it. Now I make my own! Thanks!
That is wonderful Rick!
Thanks, Zoë
I made this recipe for the first time last night. FANTASTIC. Some of the best granola I’ve ever had. So much cleaner-tasting than store bought! I used a 50-50 pecan/almond mix for the nuts, and 1/2c dark raisins plus 1/2 cup golden raisins for the fruit (I was feeling too lazy to dice up some of the apricots in my cupboard.)
I think this granola will make a fabulous parfait, layered with non-fat yogurt and some diced cantaloupe. YUM!
Thanks for linking to this recipe from the recent french toast post. I might totally have overlooked it otherwise.
BTW – made the Volkornbrot recipe the other night. Love love loved it!
SusanO: I ate this for breakfast this AM, a real favorite of mine. You can use it in breads, see the first book.
So glad the vollkornbrot is working well for you! Jeff
Jeff, I have plans to make some of the granola bread. But we may eat this batch too quickly! Darn, I’ll just have to make more. 🙂
This granola is fabulous!!! I also made Aunt Melissa’s Granola Bread – equally delicious. I am having such fun baking bread with your books and the website is a huge help. Thanks for the additional recipes on the site plus new ideas. 🙂
Georgann: This was my breakfast TODAY!
Great Choice 🙂
I love this granola, as does my grandson–who thinks it makes a wonderful snack. Packaged in a good looking jar, it makes a nice gift.
I think my kids will love this granola. I usually have 5 or 6 different cereals on the go at once, maybe this will cut it down to just 1!
I make this all the time. It has the right mix of wet ingredients to dry. When baking I find I need to check on it more than Aunt Melissa specifies to keep it from over-browning on the edges. I also have found that it stores best in a zip lock. I think I’d like Aunt Melissa! This recipe is great for customizing too.
Kate: Depending on the oven I make this in, I’ve experienced same. At the moment I’m experimenting with a lower oven temp so I don’t have to check as often– just takes longer but seems to make it a little lower-maintenance. Jeff
Hi! We got the book last year and love it! Haven’t bought bread from the store since. I have a question though. I want to make french bread that has that light and crispy crust but haven’t been able to do that yet with the recipes I’ve tried in the book. Any suggestions as to which one would be the closest to that ? Thanks so much!
Emily— which of the two books do you have? That will really change the answer. Jeff
I love the idea of the Healthy Breads especially for my kids. I have a sugar related question: in your video, you mention that much of the sugar is substituted with honey, agave and maple syrup. My daughter cannot have honey and the others can be pricey. before I buy the book and get frustrated, can I substitute sugar back in? I know it defeats some of the purpose of the healthy recipes… Thanks!
Hi Robyn,
Yes, you can use granulated sugar. If it is replacing a liquid sweetener you may need to add a tablespoon of water or so to make up for the loss of liquids.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi – We have the Artisan Bread in five minutes a day book. We’ve been doing mostly Boule dough.
Hi Emily,
French baguettes are made with a flour that is lower in protein and is not quite as wet a dough, so the crumb of our breads will never be quite the same. You can experiment with using a lower protein flour, such as bleached AP, but you will need to adjust the liquid to compensate for the change. Try reducing the water by a 1/4 cup and let the dough rest a bit longer as well.
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks Zoe! Looking forward to giving it a go!
Hi! I just bought the ABin5 book and I’m really excited to use it… One question though (and if the answer is in the book, I could not find it… perhaps in my excitement I overlooked it): right now, it’s just my husband and I, and we cannot go through a loaf of bread, no matter how delicious, before it goes stale/moldy/etc. If I wanted to bake a half a loaf or several smaller loaves (or rolls) at a time, how can I adjust the cook time? Is there a general rule I can follow or is it trial and error? Thanks!
Jen: skinny or small items (like baguettes or rolls) can take the directions in the book you have, using the baguette recipe in the “Master” chapter. So shorter resting time, and slightly shorter baking time. Small loaves or rolls are definitely the way to go in smaller households, and you can half the initial dough mix as well. Jeff
I just want to say THANKS for writing these books. I’ve made 2 boules and 2 baguettes from the Master Recipe in your first book. I have Peasant Bread dough in the fridge now. I can’t believe the great results from a method this easy!
I look forward to trying more recipes and just order HBin5.
Thanks Michelle, stop in anytime you have questions. Jeff
I made my first loaf with the peasant bread dough tonight. I was surprised when I reached into the bucket that it sort of “broke” off. No real stretchy, stringy stuff that needed to be cut like I had w/the master recipe. I let it rest for 90 minutes before baking.
Nice crust, nice oven spring, but the crumb was denser than the loaves I made from the master recipe.
Any thoughts? Maybe the dough is too dry?
Thank you.
Hi Michelle,
It does sound like your dough is too dry. You can add a bit more water to the bucket if you have dough left.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi
I have a question about sourdough. Can this method of making bread work with a real sourdough starter and will it need some modification? Will the no knead affect the sourdough breaking down of the gluten?
Thanks for any insight you may have.
I love your book and have been baking bread that way for a while but I have recently switch to a more traditional way of eating and would like to find a technique that will allow for “proper” grain preparation i.e. fermentation/soaking.
Natalia: Check out my post on this at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1284. If you like you can go to zero-commercial yeast, but see the caveat about that on the link. Jeff
Hi Zoe,
Thanks for the tips! I will definitely try that.
Thanks for putting out a great book. My husband loves it too. He got one for his mom and one for his dad for christmas.
Emily
Hi! Thanks for all of your great books, recipes, and tips! Every single one I try is great! I do have a quick question on the challah, page 180 in ABin5. When I make it, it tastes great and everyone loves it… but it always seems to “blow out” a little bit in the center of the braid. How can I fix this? Am I braiding it too tightly? Too loosely? Any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Michele,
When this happens it usually means that the bread needs to rest a bit longer before baking. I would let it sit for an additional 15-30 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks jeff!
I will want to experiment with it and see what happens!
If you come up with a full proof way of doing it… by all means, put it in a book! 😀
Love this granola!
I’m wondering if you guys have ever seen a tool like this one:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/46942491@N00/5388940377/in/pool-artisanbreadinfivephotos/46942491@N00/5388940377/in/pool-673990@N24/
It’s a “cushion” for stretching Middle-Eastern flatbreads. My husband bought it for me… 🙂
Another pic and description at my blog if anyone’s interested.
Hi Jennifer,
I’ve never seen anything like it, do you like using it?
Thanks, Zoë
I made this about 2 wks ago, having been eating it for breakfast mixed with yogurt and have made Aunt Melissa’s Granola Bread. Both are so good. Thank you for the recipes.
I’m so sorry if this has been addressed in the past, I don’t read all the comments all the time. Last night I made a bucket of regular dough and asked my son to put it in the refrigerator. He put it in the freezer. Can I thaw it out & just pretend that it never happened?
Liz: Check the books– in Artisan Bread in Five, page 181, Step 4. In Healthy Bread in Five, page 263, Step 4.
That should do it! Jeff
I have the ABin5 book as well as HBin5 and never noticed the granola recipe! I want to make it this week. I was wondering if coconut oil would work in place of the canola. I’ve heard so many health benefits about it that I thought it might boost the healthiness as well as adding a light coconut taste in addition to the shredded. You could even add some dried pineapple for a tropical mix if this works.
Barbara: I’m guessing coconut oil should be fine at this temp… Jeff
This IS for sure the best Granola I’ve ever had!! I make this all the time and use it in the Granola Bread recipe. My husband is crazy about it too 🙂
I just finished making the Homeade Granola…it smells wonderful, can’t wait for it to cool down so I try it ! Plan on making the bread shortly!!! YUM!
With Mardi Gras approaching, I would like to make a King’s Cake. Would you recommend any of the master recipes for this — challah? Brioche? Any adaptations you would make?
Hi Carol,
You have reminded me to make a King’s Cake for a post. Look for it in the next couple of weeks.
Thanks! Zoë
I have enjoyed both of your books and have made many of the wonderful recipes in them. Earlier this week I made cinn/raisin bread for the first time, and tonight I made the stromboli for the first time as well. Wow! They both turned out delicious, and both were a big hit with my family! Next on my list will be the granola. I can’t wait.
Hi Sylvia,
Wonderful, we are so thrilled you are baking so much!
Enjoy, Zoë
I love your work and I am having sooo much fun with it. Have many of my friends bitten by the bug as well:) I came here to request a King Cake recipe….glad to see one may be coming! Thanks so much!
CG: Sounds like something you could base off of any of our brioche recipes…
Jeff
I have my first boule in the oven right now- so excited to try it. However, I am vegan and was wanting to try some of the other delicious recipes as well. Have you ever tried using the Earth Balance “butter” or any type of egg substitutes? If so, which ones worked ( or didn’t work). I’ve used ground flax seed mixed with water for an egg substitute and also, silken tofu. Both have worked in my baking of cookies and muffins. Hope they will work for your breads.
Karyn: we’ve tried the flax approach, see https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1906
Hi Jeff and Zoe,
I haven’t commented in a long long time but I have been a “Artisan Breader” for a couple of years now. I’ve taught everybody I know how to make your bread and my husband and I bought your ipad version of your whole grains cookbook. I’m looking forward to trying it as soon as I buy some vital gluten which I hope to find at our health food store.
I’ve had so many people tell me that learning your recipe has changed their lives. I think the greatest joy is teaching people who have never tried bread before and also for people who had given up because they hated the mess and the kneading.
I’ve found your recipe can be used in so many unique ways and I often come up with new ideas.
I just want to say a huge thank you. I think its about time I do another blog post soon about what’s happening with your bread in our house.
~ Barb
Thanks for stopping in Barb, so nice to hear from you again. Jeff
Jeff- thank you so much! I can’t wait to try the brioche now!
This was my first time ever making granola. I made it today with chopped cashews raisins and dried-tart cherries (as my optionals/to tastes). Everyone loves it!
I didn’t have any maple syrup so I decided to just make a simple syrup from brown sugar and water. I got impatient waiting for it to reduce, so I just omitted the water; worked like a charm.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Max,
Thanks for trying the granola, so glad you enjoyed it!
Zoë
I have a similar recipe from a family friend we used to visit when I was a child and I loved her granola. The only problem is that when I gather all the ingredients to make a batch I end up eating it all I’m the first 3 days because I can’t contain myself. My kids love it too.
Hi Conrad,
I have a similar problem, but luckily my two boys save me from eating it all! 😉
Thanks, Zoë
Just wanted to drop by and say that we made the Granola Bread recipe for the first time just this week! The taste is wonderful, though it didn’t rise very far. We were also a little startled because the sides burnt a little bit in the pan…this was the first time we were trying a non-stick pan recipe from the book. Any advice on how to help either of our problems? 🙂 Thanks for your wonderful books, we love making bread now!
Take care,
–Sherri
Sherri: Sounds like U’re oven’s running hot; check with a thermometer like the one in our Amazon store at left.
Rise is definitely modest with the granola bread but consider a longer rise. Most of our expansion is from oven spring (when it hits the hot air in there); proportionally less from “proofing,” the resting time after shaping. Jeff
I used to brew beer now I bake your bread, much more fun. I can buy good beer anywhere. Is there a way to use your whole wheat recipe in cobblers?
Rob: Cobblers, I assume you mean sweet dough floated on top of fruit fillings and baked, very simple. I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure any of our challah or brioche recipes from either book would work this way. Keep the topping relatively thin, let it rest for 20 or 30 minutes before baking.
The brioche will be closer to the richness you’re used to in a cobbler. Jeff
Hi Zoe and Jeff,
Do you have any tips for shaping baguettes? Mine always end up very uneven–too thick in some spots and too thin in others.
Thanks,
Abby
Have you seen our link on baguettes: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=152 It’s the first part of that pain d’epi post. More in the second book as well (HBin5 https://bit.ly/3wYSSN )
Thanks, Jeff. No, I hadn’t seen that post. I will give that method a try.
I’ve had your book for over two years now, but I haven’t had a hankering for granola until the other day. OMG! It IS the best granola I have ever had, the combination of all the nuts and seeds gives such a rich and satisfying taste. I still haven’t explore all your recipes in your book, but I love that I get this nice surprises that always turn out to be tasty, healthy yet satisfying whenever I went to your book for inspirations. I have to tell I don’t buy ANY store bought bread anymore, between pita bread, pizza, good variety of artisan bread, brioche and burger bun, you’ve all my bases covered! Thanks for making our family eating healthier than ever!
Hi Rosalina,
Thank you for the lovely note, we are so thrilled you are baking from the book!
Enjoy, Zoë
Hi Jeff and Zoe,
I’ve had a month-long hiatus from using my oven (Thermador oven breakdown–it’s a lemon!).
But I am back to baking, and I wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying that baking kit I won!!!
I love that square dough bucket. It fits in the fridge really well. I had a Valentine’s Day post on my blog, and had a picture showing the dough bucket in the fridge. Although people commented about my Spinach and Cheese Calzone, they really lusted after my square dough bucket!
I love the thermometer, too. I am no longer using the clunky one I had before.
This dough whisk is a nice size to hold, and complements my other dough whisk.
The flour in the kit is long gone, but I think of you two(and King Arthur) fondly whenever I use my kit!
Thanks again,
Judy M
Judy: So glad you found those products to be a pleasure, KAF really loaded it with a lot of nice stuff. Jeff