For our vacation last October, we stayed at the lovely Glen-Ella Springs Inn. The food was excellent. The evening meal was pricey, but everything was delicious, right down to the locally grown organic produce. Breakfast was a real treat, too. New Daddy has always loved granola, and their homemade version was the best he'd ever tasted.
I thought it would be nice to surprise New Daddy, so I emailed Glen-Ella shortly before Christmas and requested the recipe. Apparently they get this request a lot, because they promptly sent it to me the next day. I was somewhat less prompt in following through on my end. Finally this week, I had gathered all of the ingredients and prepped the crispy nuts. All that remained was soaking seven cups of rolled oats and then drying them out. I did that Wednesday, made the recipe up on Thursday, and we've been snacking on it today. It is delicious.
Here's the recipe, with the traditional preparations added. I also shortened the baking time. With my oven and my pans, 45 minutes would have blackened the granola. 30 minutes was the most I left it in. Just keep an eye on it for a golden-brown color when you're stirring it around. It will still be soft when you take it out, but it will harden as it cools.
Glen-Ella Springs Granola (Nourishing Traditions style)
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 c honey
7 c rolled oats, soaked*
1 c crispy* sliced almonds
1 c crispy* sunflower seed kernels
1 c crispy* pecans, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon (maybe more)
1 c raisins
1 c diced dried apricots
*Soaked oats and crispy nuts
Oats
Add 3/4 c whey, plus 2 Tbsp to the 7 cups oats. Add water to cover and let soak for at least 7 hours, but no more than 24 hours. Press into a colander to release excess water. Dry in warm oven at 150 degrees or in a dehydrator. Break into flake-like pieces to add to the other ingredients.
Nuts
Place each variety of nuts in bowls, add 1 tsp salt and water to cover (Or, if you'd like to work in bulk, use 1 Tbsp salt for 4 c nuts). Let sit for 7 hours. Rinse. Spread out in a thin layer on a baking sheet and let dry out in a warm oven, no more than 150 degrees, for 2 to 12 hours. Nut thickness will determine drying time.
-back to the recipe-
Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the honey. Warm over low heat until honey has thinned. Set aside and keep warm.
Combine oats, almonds, sunflower seed kernels, pecans and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add butter-honey mixture and stir thoroughly.
Place the mixture in a large shallow pan such as a jelly roll pan or roasting pan in a shallow, even layer. (You may need more than one pan.)
Bake at 275 degrees for about 45 minutes (me: 30 minutes) or until brown and crisp, stirring mixture every 10 minutes. Remove from oven; add raisins and apricots while still warm.
Let cool, pack into sealable plastic bags or airtight jars and freeze.
YIELD: 12 cups
*3/4/08 edit: Published with permission from Glen-Ella Springs Inn.
I thought it would be nice to surprise New Daddy, so I emailed Glen-Ella shortly before Christmas and requested the recipe. Apparently they get this request a lot, because they promptly sent it to me the next day. I was somewhat less prompt in following through on my end. Finally this week, I had gathered all of the ingredients and prepped the crispy nuts. All that remained was soaking seven cups of rolled oats and then drying them out. I did that Wednesday, made the recipe up on Thursday, and we've been snacking on it today. It is delicious.
Here's the recipe, with the traditional preparations added. I also shortened the baking time. With my oven and my pans, 45 minutes would have blackened the granola. 30 minutes was the most I left it in. Just keep an eye on it for a golden-brown color when you're stirring it around. It will still be soft when you take it out, but it will harden as it cools.
Glen-Ella Springs Granola (Nourishing Traditions style)
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 c honey
7 c rolled oats, soaked*
1 c crispy* sliced almonds
1 c crispy* sunflower seed kernels
1 c crispy* pecans, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon (maybe more)
1 c raisins
1 c diced dried apricots
*Soaked oats and crispy nuts
Oats
Add 3/4 c whey, plus 2 Tbsp to the 7 cups oats. Add water to cover and let soak for at least 7 hours, but no more than 24 hours. Press into a colander to release excess water. Dry in warm oven at 150 degrees or in a dehydrator. Break into flake-like pieces to add to the other ingredients.
Nuts
Place each variety of nuts in bowls, add 1 tsp salt and water to cover (Or, if you'd like to work in bulk, use 1 Tbsp salt for 4 c nuts). Let sit for 7 hours. Rinse. Spread out in a thin layer on a baking sheet and let dry out in a warm oven, no more than 150 degrees, for 2 to 12 hours. Nut thickness will determine drying time.
-back to the recipe-
Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the honey. Warm over low heat until honey has thinned. Set aside and keep warm.
Combine oats, almonds, sunflower seed kernels, pecans and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add butter-honey mixture and stir thoroughly.
Place the mixture in a large shallow pan such as a jelly roll pan or roasting pan in a shallow, even layer. (You may need more than one pan.)
Bake at 275 degrees for about 45 minutes (me: 30 minutes) or until brown and crisp, stirring mixture every 10 minutes. Remove from oven; add raisins and apricots while still warm.
Let cool, pack into sealable plastic bags or airtight jars and freeze.
YIELD: 12 cups
*3/4/08 edit: Published with permission from Glen-Ella Springs Inn.
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