Baked Granola AND Granola Bread

I love granola.  I love the taste of it.  I even love the way the word sounds rolling off my tongue.  "Gra-no-la," - Sounds fancy, doesn't it?! 

Granola bars, granola bits and now even granola bread.  I love them all. 

Below is a simple homemade granola recipe that I found in my Double Delicious cookbook.  It intrigued me because it used a bit of carrot puree in it and had less fat than many other granola recipes out there.  Then I found a wonderful granola bread recipe in my bread machine cookbook.  So now you can make granola and save some to make in fresh bread too.  It smells so wonderful baking in your kitchen, trust me!  I adapted both recipes slightly and changed a few measurements.  I hope you enjoy them!




Baked Granola Bits
(Makes 4 cups)

Adapted from the Double Delicious cookbook

1 cup of oats
1 cup of rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
1 cup of puff cereal (such as Kashi)
1/2 cup of peanuts, dry roasted (or other variety like cashews, almonds, etc.)
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, dry roasted
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of carrot puree (or carrots cut into fine pieces)
1/3 cup of honey
1/4 cup of ground flaxseed meal
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan lightly with cooking spray. 

Combine all above ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well.  Pour and press into the greased baking pan.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Check it about half way through and stir up the mix. 

Remove from the oven and let it cool for about five minute before sampling.  I divided mine up into 1/2 cup portions and placed them in individual plastic bags.   This is a lower-fat, great version of traditional granola.  You even get in a veggie too, thanks to the pureed carrots, which after baking you can't even see them there!





My favorite way to eat granola is mixed in with my Greek yogurt.  Good stuff!  A filling, delicious snack.  Or often I eat this for breakfast or lunch!





Be sure to save 1 and 1/2 cups of that baked granola to then try out this delicious homemade bread recipe! 

See below:







Granola Bread

(Makes one 2 lb. loaf)

1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk (I use the dry powder kind and add water to it)
3 T. oil
4 T. honey
2 cups wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1 and 1/2 cups of granola bits (see above recipe)
1 T. + 1 tsp. gluten
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2.5 tsp SAF yeast or 1 T. bread machine yeast

I used my bread machine for this so I haven't tested it in the oven.  But it came out wonderful!  I simply placed all the above ingredients in my bread machine, in the order they are listed.  I set the cycle to "basic".  The loaf size is 2 pounds and the crust is set to medium.

If you are doing this by hand, you'll want to follow the typical kneading and rising in three phases.  Then bake for 1 hour or longer, until done.

The flavor of this bread is a nutty, sweet taste but it's not overpowering.  It will make a great breakfast bread or it would be great in French toast (which I intend to make this weekend). 

My bread machine crushed and blended the nuts and raisins so well that you could barely even tell they are in there.   As my friend Jess would say, this is no "birdseed bread."  :-) 

Try it, I think you'd really enjoy it!






For another great granola recipe, check out my no-bake granola bars .  Go get your granola on!  It's good for you and it travels well too!