In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, starting with
- at least 3 cups of rolled oats
and adding your choices from the list below to make 7 cups.
- wheat germ
- whole wheat flour
- wheat bran
- wheat grits
- cornmeal
- oat bran
- soy flour, grits, or roasted beans
- grape nuts
- uncooked cereals like cream of wheat or cream of rice, etc.
- sunflower seeds
- sesame seeds
- roasted pumpkin seeds
- dried grated coconut
- dry milk solids
- chopped nuts
- spices—cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.
You get the idea. A trip to your health food store will probably give you other ideas.
In another bowl, combine liquid ingredients from the list below to make one cup total. Adjust the proportions of sweeteners, oil, etc, to your taste.
- honey
- syrup
- molasses
- brown sugar
- oil
- melted butter
- peanut butter
- milk or cream
Pour the blended liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix together. Bake in large greased baking pans (at least 2 9x13-inch pans) for 30-60 minutes at 300F, stirring often. Exact timing will depend on how deep the granola is in your pans and how brown you like it. For a chunkier cereal, allow it to cool undisturbed. We prefer ours not-so-chunky, so I stir it now and then as it cools.
When cooled, add dried fruit as desired.
- raisins
- dried cranberries
- snipped dried apricots, apples, peaches, pears, etc.
- chopped dates.