brooklyn in the summer is a magical place.
this granola recipe is my tribute to summer — tinted yellow from the ground turmeric, with coconut, sunflower seeds, golden raisins, and crystallized ginger as mix-ins. these flavors remind me of the things i love about warm weather and sunshine.
earlier this summer when i discovered you could make granola using sourdough discard (using it as one of the liquid binders), i went into an experimenting frenzy.
y’all, granola is one of my favorite things to make — i find store bought granola much too sweet, so i’m constantly whipping up new combinations. adding in a bit of sourdough discard helps me achieve a few more clumps than i would otherwise when i reduce the amount of sweetener used. note: if you like sweet granola, you’ll definitely want to increase the amount of honey or add more dried fruit.
notes:
- i like mixing the dry and wet ingredients together directly on the tray with a fork and my hands instead of ahead of time in a bowl. i find that i get the clusters and consistency i like with this method, but feel free to play around with what works best for you.
- if you’re adding dried fruit like we’re doing here (crystallized ginger and golden raisins), make sure to add those mix-ins after baking.
- wait at least 10 minutes before flipping the granola during the bake! flipping too early will break up any premature clusters
i make a large batch pretty frequently and love adding a few hearty spoonfuls to my morning greek yogurt for breakfast. it’s a low-sugar, nutrient-packed, flavorful addition that can accompany fruit (yum summer berries) and also standalone.
summer sourdough granola
formula
- 1 cup rolled oats (105 g)
- 1/2 cup puffed rice (10 g)
- 1/2 cup almonds, slivered (70 g)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (40 g)
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened (25 g)
- 2 tbsp flax seeds (16 g)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (2 g)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (2 g)
- 16 g coconut oil
- 65 g sourdough starter discard
- 2 tbsp honey (16 g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (3 g)
- 1/3 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped (42 g)
- 1/3 cup golden raisins (45 g)
method
- preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. using a spoon or your hands, mix well until ingredients are well distributed.
- put all the wet ingredients in a small/med-sized bowl. using a whisk or a fork, mix together until all ingredients are well combined.
- divide the dry granola mixture into two parts. for each part, spread a single, even layer onto a standard sized cookie tray.
- divide the wet mixture into two parts. for each part, use a fork or whisk to drizzle the mixture over one part of the dry granola mixture.
- using a fork or your hands, mix the dry and wet mixture together on the trays, being careful to create small clumps and to spread out the mixture in a single, even layer. note that clumps that stick together in this stage will likely stick together after being baked. any pieces that are not part of clusters will likely not end up in a cluster once it's baked.
- once you're satisfied with the clustering, place the trays in the oven. bake for 21-24 minutes, flipping the granola once halfway through. granola is ready when it is perfectly golden yellow, and not yet brown.
- let the granola cool slightly, about 10 minutes, before adding in the dried fruit.
- once completely cooled, store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks. serve on top of yogurt, with milk, or as a snack!
