Ace's Adventures with...Granola

I have been researching making homemade granola for quite some time now but thinking once I start adding nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, my cheap recipe will no longer pass the Cheap not Frugal Eats test of cheapness. Making granola seems so easy that I finally bit the bullet and made my own. In passing, Z. said he would prefer the loose granola to the clumpy granola so I went with the loose grains. I was surprised at how tasty my homemade granola turned out. I started my granola adventures with a very plain granola without any nuts, seeds, fruit, or anything extra to see if I would actually like the simplest version, first. Here is what I learned making my first batch of granola:

• Most of the recipes I found called for baking the granola at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour, stirring every twenty minutes. This recipe for granola called for an oven temperature 300 degrees, also, but had a total baking time of 37 minutes. I cooked my granola for 40 minutes, stirred occasionally, and it was slightly burnt. Next time I plan on a cooking time of about 35 minutes and I will stir my granola every 15 minutes or so. I am pretty sure that the granola will still come out cooked and crunchy when cooled after 35 minutes. Maybe the recipes that cook longer, are also recipes that use water. I could not wrap my brain around the idea of adding water to grains and then baking them to dry them out. Then again, those granola-makers may be on to something.
• I did not want a product that was too sweet so I used slightly less than 1/4 cup honey. Using honey does raise the cost of making the granola. I thought I would taste more of the honey flavor in the finished dish than I did. Next time, I might try 3/8 cup (1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup) brown sugar mixed with enough water, about 1-2 tablespoons, to make a thick paste.
• I used 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. That small amount was enough to make the apartment smell delicious while baking but was not enough to spice the granola.
• I really like the idea that I can use any combination of grains I want when making my own granola. This time I used old-fashioned oats, rye flakes, and barley flakes. The bulk sections at a couple of my local grocery stores, especially the bulk section at the Market of Choice, has a wide variety of rolled grains, including oats, rye, spelt, barley, quinoa, and wheat. 

From the top: Barley flakes, rye flakes, old-fashioned oatmeal

Granola waiting to go into the oven

Here is the recipe I used for my first adventure with granola. Enjoy!

Granola

3 cups rolled grains, could be all oats, or a combination of any rolled grain like oats, barley, rye, etc.
1/4-1/2 cup honey or brown sugar moistened with enough water to make a paste
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside. Mix the grains with the salt and cinnamon. Add the honey and oil to the grains and mix thoroughly. Spread the granola in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Once baked, remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet. When cool, transfer to an air-tight container. Store in the refrigerator or freezer to preserve freshness.