The Secret to Perfect Clumpy Granola: A Simple Guide to Baking at Home

In his video, "Baking Your Own Granola with Dr. GRANOLA®," Dr. Granola demonstrates how simple and rewarding it is to make fresh, healthy granola at home. He emphasizes that baking your own granola allows you to control the ingredients, ensuring you know exactly what you're feeding your family while infusing the process with "heart and love" [00:53].

Here is a summary of the baking process and key tips from the video:

1. Two Ways to Bake

Dr. Granola explains that you can either source all the ingredients individually (the "old way") or use his Dr. GRANOLA® Simple and Easy Bake Your Own Granola Mix (the "new way"), which streamlines the process by providing the dry base [01:17].

2. The Liquid Mix

To start, you combine your liquid ingredients in a separate container [01:53]:

Vanilla Extract: 4 tablespoons.
Fruit Juice: 1/2 cup (Pomegranate is recommended, but any juice works) [02:04].
Oil: 1/2 cup (Olive, soybean, or your preferred oil) [02:12].
Liquid Sweetener: 1.5 cups (Maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey).
- Pro Tip: Use honey if you want the most clumps [02:28].

3. Mixing and Prepping

Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mix and stir until you have an even blend [02:57]. Divide the batch between two baking pans, ensuring the edges are even [03:22]. The 2-pound dry mix becomes approximately 3 pounds of finished granola once the liquids are added [03:16].

4. The Baking Schedule

First Run: Bake for 25 minutes [03:37].
Second Run: Remove the pans, give them a little shake to even out the product, and return them to the oven for another 20 minutes [03:54].

5. The Finishing Touch

Once the granola is freshly toasted and removed from the oven for the final time, it’s time to add your dried fruits [04:20]. Adding raisins, cherries, or apricots at the end ensures they stay chewy rather than getting hard in the oven [04:27].

The "Problem" with Fresh Granola

Dr. Granola warns that the biggest challenge of baking your own is that it smells so good and tastes so wonderful, you'll want to eat it right off the tray [04:32]!

Watch the full demonstration here: Baking Your Own Granola with Dr. GRANOLA®