Gladys Hoffman's Granola

A hearty homemade granola packed with almonds, cashews, walnuts, seeds, coconut, oats and bran. Slowly baked with honey and vanilla, it develops a wonderfully crisp texture, with optional dried fruit added after baking.

Gladys Hoffman’s Granola

Yield: About 5 pounds
Prep Time: About 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1½–2 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds, halved
• 1 cup raw cashews, broken into pieces
• 1 cup walnuts, in large pieces
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut
• 4–6 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup wheat bran
• 2 cups oat bran
• 1 cup raw wheat germ

For the Nut & Seed Meal:

• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup sesame seeds

Honey Mixture:

• 1 cup honey
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 stick (½ cup) butter or margarine, optional (see note)

Optional:

• 1 cup chopped dried fruit, such as dates or apricots

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. Place the additional ½ cup each of almonds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds in a blender or food processor. Process until finely ground to the consistency of a meal.
3. In a very large bowl, combine the ground nut-and-seed mixture with the almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut, rolled oats, wheat bran, oat bran and wheat germ.
4. In a saucepan, gently heat the honey, canola oil and vanilla until warm and thoroughly combined.
5. If using the optional butter or margarine, add it to the warm honey mixture and stir until melted.
6. Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly until everything is evenly coated.
7. Divide the granola between two shallow baking pans and spread into even layers.
8. Bake for 1½–2 hours, stirring thoroughly every 30 minutes so the granola browns and dries evenly.
9. At the end of the baking time, stir the granola once more. Turn off the oven and return the pans to the warm oven to cool and become crisp.
10. Once cool, stir in the dried fruit, if using. Adding it after baking prevents the fruit from becoming overly hard.
11. Store the granola in airtight containers in the refrigerator or freezer to maintain freshness.

Tip: Gladys’s original recipe calls for 4–6 cups of rolled oats, so you can adjust the amount depending on whether you prefer a granola that's especially rich in nuts and seeds or one with a higher proportion of oats.

Note: The optional stick of butter or margarine was not part of Gladys Hoffman’s original recipe; it was suggested as an addition for extra flavor.

Source: Gladys Hoffman’s Recipe