Granola Bark
introduction
Anson Mills Handmade Toasted Stone Cut Oats are bias-cut from whole grains—not flattened, like regular rolled oats. So cookies and granola made from our oats are different—in pleasing ways.
For one thing, our oats have a full, toasty aroma right out of the bag—a direct baking benefit in terms of taste. For another, the grains are short and round. Translation: crunch. We weren’t going for pebbly granola with discrete oats or even oat clusters—not “granula,” in other words. We wanted a shaggy, chewy-crisp sheet of granola that could be broken up into bark and eaten with milk, or not. That texture comes with the selection and balance of binding ingredients: sticky, aromatic honey rather than maple syrup, and butter instead of oil. That texture is also achieved by not stirring. Press and bake. Nothing that tastes this remarkable should be so easy.
Fresh and crackling with subtly warm winter spices, toasted oats, coconut, and vanilla, Anson Mills Granola Bark would be sure to make anyone’s list of top 10 winter baking smells.
This granola bakes better if the assembled ingredients are refrigerated in the pan overnight and baked in the morning.
About Granola
Granola purports no direct connection with Southern foodways, but its antecedents are ancient. The Greeks and Egyptians—even the Etruscans—were mixing grains with honey ages ago. Pre-Columbian Native Americans made a food of wild grains, nutmeats, and fruits bound with honey and fat and slow-roasted. Sound familiar? This version of “granola” was prevalent in most native cultures before the arrival of Europeans.
The granola of the countercultural, whole-grain movement of the 1960s took its name and bearing from a mid-19th-century toasted whole-grain cereal known as “granula,” created as part of the Graham whole-grain nutrition movement.
No matter which view you take, the recipe for Anson Mills Granola Bark is at once ancient and modern. Our Granola Bark is also something of a revelation in versatility. You can treat it like a cereal, deluged with hot or cold liquid; eat it solamente, as luxuriant finger food; or crumble it over yogurt, ice cream, and other desserts to add crackling flavor and texture.
equipment mise en place
For this recipe, you will need a large rimmed baking sheet (18 by 13 inches), parchment paper, a large mixing bowl, a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, and an offset spatula.
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1¼pounds (3 cups) Anson Mills Handmade Toasted Stone Cut Oats
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6ounces (2 cups) raw sliced almonds
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3ounces (1 cup) unsweetened shredded coconut
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4ounces (1 cup) raw shelled sunflower or pumpkin seeds
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1ounce (¼ cup) raw hulled sesame seeds
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2¼teaspoons ground cinnamon
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1½teaspoons ground ginger
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¾teaspoon grated nutmeg
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5ounces (10 tablespoons) unsalted European-style butter
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9ounces (scant 1 cup) honey
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¾teaspoon fine sea salt
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1½teaspoons vanilla extract
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Line a large rimmed baking sheet (18 by 13 inches) with parchment paper and set it aside.
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Place the oats, almonds, coconut, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and spices in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.
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Heat the butter and honey in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Stir in the salt and vanilla, and then pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Turn the granola onto the prepared baking sheet and press firmly with an offset spatula to create an even layer about ½ inch thick. Cover and refrigerate overnight, time and space permitting.
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Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 250 degrees. Bake the granola until it is firm to the touch and deep golden brown, about 1¼ hours. Let cool in the baking sheet; the granola will become crisper as it cools.
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When cooled and crisp, lift an edge of the parchment paper to loosen the bark and break the granola into pieces. Store in zipper-lock plastic bags at cool room temperature. The granola will keep at the height of its texture and flavor for 2 weeks. Serve with dried or fresh fruit and milk or yogurt, or eat out of hand.