Gluten free salmon blinis
Soft and fluffy mini gluten-free pancakes – otherwise known as blinis. Perfect for topping with smoked salmon, cream cheese and a sprinkle of fresh chives
Tag: gluten free
Tropical banana, mango & coconut smoothie bowl
Banana, mango & coconut smoothie bowl This creamy smoothie bowl is stuffed with fresh mango, delicate banana and thick coconut cream. The best part – it’s dairy-free and has zero added sugar. Serve with fresh granola, blueberries and coconut shavings for a clean, easy breakfast.…
The best homemade granola
The best homemade granola
This is a chunky, oaty, nutty, ridiculously easy granola. All you’ll need are three main ingredients for those golden brown clusters, plus whatever toppings and flavourings take your fancy.
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 25 MINUTES
RESTING TIME: 15 MINUTES
Granola is one of those things that you might never have considered making yourself. For me at least, there was a unspoken assumption that it would involve hours of drying oats out in the oven.. or maybe some secret technique to make the type of clumpy granola that you buy in the store.
In fact, it turns out that this is probably the most simple recipe on my whole blog. Which is saying something, considering most of my recipes take less than half an hour to make.
The easy granola method
For a basic granola mix, all you’re going to need are:
- Gluten free oats
- Oil – I like to use coconut
- A sweetener – most common options are honey or maple syrup
And that’s literally it. Crazy, eh.
Tips for crisp, clumpy granola
1. Get the baking temperature right
170°C or 340°F should do you fine, but it’s worth bearing in mind that everyone’s oven is a little different, and you may need to play around with it a bit.
I found that at 160°C/320°F, my granola didn’t crisp up into clumps after removing from the oven. However, at 180°C/350°F, it ended up with a smoky (and slightly charred) flavour, which wasn’t what I was going for.
2. Add any fruit or chocolate after baking
You’ll likely end up with a mess of burnt raisins if you add them to the uncooked mix. If you like them a little softened in the oven, scatter the dried fruit on top of the granola tray when it’s already at least halfway through cooking.
When it comes to chocolate however, don’t add it in until after the granola has completely cooled after removing from the oven.
3. DO NOT stir your granola while fresh out the oven
Don’t get disheartened when you take your tray out the oven, only for it to still resemble the consistency of uncooked flapjack. The granola won’t form any clusters in the oven – it only does so upon cooling.
You can give the mix a quick stir around midway through baking, but if you want really chunky granola, don’t touch it for about 10 minutes after removing from the oven. You will then find then it cools in huge slabs, which you can then break up into smaller pieces.
Additional ingredients
You don’t need much to make a really epic granola. Any kind of nut or dried fruit that you have lying about the house would compliment the base recipe.
I tend to mix and match from additional ingredients like:
- Shredded or desiccated coconut
- Ground almonds
- Sultanas
- Chopped dates
- Dried banana
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Chocolate chips – if you’re feeling particularly indulgent
Spices
I love the smell of baking cinnamon, so I tend to chuck some of that in as well. I’ve also put in ground ginger and mixed spice.
Fresh toppings
There are all kinds of fresh fruit and yoghurt toppings that you can add later on. Personally, I love it with a dollop of plain soya yoghurt and some fresh blueberries or raspberries. You could make even make a granola pot with a layer of fruit compote at the bottom – try this blueberry compote recipe that I made to top some pancakes.
Simple gluten free granola
This is a chunky, oaty, nutty, ridiculously easy granola. It's naturally gluten free & dairy free, and all you’ll need are three main ingredients for those golden brown clusters... plus whatever toppings and flavourings take your fancy
Servings 8 bowls
Calories 335kcal
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Baking tray
Ingredients
Base Ingredients
- 400 g (4 cups) gluten free rolled oats
- 100 g (⅓ cup) honey OR maple syrup
- 100 g (½ cup) coconut oil, melted
Additional ingredients (optional)
- 6 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100 g (1 cup) pecan halves
- 100 g (1 cup) walnut halves
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 80 g (½ cup) sultanas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line two large baking tins with greaseproof paper / baking parchment
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats and (if using) cinnamon, nuts and vanilla essence
- Stir in the honey and coconut oil, until the oats and nuts are well coated
- Tip the granola mixture onto the baking trays and press down with the back of a spoon to smoothen out. The granola layer shouldn't be thicker than 1-2cm
- Bake for 10 minutes, then give the mix a quick stir before baking for a further 8-10 minutes, or until it reaches a soft golden-brown
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the sultanas or other dried fruit over the top. Try not to disturb the mixture too much, unless you want a less clumpy granola
- Leave without touching again for at least 10-15 minutes. The mixture should now have formed large slabs which you can break up into smaller pieces
- Serve with your choice of fresh fruit, yoghurt, or sprinkled on top of your preferred dish
- Once the leftover granola is completely cool, store in an airtight mason jar. Eat within 1 week
Check out some other breakfast inspiration!
