Wholesome homemade granola

Eat In and Save By Marialisa Calta

What’s happened to granola? Like yogurt, which can now be found in neon colors and bubblegum flavors, with sprinkles or marshmallow bits, the once humble “health food” cereal has been tricked out like an ice cream sundae. Dried fruit, nuts, honey and brown sugar don’t even scratch the surface; granola now contains chunks of chocolate, sugarcoated fruits and glazed nuts. Marshmallow bits would not be surprising.

But, like yogurt, granola didn’t start out this way. Granola began its history as a wholesome food, made by men with wholesome intentions. If they happened to find religion, make money, engage in lawsuits and develop various marketing ploys along the way, it only proves that granola is truly an American product.

According to “The Oxford Companion to American Food,” edited by Andrew F. Smith, the origins of granola can be traced back to the very early 1800s and a preacher named Sylvester Graham, a proponent of a wholesome diet based on whole grains and vegetables, as well as an advocate of temperance, exercise and personal cleanliness. Graham developed a whole-grain Graham flour (used to make graham crackers). This flour found its way into the hands of his disciple, Dr. James C. Jackson, who baked it into edible bits and thereby created the nation’s first cold cereal in 1863 — he called it Granula. Fast-forward 20 years to Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, director of a sanitarium (and, later, a cereal company) in Battle Creek, Mich., who created a similar cereal — this one made of wheat flour, cornmeal and oatmeal — and named it (to avoid a lawsuit from Jackson, according to some sources) Granola. It was so successful, writes Smith, that by 1889 Kellogg was selling two tons a week. Charles W. Post, a patient at the sanitarium, used Kellogg’s Granola as a basis for his Grape Nuts.

Grape Nuts, touted as “a cure for appendicitis, malaria, consumption and loose teeth,” according to Smith, soon eclipsed Kellogg’s Granola, and it was not until the rebirth of the natural foods movement in the 1960s that the idea of the whole grain mix was revived. Marketing history has taken its course, and now “granola” is a mainstream breakfast food, replete with, in many cases, all the sugar of a mainstream cereal. And prices that, per pound, can rival a good cut of steak.

Fortunately, granola is a snap to make at home. The recipe I use comes from “River Run,” by Jimmy Kennedy, Maya Kennedy and me (Harpercollins, 2001). It is one of those wonderful recipes that is greater than the sum of its parts; I always find it hard to believe that anything this simple can taste so good. It is also open to all sorts of additions — more nuts, more seeds, dried or fresh fruits. Or chocolate.

RIVER RUN GRANOLA Canola oil or cooking spray, for greasing pan

4 cups regular (not quick-cooking) rolled oats

2 cups wheat flakes (available in natural food stores)

1 cup raw (not toasted and/or salted) shelled sunflower seeds 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade B syrup (see note) 3 tablespoons water 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-by-17-inch jellyroll pan, or two 9-by-13-inch brownie pans with a bit of canola oil or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, wheat flakes, sunflower seeds and almonds.

In a saucepan set over medium-low heat, warm the oil, syrup and water. The mixture may separate and look spotty (kind of like a lava lamp), but that’s OK. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the warm liquid over the oat mixture and mix well, using a large spoon or your hands.

Spoon the granola into a shallow layer into the prepared pan(s). Bake for approximately 45 minutes, stirring well every 15 minutes. As soon as you remove the pan(s) from the oven, scrape the bottom(s) with a metal spatula so the granola doesn’t stick. Set the pan(s) on a rack and allow the mixture to cool. The granola will be soft when you take it out of the oven, but will crisp up as it cools. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks or freeze up to three months.

Note: Maple syrup is graded from the lightest (often called “Fancy”) to the darkest (Grade B). Grade B, used in baking, is sold in some supermarkets, in natural foods stores and by mail order. If you can’t find it, use the darkest grade you can find.

Yield: about 8 cups, or 16 servings