S.F. Cooking School “Best” Class Granola
Serves 6-8
On the first day of school, S.F. Cooking School pastry students make granola as a way to get to know the kitchen. Chef Nicole Plue has them first convert a base recipe into grams so they can get used to the scales and weighing. As they become more comfortable with that recipe, she has them start working in baking percentages and create their own granolas. This version, which uses Lyle’s golden syrup, became known as “Best” class granola. Lyle’s can be found at most supermarkets; it’s the secret ingredient here, so do not use substitutions. Below, we’ve loosely converted grams to U.S. measurements.
82 grams brown sugar (½ cup packed) 135 grams rolled oats (1¼ cups) 114 grams quick oats (1¼ cups) 47 grams Rice Krispies (1¾ cups) 52 grams coconut chips (¾ cup) 55 grams pecans, roughly chopped (½ cup) 67 grams whole pistachios (2⁄3 cup) 73 grams pumpkin seeds (2⁄3 cup) 1 gram ground cardamom (½ teaspoon) 8 grams salt (2 teaspoons) 86 grams butter, melted (6 tablespoons) 18 grams olive oil (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) 110 grams Lyle’s Golden Syrup (1⁄3 cup) 150 grams dried apricots, chopped (¾ cup)
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, except the apricots. Wearing gloves, work the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with your hands. Spread in an even layer on the prepared pan. Place another sheet of parchment on top and cover with a second pan.
Bake until crisp and golden, 30-35 minutes. Let cool. Break into shards and mix in the apricots.