I thought I would revisit this post, which was posted in the very early stages of this blog. The previous content and photos didn’t give this amazing raw granola the attention it deserved—which is a shame because it is a well-loved staple in our house. So here it is again with beauty and intention. 

I make this on a weekly basis adding it into my morning porridge, on its own with freshly made nut milk or in a fruit and chia bowl in warmer months.  It also makes a great travel food.  It is made in a special dehydrator oven that blows hot air but never gets hot enough to burn you or your food.  This allows all the delicate nutrients usually burned out of cooked foods to remain.  

This recipe takes time, as the almonds have to be soaked, blanched in hot water, and the skin removed. This is the most time-consuming part. It is well worth it, though. It does need forward planning, and once you get into a groove with it, it becomes easier. If you want to go one step further, you can sprout the buckwheat (usually takes two days after soaking).

With all the soaking and dehydrating, raw granola takes about a day and a half to prepare, but the time spent making the cereal is only half an hour.

If you decide to get creative, here is a little guide for soaking seeds and nuts. Soaking with just a little bit of lemon juice helps neutralize the phytic acid.

soaking time (hours)

almonds            8

buckwheat         6

cashews             8

flax seeds          8

pecans               2

pumpkin seeds    4 – 6

sesame seeds       4

sunflower seeds   4 – 6

walnuts               2

tips

  • Always rinse and drain the buckwheat thoroughly, as it becomes slimy when soaked.
  • If you don’t have a dehydrator, you could use a normal oven. But only if you set it at the lowest temperature possible (usually around 150F/65C) and make sure the oven is no hotter than 100F/37C. Otherwise, it will lose most of its enzymes, vitamins, and fatty acids (though not the protein and fibre). If using the oven, you should use Pyrex cookware.

RAW GRANOLA

Inspired by ‘I am Grateful’ by Terces Englehart, with a few creative changes.

I start soaking it at night and assemble it early in the morning to dehydrate it for that day (flipping it in the evening). It is ready for breakfast the next morning.

makes about 8 cups

ingredients 

1½ cups/210g whole almonds

½ cup/65g sunflower seeds

½ cup/95g whole buckwheat

6 medium/550g sweet apples, cored but not peeled

½ cup/90g/6 Medjool dates, chopped into small pieces

½ cup/60g dried cranberries or apricots

½ cup/40g dried shredded coconut

1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp cardamom powder

pre-soak-just before going to bed

  1. In a small bowl, cover the almonds with 1 inch of water. In another bowl, cover the sunflower and buckwheat with water.

preparation-the next morning

  1.  Rinse and drain the buckwheat and sunflower seeds. After rinsing, allow them to sit in a sieve for 30 minutes to allow as much moisture as possible to drain out, stirring them once or twice.
  2. Rinse and drain the almonds.  Cover again with hot water and allow to sit for a few minutes.  Drain and peel.  The skin will come off easily without much effort: Pat dry and roughly chop.
  3. Grate the apples in a food processor fitted with a large grater attachment. (If using organic apples, there is no need to peel.)
  4. Combine the almonds, sunflower seeds, and buckwheat in a large bowl. Stir in the coconut, cranberries, dates, grated ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom powder. Add the grated apple in small batches, mixing well after each addition.

  1. I have a small dehydrator oven, so I used all four trays.  Cover the four trays, both with the grid and Telfex sheets.  Divide your granola mixture into equal parts on all trays, with about 3 cups on each tray.  Spread out the granola with your hands.

  1. Dehydrate at 145F/63C for 1 hour, then reduce temperature to 115F/46C. After 10 hours or just before going to bed, flip the granola onto a clean mesh dehydrator tray, carefully remove the silicone sheet, and continue to dehydrate for another 12 hours until the following morning or until you have the right texture. I like mine quite dry.
  2. Roughly break the bigger pieces of the granola up and store in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator.

This recipe is easily adjusted to your liking.

Goodness shared from Stacey