Saturday, September 10, 2011

200 South Street Inn Granola

A few weeks ago SPH and I left R and G with their Grandma and Papa, and their cousin E for a boys' visit in Virginia. SPH and I traveled to Charlottesville, one of our favorite places to visit.

We stayed at 200 South Street Inn, a beautiful bed and breakfast...that defines Southern Hospitality. When we arrived, there were freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, their smell still wafting throughout the inn. Each late afternoon there was wine, cheese and fresh fruit waiting to be enjoyed in the dining room. But it was the breakfast, specifically the granola, that captured my attention.

Each morning there was a bowl of homemade granola. Perfectly balanced between sweet, nutty and a touch salty too, to me, this granola was the best I've ever tasted. I asked for the recipe, and they graciously shared it with me...and I want to share it with you!

200 South Street Inn Granola


4 cups whole oats
1 1/2 cups buckwheat
1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds
1 cup whole roasted almonds
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt*
1 1/2 cups dried, shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup dried currants or raisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine the oats, buckwheat, sunflower seeds and almonds in a large, shallow stainless steel bowl. Add the oil, honey, vanilla extract and salt. Stir well.

Cook for 30 minutes in the bowl...if you do not have a stainless steel bowl, a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet will work fine, but cooking in the bowl makes stirring it as it cooks a breeze.

After 30 minutes of cooking, stir and put back into the oven. Stir every 30 minutes, cooking for a TOTAL of 90 minutes.

Granola should be light brown, just past golden when it is ready to be removed from the oven. Remove and add the coconut and currants. Stir a few times as it is cooling to prevent clumping.

Makes about 9 cups granola.


*for the recipe, I used salted almonds, but if you use all unsalted nuts, you may want to add a touch more salt to taste.

Thanks 200 South Street, for sharing your amazing granola with me!

Life is sweet,
SPC

2 comments:

Deep in the Heart said...

Can you use a glass bowl? I have both, but the glass is bigger.

Sweet Pea Chef said...

I wouldn't use glass...unless it is really, really sturdy. Maybe google it to figure it out? Also, you can always cut the recipe in half?