Solar Dehydrated Granola
Want a melt-in-your-mouth granola? Try dehydrated granola - in the sun! There is nothing quite like it. My husband threw together a make-shift solar dehydrator for me.
Learn more about that in our blog post Dried Fruit in a Solar Dehydrator. So I was experimenting drying all kinds of things in there. Especially when my only oven was the wood cook stove oven, I needed other options.
I had heard that if you dehydrate granola it makes it so much lighter and seems like it melts in your mouth. So I decided to give it a try. I put the granola into my make-shift solar dehydrator, and left it there all day. I was afraid that it wouldn't be dry by sunset, so I didn't turn the fan on (that cools it down under the glass). But just let it set in the sun to dry.
That evening when I lifted the glass to see how it was doing, it was perfectly dry! And so far, it is the BEST granola that I've ever made yet! It did turn out light and delicious!
My Granola Recipe
Dry Ingredients:
• 8 C. rolled oats (the old-fashioned type) • 5 C. quick oats
• 2 - 3 C. almonds (or walnuts, or both)
• 2 1/2 C. sunflower seeds
• 2 C. coconut flakes (optional)
Wet Ingredients:
• 2 1/2 C. water
• 1 C. light olive oil
• 1 C. coconut oil, melted • 2 C. turbinado sugar
• 1/2 t. sea salt
Directions
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and toss until thoroughly mixed. Spread out the moist mixture on baking sheets, leaving it no more than 1” deep. Place baking sheets in oven and bake for 3 - 5 hours at 200 degrees or less, until dry and crunchy. Or, for the best and lightest melt-in-your-mouth granola weʼve ever had, dehydrate the granola in an electric or solar dehydrator until dry and crunchy.
Recipe taken from Contemporary Artisans Collection Cookbook.
