Chai Spice Buckwheat Granola Recipe

The inspiration behind this Chai Spice Buckwheat Granola got here from a seemingly unlikely place: my dad. He’s a type of individuals who thrives off routine. From the time he wakes up within the morning to his weekend chore checklist, his personal brand is just about precision and consistency. This trait extends to his breakfast most of all. Rising up, all of us knew dad’s cereal housed in a yellow milk carton-shaped field stuffed to the brim with a crunchy granola that he ate with milk accompanied by a glass of OJ. Each single morning.

Someplace alongside the best way, the corporate discontinued his granola, and you’d have thought the world had come to a halt. My dad’s complete routine was upended by the elimination of that carton from the cabinets of the shop—and belief me, he checked each retail provider earlier than lastly admitting defeat. As an alternative of fixing his breakfast routine to another cereal, switching issues as much as an oatmeal or eggs plate, he began on a journey of recreating his go-to granola.

The Inspiration Behind This Chai Spice Buckwheat Granola

Now, all of us love that morning that occurs each few weeks when dad brings out the large stainless-steel mixing bowl and units up for “granola day,” as we’ve lovingly dubbed it. The night time earlier than, he provides all of the dry elements to the bowl. Within the morning, he provides maple syrup and oil, tosses all of it collectively, and provides the granola to a baking sheet. The following hour entails baking, tossing, baking, and delivering 15-minute increments till his granola has turned golden brown and crunchy. After the granola has had a pair hours to chill, he mixes in dried fruits and raisins. That is my favourite stage, as I lurk across the baking sheet and snack on the darkish crispy chunks that kind within the corners of the baking sheet.

Whereas dad’s granola isn’t my go-to granola (raisins, bleh), his dedication to the craft of granola-making is certainly one of my favourite issues about him. It’s impressed me to create my very own granola over time, although I can’t say I’m practically as exact in regards to the course of.

I really like granola. In a bowl with milk, as a snack, or over yogurt and pancakes—I really like the scrumptious crunch it provides to any bowl.

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Tips for Making Healthier Granola

Of course, I’m always a little disappointed by how much added sugar is in store-bought brands, and I don’t always want a grain-filled option either. After a little experimenting, I’ve found my perfect combo of crunchy, flavorful, and just-sweet-enough granola.

The Base: Buckwheat Groats

Instead of using just rolled oats as the base, I replace a big chunk of the recipe base with buckwheat groats. For those who haven’t had buckwheat, they’re the hulled seeds of the buckwheat plant. They’ve a really delicate taste and when toasted, turn out to be additional crunchy. It’s a gluten-free historic grain and has extra nutritional vitamins and well being advantages than different grains like a plain rolled oat.

Maple Syrup for Sweetness

For sweetness, I add just some tablespoons of maple syrup to the combo. The problem with most reduced-sugar granolas is that you simply miss out on among the chunkiness that different granolas get when the sticky sugar binds all the things collectively. To get round that, I’ve found the right technique to clump all the things collectively with out all the additional sugar. Mix your oil and maple syrup with a nut butter! Mixing all of it up creates the glue that holds all of the groats and nuts collectively. Plus, as a result of the groats are smaller than standard oats, they bunch up collectively so significantly better.

The Magic Ingredient: Chai Spice

For additional taste, I reached for my all-time favourite spice mix. Belief me, go heavy-handed on the chai spice. It offers the granola a tremendous heat and taste that’s simply unimaginable. And don’t skimp on the salt! It enhances all the different flavors and makes this totally scrumptious.