Crunchy Granola Clusters

An irresistible snack and versatile accoutrement

I recently listened to an episode of the Gastropod podcast that was all about the texture of food. I found it fascinating primarily because texture is so rarely the center of attention when it comes to food. It was refreshing to consider all of the various ways we can sense food texture and just how critical it is to our experience of flavor.

I’ve been thinking about this podcast episode as I’ve been working on this recipe I’m sharing with you today. These granola clusters have a certain irresistible quality to them (if my and my 3-year-old’s opinions hold any weight), and the reason for that, I believe, has more to do with texture than flavor.

The crunch from these clusters is audible and yields to various textures that are at once distinct yet complementary of one another. Airy, tender rice puffs intermingle with crispy seeds, which contrast with the firmer bite of toasted rolled oats. Together the effect is clusters that are fracturable though sturdy enough to be enjoyed almost like a hearty, crunchy cracker.

I got the idea for these granola clusters after I had written about a sourdough granola recipe I had tried last year from Erica, the blogger behind Du’s Doughs. This recipe gave me the idea to develop a my own sourdough granola recipe for King Arthur Baking Company, and it also got me to rethink my everyday granola recipe.

Many granola recipes rely on a sweetener of some kind — sugar, maple syrup, honey, etc… — to bind the ingredients together and create crunchy clusters. For this reason, many granola recipes are also either crunchy and incredibly sweet, or they’re less sweet and have a less than noteworthy crunch. That’s where sourdough comes in, or in the case of this recipe, a simple 1-to-1 combination of flour (wheat flour or a 1-for-1 gluten-free alternative) and water.

All-purpose wheat flour is a proven binding agent thanks to both the starch and protein it contains. Once flour absorbs water, the starches swell and gel and the proteins actively start to form their gluten structure. Added to granola, a small flour-water slurry will hold disparate chunky ingredients together without the need for much else.

That’s not to say that some level of sweetener doesn’t enhance these granola clusters. The little bit of maple syrup encourages the flour-water slurry to bake up caramelized and crunchy, creating that ideal balance of textures — not to mention flavors.

If you’re wondering what you might do with granola clusters apart from just snacking on them nonstop, allow me to make a few suggestions:

• Add them to a bowl of yogurt or milk (as you would any ordinary granola)

• Use them as a topping for ice cream or other spoonable desserts

• Serve them alongside cheese or as part of a cheese board

• Toss them into a salad in place of croutons

• Add them to the raw batter side of pancakes when they’re cooking on a pan or griddle before flipping

• Incorporate them into muffin batter or scone dough

Basically, these granola clusters are just the thing whenever you’re in need of a little crisp and crunch. I’ve found them downright irresistible and regularly make excuses to go to the pantry and grab myself another cluster or two. I hope the same will be true for you. Please share what you think regardless!

Crunchy Granola Clusters

Printable Version

Active time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 cups

Whether you enjoy these audibly crunchy clusters alone as a snack or as a versatile accoutrement to a variety of meals or dishes, chances are you’ll find excuses to eat them anytime you can. Maple, warm spices, and a medley of toasted seeds punch up the flavor of every bite, while the seeds, oats, and rice puffs make you realize how many different variations of crunchy there actually are. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “crunchy granola” person, this recipe might just change your mind.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons (30g) water
6 tablespoons (115g) maple syrup
2 tablespoons (25g) vegetable oil
3 tablespoons (22g) all-purpose flour (or a 1-for-1 gluten-free flour blend)
scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon OR favorite spice blend
1 1/2 cups (135g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (25g) puffed rice
1/3 cup (47g) sunflower seeds
1/3 cup (53g) pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon flax seeds, optional
1 tablespoon chia seeds, optional

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a large (18” x 13”) rimmed baking sheet.
2. Combine the water, maple syrup, and vegetable oil in a small bowl. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon (or spice blend), stirring until smooth.
3. In a separate large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients until evenly incorporated.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until evenly moistened. 
5. Spread the granola mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet, pressing it gently into an even layer to cover the pan.
6. Bake the granola until it smells toasted and nutty and has turned golden, about 30 minutes. To ensure the granola bakes evenly, it’s best to rotate the pan halfway through baking
7. Remove the granola from the oven and allow it to cool completely before breaking it into clusters.
8. Serve granola clusters as you would any granola, add it to a cheese board, use it as an ice cream topper, or simply enjoy it as a snack on its own.
9. Store the granola in an airtight container or tightly-sealed jar for a month or more.

Thank you all who have made it this far. I appreciate you and your support. Please feel free to comment below if you have any questions, and I’d love it if you shared this post with someone you feel might need these granola clusters in their life.

Best,

Charlotte