Granola

A Crunchy Start to Substack

Who doesn’t love granola?? If you know someone who doesn’t, then I’ll bet with this recipe, together we can change their minds!

This recipe feels like a fitting place to start our brand new Bibi’s Café Substack, as granola has been a staple on the menu in Bibi’s since the very beginning. Our first recipe was a very simple one but it has evolved, along with everything else, over the years, as we have learnt what really works and ultimately what our customers love. Over the years, I have tried and tested numerous granola recipes, including a cacao - buckwheat version that we loved, but our customers…not so much! And I have to admit - this is something I have really struggled with over the years. Every now and then I’ll come up with a recipe or an idea that I’m so certain is “the one”, the dish people will fall in love with. I spend time testing it, tweaking it and am so excited to get it out there on the menu…only for it to land with a quiet thud. It can be oddly disappointing, even a little hard on the ego, when something you have been so sure about doesn’t quite meet the world the way you imagined. But I’ve learnt that part of the joy (and challenge!) of running a café is accepting that you can’t always predict what people will respond to. Sometimes the flavours that you love are not the flavours that others are wanting. And this is ok. It challenges me that bit more and keeps me curious, humble and always experimenting. In the end, the recipe that I am sharing with you today, is the one I keep coming back to, time after time, and is now a firm staple on our menu in Bibi’s.

I like my granola to be lightly sweetened, subtly spiced and really crunchy. It’s got to have that crunch that lasts well into eating. There is a huge variety of granolas available on the market today, all promising a healthy and convenient bowl of goodness. I am here to tell you that once you have made your own granola, you will not go back to the shop bought variety again. The homemade version is infinitely better, not to mention free from all the nasty ingredients that can be added. And have I mentioned yet how super easy it is to make? All it requires is a little time, patience and love! The result, I promise, will leave you truly satisfied and feeling very pleased with yourself. It makes me smile, even writing this!

In the café, we make this granola in big weekly batches, and the smell, when it is baking, fills the room (and even drifts out down the street!) with aromas of spices, toastiness and sweetness. It stays on the brunch menu all year round, but the toppings change with the seasons. In the summer, it might be lovely fresh berries or whatever our local suppliers have available to us. Towards the end of this summer we served a courgette jam with the granola, which was a revelation! Some customers thought it was a misprint on the menu but once they tasted it they soon realised it was fully intentional. In the winter, when the fruit selection becomes more limited, and challenging, we turn to frozen fruit, which is an absolute lifesaver. It means our granola bowl is familiar but never boring.

I have left this recipe simple, to be used as a general guideline for texture and flavour, for which to add your own favourite extras. Feel free to toast up some nuts to add or if dried fruit is your jam (sorry...couldn’t help it!), add some chopped dried cherries, cranberries, dates or apricots.

This granola will honestly last for a good few weeks in an airtight container but because it is made without any nasty additives, it could possibly soften a little over time (that is only if you haven’t devoured it by then!). If this happens, simply reheat it on a tray in the oven for 8-10 minutes to bring it back to its best self. We also sell our granola in the cafés - big 1kg bags of it - as over the years customers kept asking if they could buy it to take home. It genuinely makes me so happy every time someone buys a bag for their kitchen shelf…Bibi’s at home!

Bibi’s Spiced Maple Granola with Toasted Seeds

Ingredients:

750g porridge oats

250ml extra virgin olive oil (use a subtle-flavoured one if possible)

250ml maple syrup

1½ tsp fine sea salt

4 tsp ground cardamom

3 tsp ground cinnamon

250g sunflower seeds

250g pumpkin seeds

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160℃ fan / 320°F .

Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper. I use 2 trays so I can spread the oats out evenly. If the tray is too crowded, it will take longer to cook.

1. Place the porridge oats in a large bowl with the olive oil and the maple syrup and mix thoroughly until all the oats are coated with the liquid. This is important as you don’t want to end up with dry oats in your granola. I tend to put on a glove and press the mixture together to ensure everything is well coated.

2. Add the salt, cardamom and cinnamon and mix in.

3. Pour the oat mix onto the baking trays and spread out as evenly as you can. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the granola and using a large spoon, toss it around the tray after 10 minutes and again after 20 minutes. This will ensure the granola cooks evenly. The granola should be a deep golden colour.

Keeping an eye on the granola as it cooks is important as all ovens are different and you will get to know how quickly the granola cooks in your own oven. I have made this recipe at home and these are the temperature and times that work for me.

4. Place the sunflower seeds on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until they are lightly golden. Take out of the oven and cool completely. I don’t roast the pumpkin seeds as I read somewhere years ago not to, that it reduces some of their nutritional benefits. I’m not sure how true this is, but it has stayed with me! You do you!

5. When the granola is ready, take the tray out of the oven and leave to cool completely. It will crisp up as it cools.

6. When fully cooled, add the seeds and mix them through. Transfer the granola to a glass jar or airtight container.

Sumac Roasted Plums

This is a simple but stunning looking, and tasting, compote that will elevate your granola to a dish deserving of its place on any breakfast or brunch spread. The plums turn tantalisingly sticky in the oven and produce a syrup that is perfect for saucing. I came across this recipe in a book that I absolutely love, From Salt to Jam, written by a wonderful Australian cook (her name will come back to me!). I’ve tweaked it ever so slightly to make it work in a busy café kitchen, but honestly, it barely needed changing - it was perfect from the start!

Plums can be fiddly, trying to get the stone out, so for ease and speed, we use frozen ones and I find they work beautifully. Actually the frozen ones hold their shape a bit better. Feel free to swap out the tonka bean for a vanilla pod or even just add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. I make a big batch of this as it is great to have at hand and can be used in a variety of ways. It could be breakfast or dessert or both. Show off by serving it alongside a simple sponge cake or use it to jazz up a bowl of natural yoghurt after dinner.

Ingredients:

400g plums, halved and stone removed (or use frozen)

100g caster sugar

1 tonka bean, finely grated

2½ tsp sumac

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 320°F.

1. Place the plums in a roasting dish. Sprinkle over the caster sugar and sumac and grate in the tonka bean (or vanilla, if using). Mix everything together.

2. Bake in the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes. You want the plums to be just soft but not falling apart. Remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool.

3. Store the plums in an airtight container or sterilised kilner jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Happy cooking! And if you have any questions, thoughts, or granola stories of your own, I’d love to hear them. Pop a comment below or send me a message - it’s always lovely to hear from you.

With love,

Maisha

Bibi’s Cafe