Homemade Granola with Sourdough Discard

Adding sourdough discard forms the most delicious clumps in this granola! It's sweet from the brown sugar and maple syrup, chock full of nuts with pistachios and pepitas, slightly salty, and the crunchy clusters are so good, you will not want to stop eating it!

How to make granola

It's so quick to throw together a batch of granola. You will spend about 10 minutes getting everything ready to put in the oven, then the oven will do the rest of the work, with occasional flipping from you.

I was SHOCKED how easy homemade granola was. Why did I ever pay big bucks for it at the grocery store??

Mix it

To start, you'll combine brown sugar, maple syrup, and olive oil in a small saucepan. The goal here is to melt the brown sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the discard. It will smell weird, it's okay!

Then, combine the oats and nuts. Pour the liquid over top and fold to combine.

Spread the granola in a thin layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You want it to be touching so clumps can form, but it's important to keep the layer fairly thin so it doesn't take forever to bake.

Bake it

Bake it for 30 minutes in a 300 degree oven. Then, use a large spatula to flip sections at a time. Going section by section and flipping rather than stirring will help clumps to form.

Bake it another 20 minutes, flip again, and bake an additional 10-20, depending on how browned you like your granola.

It will still seem slightly soft at the end of the bake time - this is okay! It will harden as it cools. I like to take a piece out toward the end of baking, let it cool, and test it for adequate crispiness.

Cool it

Toss in the dried fruit and let it cool completely. Then, eat it to your heart's content!

Ingredients + Variations

One of the best things about making your own granola is you get full creative decision making about what goes in it. It's really very flexible, and as long as you have the same volume of dry ingredients, you can pretty much make unlimited substitutions.

Ingredients:

• Rolled oats - You want to use old fashioned rolled oats here. (NOT quick cook or steel cut.)
• Pistachios - Buy them shelled to save yourself lots of prep work!
• Pumpkin seeds - Add so much good flavor and a soft crunch.
• Kosher salt - The original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of salt, which is an aggressive amount! I'd start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste if needed. If the nuts you're using are salted, you likely won't need to add any salt.
• Dried cranberries - I cannot get enough of them in the fall.
• Brown sugar + maple syrup - A dynamic duo for adding the sweetness here.
• Olive oil - Adds richness and helps with the crunchiness.
• Sourdough discard - The perfect binder to make the clumping magic happen. I don't know if I will ever make granola without it! You'll smell it in the beginning of baking - especially if you're using older discard - but it will bake off.

Substitutions + Other things you can add:

• Lots of dried fruit varieties - I used cranberries, but cherries and raisins would work as well.
• Nuts - Replace the pistachios with whatever nuts you want.
• Coconut - Add coconut chips to your granola. Reduce the oats by however much coconut you use.
• Chocolate - You can add chocolate chips after letting the granola mostly cool.
• Seasonings - Add any seasonings you want! (Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric... options are endless!)

Storage

Homemade granola can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

The key to keeping homemade granola fresh for as long as possible is to keep it dry. This is one reason it's really important to give it ample time to cool completely before storing!

The restaurant that inspired this recipe gives jars to guests when they're done with their meals for breakfast the next morning, which is such a great idea! I think a cute jar of this would be perfect as a holiday gift, a housewarming gift, or as part of a meal delivery to someone.

This sourdough granola is loosely based off of the famous Eleven Madison Park granola recipe.

PS - If you want more easy sourdough discard breakfast recipes, try these sourdough discard pancakes, this one bowl banana bread, and these apple muffins.