Big Clusters Sourdough Granola Recipe {Made with Discard}
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Sourdough granola!
Yes, that’s right! Big clusters of crunchy, homemade sourdough granola made using your sourdough starter. Use an active sourdough starter or extra sourdough discard starter to make delicious granola your family will love.
Just like my homemade banana bread, homemade granola has been a breakfast staple in our home for many years. Not only is it less expensive than boxed cereal, but it’s also made with whole ingredients. And while my family always enjoyed it, I always straddled the line of wanting those large, crunchy clusters of goodness, with the least amount of sugar possible.
It was to my great surprise to stumble across sourdough granola. It’s so delicious and has quickly become my favorite way to make granola. I think I’ve made 4 batches this week.
My family loves to grab a bowl for a quick and easy breakfast, but sourdough granola also makes a delicious midafternoon snack when the munchies hit.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Sourdough Discard Granola Recipe
- Using sourdough instead of a sweetener as the natural binder means that this granola has less sugar than your traditional granola.
- It’s a great way to use up extra starter to reduce any food waste.
- Use the sourdough discard to ferment your granola to help break down the phytic acid, making it easier to digest.
- It’s customizable to your preferences. Add your favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruits that you enjoy.
- It’s a quick, easy breakfast that uses wholesome ingredients that you can feel good about and is a great alternative to boxed cereals.
Long Fermented Sourdough Granola Option
Long fermenting is a great way to add nutrition to the homemade granola. Although allowing the oats, nuts, and seeds to lacto-ferment adds another step and more time to the recipe, you are reducing the phytic acid (anti-nutrient), making the nutrients more bioavailable and easier to digest.
Homemade Sourdough Ingredients
Wet Ingredient List
- Sourdough starter, active starter or recently fed discard – it’s best to use fresh discard that has been fed in the past 7-10 days. If using much older discard, its sour flavor will overpower your granola.
- Honey or real maple syrup
- Melted butter or coconut oil
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Sea salt
- Optional: Nut or fruit butters
Dry Ingredient List
- Old-fashioned rolled oats
- Seeds – Use just one kind or a combination of pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, or hemp hearts.
- Nuts – Use unsalted nuts such as walnuts, pecan halves, almonds, peanuts, macadamia, or pistachios.
- Optional: Dried fruit – Add after the granola is done baking and has completely cooled.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Granola
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Combine all of the ingredients from the wet ingredients list in a large mixing bowl and mix well to combine.
- Next, add the dry ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine until they’re completely coated with the wet ingredients.
- Optional: To ferment the sourdough granola, loosely cover the bowl and allow the oat mixture to ferment at room temperature for 2-6 hours before baking. Move to the refrigerator if you want to ferment longer. The longer it sits, the more sour tang the granola will have.
- Pour the granola mixture onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread it into an even layer. (Fermenting tip: the granola can be thick and sticky after sitting. Using wet hands makes it easier to flatten out the granola into the pan.)
- Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Gently stir, flip and rotate the granola, doing your best to expose the wet, underside of the granola, so that it can continue to dry and turn golden brown as it bakes.
- Return the sheet pan back to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes. (if you added additional wet ingredients such as nut or fruit butters, it might need additional baking time – just keep an eye on it)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the pan. It will not seem very crispy when you first take it out of the oven as it still retains moisture while hot, but it will become more crunchy as it cools.
- To preserve the crunchiness, store the granola in an airtight container. I like to use a large glass container.
FAQs
Why is My Sourdough Discard Granola Chewy and Not Crunchy?
The granola bakes low and slow so that the sourdough mixture has a chance to dry out. If the granola is still chewy, it still has moisture in the sourdough mixture and needs to bake longer.
How Do You Eat Granola Clusters?
There are many ways to enjoy the crunchy sourdough granola clusters.
- The large clusters are delicious by themselves for a wholesome, delicious snack you can feel good about.
- Serve with plain yogurt or milk for a quick, cold cereal option.
- The salty and sweet combination of granola pairs well with creamy ice cream, making it an excellent ice cream topping. Add a dollop of jam or fresh fruit for a fruity crisp-like dessert.
- Add to baked goods such as banana bread or muffins for more flavor and texture.
- Make parfaits with yogurt, fresh fruit, and a sprinkle of granola.
- Add to a salad instead of croutons for added crunch.
- Granola can bring a lovely crunch to the top of a smoothie bowl or acai bowl.
- Add homemade granola to a homemade trail mix.
Do I have to Use Sugar in Homemade Granola?
Traditional granola recipes use sweeteners such as honey, brown sugar, or maple syrup to act as the binder. Using sourdough starter replaces the need for those sweeteners to act as the binder and instead, you can adjust the level of sweetness based on your preferences. Add as much or as little sweetener as you enjoy.
Can I Add Dried Fruit?
You can tailor the flavor of the granola and add additional sweetness by adding a variety of dried fruit to the granola. Add the dried fruit once the granola is done baking.
- Raisins
- Craisins
- Apples
- Goji Berries
- Dried Currents
- Chopped Apricots
- Tart Cherries
- Dried Blueberries
- Dried Mango
- Dried Pineapple
Tips for Making the Best Sourdough Discard Granola
- Make a big batch for a crowd. Double or triple the recipe to have a larger yield to make the most of your time.
- Follow the directions and mix the wet ingredients together first, before adding the dry ingredients.
- Allow to fully cool before storing.
I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and rate the recipe. Tag photos #Lockremhomestead over on Instagram when you share pictures of your Sourdough Discard Granola!
Big Clusters Sourdough Granola Recipe {Made with Discard}
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 100 g sourdough starter active or discard
- 30 g salted butter, melted 2 T
- 113 g honey ⅓ cup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
Dry Ingredients
- 158 g old-fashioned rolled oats 1¾ cups
- 50 g seeds
- 50 g nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Combine all of the ingredients from the wet ingredients list in a large mixing bowl and mix well to combine.
- Next, add the dry ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine until they're completely coated with the wet ingredients.
- optional: To ferment the sourdough granola, loosely cover the bowl and allow the oat mixture to ferment at room temperature for 2-6 hours before baking. If you want to ferment longer, move to the refrigerator. The longer it sits, the more sour tang the granola will have.
- Pour the granola mixture onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread it into a tight, even layer. (Fermenting tip: the granola can be thick and sticky after sitting. Using wet hands makes it easier to flatten out the granola into the pan.)
- Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Gently stir, flip and rotate the granola, doing your best to expose the wet, underside of the granola, so that it can continue to dry and turn golden brown as it bakes.
- Return back to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes. (if you added additional wet ingredients such as nut or fruit butters, it might need additional baking time – just keep an eye on it)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the pan. It will not seem very crispy when you first take it out of the oven as it still retains moisture while hot, but it will become more crunchy as it cools.
- To preserve the crunchiness, store the granola in an airtight container. I use a large glass container.
just printed and planning on making this for a parfait buffet for a shower next week:) cant wait!
Looks like a great recipe and I can’t wait to try! Just wondering in the ingredient list where it says “113 3” for the honey should it be 113 grams? Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Yep! I fixed it. Thanks for checking!