Feeds 6 to 12
Many of us mourned the loss of homemade granola when we found out we could no longer eat gluten. For decades, those with celiac were told to not eat oats. Oats in their pure form do not have the kind of gluten that damages celiacs. However, they are generally grown next to fields of wheat, transported in the same trucks as wheat, and processed in the same plants as wheat. Luckily, several years ago, certified gluten-free oats emerged onto the market, oats that had been grown in fields that had deliberately lain fallow for years to avoid any cross-contamination with wheat, and that are transported and processed with utmost care. (A small percentage of celiacs react to avenin, the protein in oats, with intestinal upset as well, so make sure you can handle oats before you start eating them regularly.) This granola recipe is only lightly adapted from our friend Megan Gordon’s wonderful book, Whole-Grain Mornings. Megan makes Marge Granola, a wonderful granola made with the best ingredients she can find. Because of our friendship, and her desire to feed everyone good granola, she now makes a gluten-free granola too. (You’ll find it at www.margegranola.com.) I’m so happy to have good granola back.
Prepare to bake. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, almonds, sesame seeds, salt, ginger, and cinnamon.
Combine the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, oil, and vanilla. Pour them over the oats mixture and stir well to evenly coat every ingredient. Use your hands for best results.
Bake the granola. Spread the granola onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure it’s in one even layer. Bake for 15 minutes. Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and stir the granola, turning it all over. Bake for another 15 minutes and stir again. The granola might be done at this point. Granola hardens as it cools, growing crunchier than it is in the oven. Take care to not overbake. As soon as you pull the granola from the oven, add the dried cherries and stir up the granola.
Cool the granola completely before storing it in an airtight container.