Tahini Granola

From My Jet Lagged Hotel Room

I’m currently in my New York hotel room with a small case of jet lag. Not so bad that I’m completely out of sync with the city but enough that my body clock is making sure I’m wide awake at 6am. So naturally I’m thinking about breakfast. Let’s be real, I’m in NYC, I’m probably always thinking about breakfast. How could I not be, in a city that serves the best breakfast sandwiches going.

For today let’s make something nice and simple, homemade granola. Making your own granola is so easy that you may never buy the, often dry and bland, granola sold in supermarkets ever again. You can play with the flavours, adjust the texture and make it something to look forward to in the morning. This particular granola has a rich tahini flavour without being overly sweet and it forms a nice mixed texture, with a mix of clumps and some finer pieces. The addition of egg white may seem strange but it adds zero flavour but acts like a binding agent and helps the granola to form nice clusters. If you’re vegan you can happily leave it out. I like to serve the granola alongside a generous dollop of Greek yoghurt, some fresh berries, and a drizzle of honey. Served with a big mug of black coffee, this makes for a fabulously quick and easy breakfast.

Tahini Granola

125g tahini
125g maple syrup
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 large egg white, whisked until frothy
500g old fashioned oats
100g pecans, roughly chopped (or whichever nuts you prefer)
3 tbsp white sesame seeds
3 tbsp black sesame seeds

To make the granola add the tahini, maple syrup, sesame oil, olive oil, vanilla and salt to a large bowl and give it a good mix until everything is evenly combined. Add the whisked egg white and mix briefly to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and give everything a really good mix until the dry goods are evenly coated in the tahini mixture.

Scrape the granola onto a large baking tray, a half sheet tray (a 45x33cm) is the perfect size for this. If you’re in the UK and your trays are smaller you can spread this over a couple different trays. Bake the granola at 160C (140C fan) for about 20-25 minutes, stirring just once about halfway through baking, until golden. Remove from the oven and allow the granola to fully cook before transferring to a large jar to store. Kept sealed this will keep for a couple months.