La Brea Bakery Knock Off

24 comments:
The La Bakery in Los Angeles was started in 1989 by Nancy Silverton.  She started baking bread primarily for her then husband and partner, Mark Peel,
 who owned the restaurant next door called Campanile


Campanile is now closed but La Brea Bakery continues to live on 
and the bread and other yummy bakery goods 
can now be found nation wide.

I love the bread but I really really love the granola and so does my family.
The granola sells for around $7 dollars for a small package and it lasts in our house about 2 days.

So I decided to try my hand at making granola and getting as close as I could to the La Brea Bakery recipe.

I will take you through the steps and you can jot down the ingredients if you are a granola lover too.
It is a really easy recipe!

start with two really large bowls...
one for the dry oatmeal stuff and the other for the dried fruit 
which is added in at the end


mix together:

7 cups uncooked rolled oats
7 oz unsweetened flaked coconut
1 cup stabilized wheat germ (you can leave this out if you want)



add:

1 cup whole almonds 
( you can chop if you like but La Brea uses whole almonds)
1 cup sunflower seeds

mix the dry mixture well and set aside

 now we add a few things to bind the granola together and sweeten it up
in a measuring cup mix together:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 Tsp salt 
1 Tbl vanilla extract




I add about 1 tsp of salt too 
but you don't have to


I put the liquid in the microwave for 1 minute to warm up the ingredients 
and make it easier to combine with the oats

 slowly pour the syrup over your oats, a little at a time,
 mixing thoroughly to coat until well combined

I like to add a little cinnamon too 
about 1 to 2 tsp 
during this mixing process

Heat the oven to 250 degrees and prepare your baking sheets for toasting the granola

my preference is to use 4 small 1/2 sheet pans lined with parchment

It is easier to turn while baking in the smaller pans 
and I think they brown more evenly...
but use what you have

bake for 90 minutes 
turning the mixture about every 20 minutes 
to brown evenly

my oven runs hot so I try not to over bake this 
which you can easily do if you venture too far from the kitchen

low and slow baking is better for even toasting

now here is where you can get creative

you need about 5 cups of dried fruit to finish off the granola

here are my favorites:


1 cup raisins
( la brea uses golden but I like the dark raisins)
1 cup cranberries
1 cup chopped dates
I doubt the original has dates but they are great in this recipe

1 cup chopped plums
I buy these little pre chopped plums which are great
and finally 1 cup of any other dried fruit of your choice
I have tried 
cherries, apricots and mango
and they are all really good

or you can double up on something else, just get to a total of  5 cups of dried fruit

by the way...while this is baking away your entire house will smell like a freshly baked oatmeal cookie
just an added bonus!!!!

your granola should look 
golden toasty brown


Now you add the dried fruit to the baked oats

 I mix mine in a really huge salad bowl with my handy salad tongs...hey what ever works right?!

You need a really large bowl because you end up with around 
18 cups or 4 1/2 pounds of granola!


When it has cooled 
I transfer some to a big jar and set it out near our coffee station 

this is great for snacking too!
this makes a ton of granola
so the rest I package up and pop in the freezer

my granola breakfast is usually:

nonfat plain yogurt 
some strawberries, raspberries or blueberries 
and a big scoop of granola

mine never looks quite this pretty but tastes delisch



yum!

give it a try this weekend and see what you think!

happy cooking

~kelley~




24 comments:
  1. I am so glad you shared your Granola recipe. I've been craving some good, homemade granola...and this looks and sounds like the kind of granola I LOVE.
    Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow....

    Thanks for your kind comment re: Artfully Graced. Hope your February is a wonderful month!!!
    Hugs,
    Jane

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  2. Thanks, Kelley...I love the La Brea Bakery granola and it IS expensive and not always available. I will definitely try this (just pinned it). I think it would make a nice gift, too.

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  3. My step sister worked for Nancy for years... I won't even tell you how yummy family gatherings are at our mom's house!

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  4. I'm going to try this recipe, because I buy granola for my parents and they mow right through it....I met Nancy at Chino Ranch and she is a really lovely lady in addition to an amazing chef!

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  5. K-
    I just picked up another magazine yesterday and lo, and behold, there you are with a SECOND feature in the same season! You rock, girl! Your work is beautiful! SO glad it could be shared with the masses! Congratulations and happy February!

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  6. ok,i'm cooking this up this wknd....i still have your recipe for the asparagus and I need to try out both....will let you know.
    Sounds so delicious!xo

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  7. My mother in law makes her own granola, but it's not nearly as delicious sounding as this recipe. I will give this a try, thanks for sharing!

    Kat

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  8. That sounds good and easy....my hubby will love this!

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  9. Looks yummy! Just curious, in what magazine were you recently featured? I'd love to pick up a copy.

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  10. HI Kelly, happy new year! OK this granola recipe looks perfect, and thanks for the detailed instructions... I have made granola before but your tips on baking slowly, etc would have helped a lot! I'm going to try this, your breakfast is identical to mine, but now it will be with homemade granola...

    anyhow take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

    xo

    Kit

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  11. K,
    I blogged about you today.
    Hope that's ok!
    Shared your wonderful photos from your feature and linked back to you.
    A!

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  12. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made it last night, the kitchen smelled wonderful and the granola was delicious! I am planning to have it for lunch today with my yogurt

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  13. Hi Kelley,

    I have multiple granola recipes, but I will have to try this one next time. It makes a ton!

    I have never been to the La Brea bakery but my husband and I ate at Nancy's restaurant, Osteria Mozza last month while we were visiting L.A. So good and a real treat!

    Linda in San Diego

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  14. I make my own granola too! Will try this recipe for sure!
    And now I'm really hungry for a fruit and granola parfait!!!
    Stacey
    www.downtoearthdigs.wordpress.com

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  15. that last little photo makes the rest all seem worth it!

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  16. I love La Brea products. I just recently made a rosemary olive oil bread that came close to being as good as theirs. Love your blog.

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  17. Hi! I am a big fan of your blog!

    Just so you know; Nancy Silverton , as you said, started La Brea Bakery and married the chef Mark Peel! I was so lucky to go to a dinner party in Pasadena (given by my dear friends; John and Joan Hotchkis!) that they catered!!! they had not opened the restaurant yet!

    what a great combination!

    And what a cool, cool, cool restaurant! (the "bell tower"! And the "centerpiece was a 'bell tower' ! Goes down in history as one of our 5 favorites in Los Angeles! (we are OLD!!) That list started with "Ma Maison"!!

    I don't know who knows this; but it is no secret. They split; Nancy sold "La Brea Bakery" and invested her hard-earned money with ...Bernard Madoff!

    She had to start all over; she lost everything with him!

    (please correct me if any part of this is inaccurate; this was told to me by a reliable sources, and close friend!)
    Of mine; and hers.

    I wonder if I could buy her granola from HER!!???!!!

    Penelope

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  19. Kelley...I'm just baking my fifth batch...it's addicting! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe! So enjoy your blog!

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  20. So glad I came across this! I'm obsessed with La Brea Bakery's granola and recently moved to Virginia and haven't been able to find it ANYWHERE! Definitely trying to make this this weekend. Thank you!!!!!

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  21. Fantastic recipe, thanks for posting!

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  22. My local Ralph's said that LBB granola has been discontinued, so thanks so much for the recipe!

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