Daily Bread: Low Sugar Granola

For my lenten fast from sweets, I decided to develop a granola recipe with much less sugar than what I usually use. I think it turned out quite well, but my husband misses the sugar. If you try it, let me know what you think.

4 cups regular rolled oats (not quick)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, or a blend of other sweet spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
1/2 - 1 cup nuts and seeds

2 cups boiling water
scant 1/4 cup sugar (white, turbinado, demerara, brown, honey, syrup, whatever)

1/4 cup oil (or melt 1/4 cup butter in the boiling water)

1 cup dried fruit

Oven: 350 degres farenheit

1. Combine the first set of dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Dissolve sugar (and melt butter if using) in boiling water. Pour the sugar water over oat mixture and stir until everything is wet. Let that sit for 10 minutes.
3. Drizzle oil (unless you used butter) over the oat mixture. Do not stir. Crumble the sticky oat mixture evenly over a greased, large, rimmed cookie sheet. Drizzle any remaining oil in the bowl over the oats on the cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the edges of the granola are lightly browned.
5. Stir and turn over the granola with a spatula, bringing the outside pieces in to the center and the inside pieces out. Break up any large chunks into bite sized pieces.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 275 and continue baking until dry, stirring every 20 minutes if necessary to prevent the edges from burning.
7. Sprinkle dried fruit over granola and allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.