Our Signature Granola

Honey Pecan was the first granola we ever created, and it remains our best seller today. We still make it in small batches using the same original recipe.

Over the years, our granola collection has grown to include six delicious flavors, including our newest addition, Chocolate Espresso.

The Bethlehem Bar

Launched in 2013 and named after our hometown of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Bethlehem Bar continues to be a favorite among our customers and staff.

What began as a single product is now available in three different formats, offering a size for everyone.

The Kiffle Tradition

In 2021, we expanded our bakery lineup to include hand-rolled kiffles. Known for their light, flaky pastry and delicious fruit or nut fillings, every kiffle is carefully rolled by hand by our experienced artisan bakers.

Since their introduction, their popularity has continued to grow.

Our Cookie Favorites

Our bakery lineup also includes two customer favorites: Shorties, our buttery shortbread cookies, and Cookes, our deliciously sweet-and-salty cookie crackers.

Both are wonderfully addictive and make the perfect addition to any occasion.

Our New Production Facility

In March 2026, we opened a new 22,000-square-foot production facility in a former school building just down the road from our original bakery.

Although our bakery has grown, our commitment to small-batch baking, quality ingredients, and handmade products remains unchanged.

What’s to Come

Twenty years is only the beginning. We’re looking ahead to refreshed granola packaging and the launch of our newest creation: handmade rugelach.

We’re also always dreaming up new products and flavors to add to our lineup. There’s plenty more to come from The Granola Factory!

Just as important as flavor was sourcing. We use real, simple, all-natural ingredients - no preservatives, no artificial colors, nothing unnecessary. Oats, brown sugar, olive oil (never seed oils), almonds, walnuts, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, espresso, and a hint of vanilla all work together in every bite.

Scaling from kitchen to production meant refining our mixing and baking process to ensure every small-batch delivers the same rich clusters, balanced sweetness, and perfectly rounded espresso notes.

From recipe development to final packaging, every detail was intentional, all to deliver a bite you’ll love from the very first bite.

The program, explained in detail HERE, is simple: you send us your used granola bags, we send them to TerraCycle, and you earn reward points toward free granola on your next purchase from The Granola Factory.

To celebrate Earth Day this year, we ran a special promotion offering double reward points for an entire month. And your response was incredible!

Our mailbox overflowed with envelopes of all shapes and sizes filled with your empty granola bags! As someone who enjoys handwritten notes, finds postage stamps cool, and has a genuine curiosity for geography, processing your mail and rewarding your points quickly became the highlight of the campaign for me.

While many of you sent a few bags, we also received several envelopes with 20+ bags, and even one with over 50!

We loved seeing where they came from: big cities like Chicago, IL and Washington, DC; coastal towns like Daniel Island, SC and Annapolis, MD; dream destinations like Santa Fe, NM and Savannah, GA; and even some hidden gems right here in Pennsylvania, like the river town of New Hope. 

It's amazing to see how far our small-batch granola from Bethlehem, PA travels, and our team is grateful for your support.

Keep the mail coming,
Matt

Honey is the nectar of flowers collected from bees and is an all-natural energy source for the body. Unlike white sugar, honey divides glucose and fructose which allows the body to absorb simple sugars and convert them directly into energy. Honey as a sweetener is more concentrated than granulated sugar, which means you can use less of it to achieve the same sweetness. Honey is an ideal sweetener, as it contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and has antimicrobial properties .

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Honey gives our granola a sweet flavor and crunchy, mouth-watering feel that almost melts in your mouth when combined with the butter. The unique blend of butter and honey is unlike any other granola on the shelf, which is what makes our granola’s flavor special.

The golden honey we use here at The Granola Factory is unfiltered, raw honey. Unfiltered honey keeps all of its benefits like pollen, enzymes, antioxidants, and vitamins. This is made by extracting the honey from the honey comb, liquefying it to a temperature no higher than 140 degrees Fahrenheit, straining it through a stainless steel mesh strain, and packaging it for consumption. This method is better than the rest because it does not change the honey’s true natural composition. By not heating the honey any more than 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the honey’s natural flavor is not altered, and its mineral and nutritional content is not harmed. Our 100% pure honey is a blend of clover and wildflower, from the US and South America.

In the spirit of Simplify Your Life Week & our outstanding brand values, we've compiled a list of five ways you can start to simplify your life....

5 Tips to Simplify Your Life by The Granola Factory

Tip #1: Declutter Regularly

Having a clean work & living space is extremely important. To get anything done efficiently, you need to be able to find your items & effectively navigate! While complex organization systems can be helpful and provide an enjoyable task, having simplicity means losing less in the details while having more time for the task at hand. Trying this tip is as simple as it sounds! Try decluttering your apps on your phone, organizing them by what you use the most, and you'll surely see the benefit of trying this tip more regularly.

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Tip #2: Plan Meals

Not knowing what you will be eating for the day means that you have multiple decisions to make, some might even require visiting a grocery store or leaving the household. While plans certainly can change, making a list of meals you'd prefer to prepare using the ingredients you have on hand will help simplify planning your day, week, and month. Our granola & other treats can certainly simplify your life in this way! Not only do we ship delicious products directly to your doorstep, our granola is great for a quick breakfast or mid-day snack.

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Tip #3: Learn to Say No

When you're busy at 3pm, you can't make plans at 3pm! The previous statement seems simple. However, saying no when you wish you could do something is key to a simple life.

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Tip #4: Streamline Your Routine

Creating a routine ensures you have the time & ability to keep things simple! Tip #2 can be rewritten as "add meal planning to your routine." Creating a strict routine can be difficult due to the time commitment necessary to create a quality routine. That being said, the upfront time commitment is most often saving you time in other places. Automating any decision or task will allow you to better spend your energy where it matters most.

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Tip #5: Limit Information Intake

Reading news articles and spending time on social media can be a way to destress for some. For others, news & social media can be the source of a cluttered mind & disorganized life. Moderation in your routine, schedule, & information intake helps keep life simple while allowing time to adjust when necessary. Ask yourself after using social media or reading the news in your daily life, "how do I feel now?" Additionally, asking "what have I gained" following the aforementioned activities will support simplifying your busy life.

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While we didn’t partner in 2022 due to our unfamiliarity of the NIL, I contacted Katelyn again this past winter after she turned pro. I wanted to pitch her on an idea that was more than just repping our brand on social media. I knew she had an interest in food, so I proposed teaming up on a granola product that would not only have her name and image on the package, but her heart and soul in the recipe. Katelyn loved the idea, and a few weeks later she flew to Bethlehem and spent two days with me in the kitchen testing recipes until we landed on the perfect batch.

Every morning, I start my day with a run followed by granola and yogurt. Katelyn starts most mornings the same way, so we both understood that fueling our bodies with the right food leads to optimal performance. In KT's Clusters, we baked with real ingredients such as rolled oats, butter, honey and pecans. The result was a granola that provides energy without sacrificing quality and flavor.

With the trials behind her, there’s more to granola in Katelyn’s sights now that she’s back to training at a high level. I sat down with Katelyn to discuss all things running, food and fun before her granola release.

Q&A with Katelyn Tuohy

Katelyn, if I told you a year ago that you’d be releasing a granola cereal that has your name, image, and baking ability in every bag, what would you say?

I wouldn’t believe you if you told me a year ago that I’d have my own granola, which is something so unique and so cool. As a kid you see famous athletes on a Wheaties box. And these are such well-known athletes and they have such an impact on so many people’s lives. To have something in common with them is super cool. And it’s definitely unique that I got to make the granola myself. Getting to pick the ingredients is super cool and something that others haven’t had a chance to do before. So instead of being just a face on a well-known product, we actually got to make our own product the way I wanted that included the ingredients I like.

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KT's clusters has a great mix of ingredients, including pure honey, roasted pecans, toffee bits and pumpkin seeds. What inspired this unique mix of flavor and texture, and why did you opt for a clusters?

The inspiration came from my two favorite flavors: the Honey Pecan Original Blend and the Toffee Almond. The Toffee Almond was probably my favorite before KT's Clusters. I really like the flavor and the fact that it was clustered together so you could eat it as a snack or put it in your granola or yogurt bowl. It had a lot of versatility which I liked. It made it easy for a snack or to put it in a meal, so I think that’s what inspired it.

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I think every runner has a moment when he or she realizes that food is vital to optimal performance and recovery. Can you recall this time in your career and how did it start to shape your dietary habits?

My freshman year of high school in the indoor track season I was going for my first title in the 1500 and I lost. That outdoor season I was determined to win my first state title. So what I did was try to focus on the little things, one of them being nutrition. At the time, I thought I was making healthy decisions and healthy habits, and I was, but obviously not to the extent I do today. I tried to focus on eating nutritious meals and fueling my performance allowed me to make a huge jump. I ended up winning the state title that year. I attribute a lot of that success to nutrition.

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What are some of those nutritional changes you made throughout the years? How do you think they helped you feel better either when you’re running or when you’re recovering.

It was definitely a learning curve, but one of the main things I’ve learned is that timing is big and something I’m still learning and playing around with. But coming into a training session under fueled or dehydrated can make workouts so much harder and affect your recovery. So that’s something I definitely have been working on and I think has helped me a lot because training is meant to damage your body. Repairing it is what makes you better. That requires a lot of energy, so if you’re not adequately fueled you won’t be able to adapt to the hard work and training you’re doing.

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What role does granola play in your meal planning? Do you prefer it for breakfast, lunch or a snack?

I think granola is one of my main fuel sources just because of its versatility. I can eat it out of the bag even 20-30 minutes before a workout because it doesn’t hurt my stomach, and it fuels me well and I’ve been using it for years. I love throwing it in my yogurt bowls to get some carbohydrates in with my protein, and I’ll add fruit to make a meal. Sometimes at the need of the night if I want I little snack I’ll grab a handful just because I love the taste.

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Do you like to cook and bake, and if so, do you have any go-to recipes or recipe creators?

I’ve gotten into cooking now that I’m a professional and have more time on my hands. I was definitely spoiled growing up because my mom cooked all our meals I don’t think we ever had a night where we didn’t have a family dinner. It was something I grew up with, having home cooked meals, so it’s an important aspect in cooking for my performance.

A lot runners have cookbooks. We talked about Shalane [Flanagan&91;'s cookbook, Run Fast, Eat Slow, so I’ll get some inspiration from her.

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What’s something that you’ve cooked recently that you thought was really good?

I love making bowls, like some sort ground meat, rice and some sort of sauce that’ we’ll whip up from scratch. We’ll throw some salsa in there, like a peach mango, or some guacamole to get a good mix of proteins, carbs and fat.

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Describe a recent workout day. What was the workout and what did you eat in preparation and in recovery?

Good question! I guess we can talk about today being a double workout. So double threshold, which means I have a morning threshold session, take a gap in between and rest during the day, and then come back in the afternoon for a second session, and then potentially a little lift and core after.

Before my first session, I’ll have something pretty light just so my stomach isn’t upset since we have to go pretty early this time of year and I don’t have a ton of time to digest in the morning. I’ll grab a bar or granola and a little yogurt. I’ll come back and have a bigger meal with a lot of protein and carbs to fuel the second session. And then after the second session I’m definitely getting in more protein and carbs. I stay hydrated throughout the day, not just with water but electrolytes.

I try to eat specific foods during specific time windows to maximize performance and recovery. A lot of people think that fueling is just for the session, but it also aides in recovery. It’s super important to fuel after your session to repair your muscles and making sure you’re getting prepared for the next day.

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Do you aim for any specific dietary guidelines while training? High Protein?

When it comes to protein, I’m trying to get as much in as I can. And it helps to have supplements like protein powder and bars to get a good amount of protein in without whipping up a big meal. You want to get protein in within 30-60 minutes after working out. When I was in college it was hard to fuel after workouts because you’re rushing to class, but now that I have time it’s a lot easier and has definitely made an impact on recovery.

Pre-workout I’m trying to get in carbs and protein and minimize the fat which I’ve found can upset my stomach. It’s a learning curve and you have to figure out what works for you.

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I know about your accomplishments as a runner, but what originally drew you to the sport? When did you realize you had a natural talent and passion it?

We were very athletic growing up, and we were often coined the fast kids where we’d win the school mile. We’ve kind of always been “praised” for being athletic and fast growing up. Once my older brother started running, I was playing soccer and decided to join the indoor track team to work on my fitness for soccer. It only took a couple of weeks to fall in love with the sport. I quit soccer in 7^th grade, which was a huge shock to everyone because I was obsessed with it. And the rest is history because I’ve been running ever since.

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As you look back what were the greatest challenges you faced in the sport and how did you overcome them?

I think being so young and having a lot of attention was really hard on me. I grew up as social media and running platforms were becoming a huge thing. I had a lot of pressure and attention on me at a young age. Everyone in the sport experiences setbacks at times, and mine were injuries throughout my career. I’ve had a couple injuries that set me back for a while, and a lot of people will speculate and put pressure and criticize you, which has always been the hardest thing for me. But being able to have my circle of people I love and trust, like my family, friends, teammates and coaches has allowed me to get through those hard times and come back stronger.

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You’ve performed at a high level since the 7^th grade, which is a long time in this sport to be at the top of your game. Was there ever a time that you didn’t like running and considered giving it up? I think this is a feeling that many runners face at some point. How did you persevere through these feelings to become the person and athlete you are today.

There was definitely a period in high school that the pressure became so much for me that I almost started being unhappy when it came time to race. I almost didn’t want to do these big meets and I felt like every time I stepped on the track I had to win or set a record or run the fastest time of the year. I was pretty stressed and unhappy for a short period, and my parents recognized that and encouraged me to take a step back. It took a little bit of time, but then I realized why I fell in love with the sport to begin with, which was primarily the people and my teammates, and the enjoying for training and process. Realizing that allowed me to overcome those feelings. I took a step back and focused more on having fun with my teammates. And my senior year of high school ended up being the most fun I had with the sport. Even though my performance maybe wasn’t the best, just being able to enjoy the season with my teammates and making memories made me fall in love with the sport again.

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What advice would you have for younger runners entering the sport at the high school or collegiate level?

I think leaning on people in my circle, so I kind of just let go of what people on the outside thought. I stopped reading articles that were written about me or comments on my Instagram that people would make. I just focused on being present and in the moment, and enjoying training with my friends. My brothers run so I get to train with them, which is super fun. I try not to put too much pressure on myself because at the end of the day I perform at my best when I’m my happiest.

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What do you think will lead to younger runners to enjoying the sport for a very long time?

Letting go of comparison. I always enjoyed running because I liked pushing myself and having that internal motivation. One of my favorite quotes is “Comparison is the thief of joy.” So not focusing on what other people are doing and just focusing on success and progress in my own training definitely makes it more enjoyable. And then just getting to share the hard workouts, the races, the highs and lows with my teammates and friends and people I love who are involved with the sport has made running more enjoyable outside of competition.

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You just ran the 5K at your first Olympic Trials. What are your takeaways?

The Olympic trials was my first professional race, which is not an ideal way to start competing at the biggest meet of the year, but after months of setbacks and injuries it just felt good to be back on the track and representing Adidas and my friends and family, and get back to doing what I love. Just being happy and healthy was an amazing feeling. It left me hungry for more just because I got a taste of what it’s like competing again. I need a few more training blocks under my belt before I’m back being in the shape I want to be in. It was just nice getting in there and competing with the best women in the country.

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Most runners can recall their best races as if they just happened yesterday. What do you consider the best race of your career? What memories do you have during this race and what do you think lead to it being your best performance?

I think each cross-country national has been some of my best performances. I had the motivation to do it for my teammates. I remember my first xc nationals, I completely red-lined. It was in March of 2021, and it got pushed back because of Covid. I was just a freshman, and I got thrown into the biggest race of the year. I was running all out for my teammates, doing everything I could, and it was probably one of the hardest I’ve pushed myself. Each cross nationals after that was the same way, fighting for my teammates and not even thinking about myself. Just trying to get every second and every place for them. Those are definitely the races I look back and are most proud of because I know they were doing the same for me.

I think one of my favorite track memories was the Millrose games last year, it was one of my first times back at the Armory since high school. I got a nice warm welcome from the fans, so that was really cool because I was lining up against Olympians, American record holders and some of the best in the country. All the officials from when I was in high school were there and it was good to see them. It was great to be home and go back to where my whole running career started.

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What do you have planned for summer training and racing? Any PRs you hope to accomplish by the end of this year?

I plan on doing a race in Los Angeles at the end of July and then doing my first European circuit so I’ll head to Europe and race three to four times out there depending on the schedule. I’m just excited to compete as a professional. Personal bests are great, but this year I really want to focus on just racing and hopefully the times will come with that.

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What’s new in your life outside running and granola? How do you spend your free time?

Just living the “Pro Life.” Eat sleep, train, repeat, and I love it. It’s been great now that the summer is here. My younger brother doesn’t have school anymore, and my older brother Patrick came to Raleigh and he came to Eugene. We’ve been training a lot together. They’re my two favorite people to run with, obviously because they’re my siblings and I love them. There’s almost no embarrassment with them. If one of us gets dropped, it is what it is, and if one of us has a good day it’s great, too. We’re encouraging each other and we just want the best for each other. It’s fun that we all have the shared joy for the sport. My parents love it, too, because they just think it’s super cool. We’re getting them into the sport more. We love watching track and talking track. It’s just a family bond, I guess. -

Necessary for the pops, we've also included a recipe for Berry Compote! You should have some leftover to enjoy as yogurt topping, drinks, or dessert, after making the pops. Compote, or compôte, is French for "stewed fruit." As prepared in parts of Europe & Asia, it is a boiled fruit mix served as a drink or a dessert. We will be using the compote as a sweet berry mix in the yogurt pops in this recipe.

(Photos by Alison Conklin, for Lehigh Valley Style.)

Greek Yogurt and Granola Pops with Summer Berry Compote

Yields 8-10 popsicles, depending on the popsicle mold used.

Berry Compote Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• ½ cup white sugar
• ⅓ cup honey

1. Dissolve cornstarch in brandy in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Combine mixed berries, sugar, and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Add cornstarch mixture and boil until berries break down and compote thickens to the desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Greek Yogurt and Granola Pops

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt, preferably Fage Whole Milk 5%.
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 cup Granola Factory All Natural Honey Pecan.
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
• 10 Popsicle mold, such as this one
• Berry Compote (see recipe above.)

1. In a small mixing bowl combine the Greek Yogurt, milk, honey and vanilla extract.

2. Add granola to the yogurt and stir to combine thoroughly.

3. Arrange popsicle molds on your work surface. Pour a generous spoonful of the yogurt and granola mixture into the bottom of each mold. Add a spoonful or two of the berry compote. Continue layering yogurt and granola with the compote until molds are filled. Tap the molds lightly against the counter or use a popsicle stick to work out any air bubbles between the layers.

4. Insert popsicle sticks into each mold and freeze until solid, about 6 hours.

5. To unmold, run the popsicle molds under hot running water for a few seconds and gently pull the popsicles out of the mold.

Tips:

Like ice cream, a good yogurt pop needs high-fat dairy. I like the Fage 5% fat yogurt because it yields a creamier popsicle rather than an icy one.

Mix the granola into the yogurt rather than layering them separately. This will allow the oats to soften and the yogurt to take on the flavor of the granola, much like it does in a yogurt a parfait.

Add honey to your liking: After adding the ¼ cup honey, taste it for sweetness, and add more based on your preference in flavor.

The berry compote recipe will yield more than you need for this recipe. Enjoy the leftover compote on top of ice cream or with yogurt and granola parfait. Or freeze and save for your next round of yogurt pops!

Butter is made by separating the milk’s fat (butter cream) from the liquid. The butter cream is aged and pasteurized for 24 hours, before being churned. The churning stage is when the butter will be separated from any excess liquid (buttermilk) and then the salt is added. After churning for a little over an hour, the butter is ready to be shaped and packaged. The butter we use at The Granola Factory is Country Maid Salted Butter which comes from Sommer Maid Creamery. Sommer Maid is a family owned and operated, local creamery located in Doylestown, PA.

Butter is better than processed oils. Many granola brands use canola oil which is lower in fat, but the process to make canola oil is a highly mechanized process that includes the use of chemicals. This process involves industrial steaming, de-waxing, bleaching, and deodorizing the oil. Although butter is also made with machines, it is made pretty much the way it’s always been, which is taking cream, churning it, and adding salt. At The Granola Factory, we use butter for the one of a kind flavor it offers our granola. Also, the mouth-feel achieved with butter cannot be matched when using oils.

Ingredients: 

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons of wheat bran
• 3 tablespoons of wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons of old fashioned oats
• 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 cups (about) buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl. Mix well. Add better, rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine meal. Stire in enough buttermilk to form soft dough. Transfer dough to prepared laof pan. Bake until bread is dark brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack. Turn right side up and cool on rack.

Croissants may be my favorite pastry to bake. There are as many steps to the recipe as there are layers in the flaky pastry, but I'm drawn to the methodical technique of making croissants from scratch.

You can find many recipes for croissants, and most will be intimidating. I've used a recipe from Claire Saffitz of the New York Times, and they've always turned out great. She includes a step-by-step video of the recipe process that makes it easy for the home baker to follow. Use my recipe as a reference, but watch her video as you make these croissants. It will make following the steps so much easier!

I've taken her recipe for Pan Au Chocolat and replaced the chocolate with a cinnamon sugar slurry topped with our honey pecan granola. The granola slurry adds the characteristics of a freshly baked sticky bun, combining two great pastries in one!

I recommend starting this recipe on a Friday evening, and baking them for brunch on Sunday. You will enjoy the process of making these croissants as much as you'll love eating them!

Honey Pecan Croissants

Ingredients for the dough (Détrempe):

• 4⅔ cups/ 605 grams all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
• ⅓ cup/ 66 grams granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon/12 grams kosher salt
• 2¼ teaspoons/ 7 grams active dry yeast
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons/ 214 grams water, at room temperature
• ½ cup/ 120 grams whole milk, at room temperature
• ¼ cup/ 57 grams unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, chilled

Ingredients for the Butter Block: 

• 1½ cups/ 340 grams unsalted European or European-style butter (3 sticks), chilled

Ingredients for the Granola Slurry

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 1/2 cup Honey Pecan Granola

Ingredients for Baking Prep:

• All-purpose flour, for rolling
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Step 1

Twenty-four to 36 hours before serving, start the détrempe: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast, and stir to combine. Create a well in the center, and pour in the water and milk. Mix on low speed until a tight, smooth dough comes together around the hook, about 5 minutes. Remove the hook and cover the bowl with a damp towel. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Step 2

Reattach the dough hook and turn the mixer on medium-low speed. Add the butter pieces all at once and continue to mix, scraping down the bowl and hook once or twice, until the dough has formed a very smooth, stretchy ball that is not the least bit sticky, 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 3

Form the dough into a ball and place seam-side down on a lightly floured work surface. Using a sharp knife, cut two deep perpendicular slashes in the dough, forming a “+.” (This will help the dough expand into a square shape as it rises, making it easier to roll out later.) Place the dough slashed-side up inside the same mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until about 1½ times its original size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 12.

Step 4

As the dough chills, make the butter block: Place the sticks of butter side-by-side in the center of a large sheet of parchment paper, then loosely fold all four sides of the parchment over the butter to form a packet. Turn the packet over and use a rolling pin to lightly beat the cold butter into a flat scant ½-inch-thick layer, fusing the sticks and making it pliable. (Don’t worry about the shape at this point.) The parchment may tear. Turn over the packet and unwrap, replacing the parchment with a new sheet if needed. Fold the parchment paper over the butter again, this time making neat, clean folds at right angles (like you’re wrapping a present), forming an 8-inch square. Turn the packet over again and roll the pin across the packet, further flattening the butter into a thin layer that fills the entire packet while forcing out any air pockets. The goal is a level and straight-edged square of butter. Transfer the butter block to the refrigerator.

Step 5

Eighteen hours before serving, remove the dough from the refrigerator, uncover and transfer to a clean work surface. (It will have doubled in size.) Deflate the dough with the heel of your hand. Using the four points that formed where you slashed the dough, stretch the dough outward and flatten into a rough square measuring no more than 8 inches on one side.

Step 6

Place 2 pieces of plastic wrap on the work surface perpendicular to each other, and place the dough on top. Wrap the dough rectangle, maintaining the squared-off edges, then roll your pin over top as you did for the butter, forcing the dough to fill in the plastic and form an 8-inch square with straight sides and right angles. Freeze for 20 minutes.

Step 7

Remove the butter from the refrigerator and the dough from the freezer. Set aside the butter. Unwrap the dough (save the plastic, as you’ll use it again) and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough, dusting with flour if necessary, until 16 inches long, maintaining a width of 8 inches (barely wider than the butter block). With a pastry brush, brush off any flour from the surface of the dough and make sure none sticks to the surface.

Step 8

You’re going to enclose the butter block in the dough and roll them out together. To ensure they do so evenly, they should have the same firmness, with the dough being slightly colder than the butter. The butter should be chilled but able to bend without breaking. If it feels stiff or brittle, let sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Unwrap the butter just so the top is exposed, then use the parchment paper to carefully invert the block in the center of the dough rectangle, ensuring all sides are parallel. Press the butter gently into the dough and peel off the parchment paper. You should have a block of butter with overhanging dough on two opposite sides and a thin border of dough along the other two.

Step 9

Grasp the overhanging dough on one side and bring it over the butter toward the center, then repeat with the other side of the dough, enclosing the butter. You don’t need the dough to overlap, but you want the two sides to meet, so stretch it if necessary, and pinch the dough together along all seams so no butter peeks out anywhere. Lift the whole block and dust a bit of flour underneath, then rotate the dough 90 degrees, so the center seam is oriented vertically.

Step 10

Orient the rolling pin perpendicular to the seam and lightly beat the dough all along the surface to lengthen and flatten. Roll out the dough lengthwise along the seam into a 24-inch-long, ¼-inch-thick narrow slab, lightly dusting underneath and over top with more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Rather than applying pressure downward, try to push the dough toward and away from you with the pin, which will help maintain even layers of dough and butter. Remember to periodically lift the dough and make sure it’s not sticking to the surface, and try your best to maintain straight, parallel sides. (It’s OK if the shorter sides round a bit — you’re going to trim them.)

Step 11

Use a wheel cutter or long, sharp knife to trim the shorter ends, removing excess dough where the butter doesn’t fully extend and squaring off the corners for a very straight-edged, even rectangle of dough. Maintaining the rectangular shape, especially at this stage, will lead to the most consistent and even lamination. If at any point in the process you see air bubbles in the dough while rolling, pierce them with a cake tester or the tip of a paring knife to deflate and proceed.

Step 12

Dust any flour off the dough’s surface. Grasp the short side of the rectangle farther from you and fold it toward the midline of the dough slab, aligning the sides. Press gently so the dough adheres to itself. Repeat with the other side of the dough, leaving an ⅛-inch gap where the ends meet in the middle. Now, fold the entire slab in half crosswise along the gap in the center. You should now have a rectangular packet of dough, called a “book,” that’s four layers thick. This is a “double turn,” and it has now quadrupled the number of layers of butter inside the dough.

Step 13

Wrap the book tightly in the reserved plastic. If it is thicker than about 1½ inches, or if it’s lost some of its rectangularity, roll over the plastic-wrapped dough to flatten it and reshape it. Freeze the book for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 14

Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Unwrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Beat the dough and roll out as before (Step 10) into another long, narrow ⅜-inch-thick slab. It should be nice and relaxed, and extend easily. Dust off any excess flour.

Step 15

Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, bringing the top third of the slab down and over the center third, then the bottom third up and over. This is a “simple turn,” tripling the layers. Press gently so the layers adhere. Wrap tightly in plastic again and freeze for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 16

Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes, then unwrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Beat the dough and roll out as before, but into a 15-by-16-inch slab. The dough will start to spring back, but try to get it as close to those dimensions as possible. Brush off any excess flour, wrap tightly in plastic, and slide onto a baking sheet or cutting board. Freeze for 20 minutes, then chill overnight (8 to 12 hours). 

Day of Making the Croissants

Step 1

The day of making the croissants, arrange racks in the upper third and lower thirds of the oven. Bring a skillet of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Transfer the skillet to the floor of the oven and close the door. (The steam released inside the oven will create an ideal proofing environment for the croissants.) Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2

Make the Slurry: Combine 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon in a measuring glass. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds or until the butter is melted. Remove from microwave and mix together with a fork or spoon. If mixture is to liquid, add more sugar until it because a thick paste. 

Step 3

Remove the slab of dough from the refrigerator and let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature. Unwrap (save the plastic for proofing) and place on a very lightly floured surface. If the dough has shrunk during chilling, roll it out again to a slab that’s 16 inches long and 15 inches wide. Dust off any excess flour with a pastry brush.

Step 4

Use a wheel cutter to trim ½ inch of dough from all four sides, straightening and squaring them off, creating a slab that’s 15 inches long by 14 inches wide. Using a ruler, cut the slab lengthwise into 5 equal strips each measuring 3 inches wide. Cut each strip in half crosswise, creating 10 rectangles.

Step 5

Working one rectangle at a time, place spread the cinnamon sugar slurry in a thin layer, leaving a thin boarder around the perimeter of each rectangle. Sprinkle the honey pecan granola on top of the slurry and roll until you have a snug spiral. 

Step 6

Transfer the croissants to a prepared baking sheet, resting it on the seam. Repeat with the remaining dough, slurry and granola, dividing between the baking sheets and spacing evenly. Very loosely cover with plastic wrap so the pastries have some room to expand.

Step 7

Open the oven and stick your hand inside — it should be humid but not hot, as the water in the skillet will have cooled. You want the croissants to proof at 70 to 75 degrees. (Any hotter and the butter will melt, leading to a denser pastry.) Gently place the baking sheets inside the oven and let the pastries proof until they’re doubled in size, extremely puffy, and jiggle delicately on the baking sheet, 2 to 2½ hours.

Step 8

Remove the baking sheets from the oven and carefully uncover them. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes while you heat the oven. Remove the skillet from the oven and heat to 375 degrees.

Step 9

In a small bowl, stir the yolk and heavy cream until streak-free. Remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator and use a pastry brush to gently brush each croissant with the yolk mixture. Transfer the sheets to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets and switch racks, and continue to bake until the croissants are deeply browned, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.

Croissants are best within an hour or two of baking. After that, revive them by warming in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes. Keep wrapped airtight at room temperature.