Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

Mix dry ingredients: Add oats, sunflower seeds, coconut, almonds, and sesame seeds to a large bowl and stir to combine.

Make Syrup by adding butter to a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, honey and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and once boiling, remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.

Combine: Pour syrup over the dry oat mixture and mix well until everything is evenly coated.

Bake: Pour mixture onto prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and toss mixture, then gently press down on it with your spatula to flatten it back into the pan. Bake for another 8-12 minutes until golden brown.

Press and Cool: Remove pan from oven and use the back of a metal spatula to press the hot granola firmly down into the pan. Allow granola to cool completely in the pan before stirring or breaking it up (this will yield clusters that stick together).