In the last post, we learned how to “make the perfect muesli”…but let’s bump it up a notch by using our muesli to “make the perfect muesli bread.”
The perfect muesli bread is a fragrant loaf chock full of all sorts of dried fruit and whole nuts….crunchy and crusty on the outside …warm, soft, and chewy on the inside.
The perfect muesli bread is eaten right out of the oven…toasted…mothered with butter, jelly, honey, and perhaps a soft cheese—such as Havarti, blue cheese, cream cheese or mascarpone.
Because of the combination of grains, nuts and fruits found in the muesli by itself, obviously muesli bread is healthy and filling at the same time. In fact, muesli bread is one of the items that Starbucks uses in its proteinlet box—along with a boiled egg, cheese, apples and grapes.
The dried fruit found in the muesli gives the bread a slightly sweet taste. The combination of oats, fruit and nuts makes the bread very filling.
Muesli bread can also be used to make French toast;…to replace any other starch that you normally serve at dinner…to serve as a healthy snack anytime of day.
Making perfect muesli bread bread is simple…and involves simply combining 1-1/2 of muesli with basic bread-making ingredients—such as flour, water, yeast, salt, and sugar…taking time for the bread dough to rise…and baking.
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Making the Dough
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Prepping
Preheat oven to 450.
Place a cast iron skillet on the bottom rack of your oven.
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Kneading
Put the dough on your counter with a bit of flour.
Knead for one minute.
Put meusli on top of the dough.
Knead for a couple more minutes to incorporate the filling into the dough.
Push in any large bits of nuts or fruit so that the surface is as smooth as possible.
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Baking
Place the dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or baking stone.
Slash the top two or three times with a knife, making cuts about ½” deep.
Combine honey, cinnamon, and hot water.
Brush the bread with this mixture just before putting the bread into the oven.
Sprinkle extra cinnamon and a handful of oats on top of the bread to complete the hearty, rustic look.
Place bread in oven.
Pour hot water into the cast iron skillet…being careful because it will steam…and trust me, steam burns are not a good thing…(learned that the hard way when I decided to add water to a kettle that I hadn’t put water in when I was making hot tea…couldn’t pla piano for a month…which is what I do for a living…so not a good thing, right)…
Close the door quickly.
As daring as it may seem, do not open the door while the bread is cooking…that’s why ovens contain oven lights…
If you find that the crust is browning too quickly after cooking for about twenty minutes, cover with foil
Bake for about thirty minutes…until deep, golden brown.
Remove from oven.
Cool on a rack completely before slicing.
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Storing
The bread will stay soft for a good few days in a airtight container.
