Muesli Toasting Bread ~ some bread is just meant to be toasted, like this chunky fruit and nut bread. When the thick biscotti shaped slices hit the hot coils the nuts begin to toast and turn fragrant, the bits of fruit get all jammy, and the smell of fresh baked yeast bread fills the kitchen.
VINTAGE VIEW ~ this Muesli Toasting Bread is from TVFGI archives, first published in 2014. As part of a series on the blog I’m reviving some of the best recipes that you may have missed over the years ~ I’ve updated my notes and taken new photos. I make up a batch of this fun bread whenever my collection of dried fruits and nuts threatens to take over my pantry. It seriously makes the most intoxicating toast…
I think you’re going to be very happy you stopped by today. This Muesli Toasting Bread is to die for. I loved it so much I made it twice this week. It’s the world’s best toasting bread, full of all sorts of fruit and nuts, and made even heartier with the addition of MUESLI cereal. Muesli, if you don’t know, is a kind of cold cereal made by soaking oats (or other raw, rolled grains) in milk and adding various fruits, nuts and seeds. It was invented by a Swiss doctor at the turn of the last century to help nourish his patients, so, you get the idea, it’s healthy. It’s got a beautiful contrast of textures, and tastes fabulous…it’s the spring and summer equivalent of my morning oatmeal.
You can buy packaged muesli in your grocery store, make your own,or buy it online. I’ve made Summer Berry Meusli here on the blog, but for this recipe I’d use the packaged stuff.
The muesli theme is carried throughout the bread with the heavy presence of dried fruit and whole nuts. It brings the experience of toast, which I eat on 95% of mornings, to a whole new level. Take it from me, this stuff is superb. I slice it nice and thick, so it gets crunchy on the outside and stays nice and chewy on the inside. All it needs is a smear of butter.
You can customize the fruit and nut add-ins to fit your own taste. I used:
- pistachios
- hazelnuts
- cranberries
- currents
- apricots.
Any combination will be great, and you’ll need 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to ensure your bread is fully loaded. The first time I made it I formed the dough into 2 loaves. The second time I made one large loaf, and I think I liked that better.
This is a fairly easy bread, as yeast breads go. Once you’ve amassed your fruit and nut bits, it’s a straight shot — minimal kneading and rising times. The big wow comes when you slice the finished bread; the fruits and nuts make a stained glass type pattern in each slice. The second big wow comes when you toast it … the aroma is amazing. The third and biggest wow comes with that first bite…
This bread was a huge hit in our house. The thick chewy slices soak up the butter, and you get big nuggets of toasted hazelnut and jammy fruit in every bite. A toaster oven is ideal for the long slices, otherwise you can cut them in half before toasting, or pop them down once, then flip and toast the other side.
You might also like my Paleo Fruit and Nut Bread, it’s grain, sugar, and dairy free, and it also makes fantastic toast. And for a quickbread version of this bread, try my Chunky Fruit and Nut Bread, there’s no yeast and no waiting!
Reader Rave ~
“This bread has become part of our breakfast repertoire. I bake it in a bread form, double the amount and make two loaves at a time. I stick to the recipe but add about 2% malt powder, it helps the rise. We love it!” ~ Dietrich
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- a scant cup of muesli cereal (about 7/8 cup)
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 cups bread flour (375 g)
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, rough chopped
- 1/4 cup whole pistachios
- 1/4 cup whole hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup dried currents
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 packet yeast
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 beaten egg (for brushing)
- rolled oats (for sprinkling on the surface)
Instructions
- Put the 1/2 cup milk, the 1/2 cup water, the honey, and the muesli cereal in the bowl of a stand mixer, or a regular bowl if mixing by hand. Let it soak for about 15 minutes.
- Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm (100-115F) tap water.
- Add the yeast, salt, and flour to the bowl with the muesli and mix on low for 3 - 4 minutes or until the dough comes away from the bowl. The dough will be sticky,
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and form it into a rectangle. Spread 1/2 of the fruit and nuts over the surface, then fold the dough in from each side and add the rest of the fruit and nuts. Knead the dough to incorporate all the bits evenly.
- Put the dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover well and set in a warm place to rise for an hour.
- Turn the dough out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and gently form into a rectangle loaf. Push in any large bits of nuts or fruit so that the surface is as smooth as possible.
- Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with oats. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Meanwhile set the oven to 430F.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. If the crust gets too brown, cover loosely with foil towards the end of the baking time.
- Cool on a rack before slicing.
Notes
Recipe adapted from delicious days
Notes:
- Make sure the water you blend your yeast with is at the right lukewarm temperature, about 112F. Too hot will kill the delicate yeast, to cold won’t allow it to come alive.
- Use bread flour, and weigh it for accuracy. If you don’t have a scale, measure it out using the fluff, scoop and level method. Fluff up the flour to loosen it. Spoon the flour lightly into the measuring cup, and then level it off with the side of a knife.
- Use whole hazelnuts and pistachios for a beautiful interior and best texture and flavor. If you choose to use other nuts, leave them as chunky as possible.
- In order for bread to rise, it must be in a warm place. Sometimes that’s hard to find. I sometimes set mine in a sunny bay window, or on top of my furnace. An oven that has been pre-warmed and then turned off can work, too. In a pinch, a heating pad set on low can work great. Update: I’ve recently purchased this Proofing Box and love it, it keeps the dough at the perfect even warm temperature, and it even makes yogurt, too!
- I always repeat this simple rule — make sure your oven is set to the correct temperature. I keep an inexpensive oven thermometer hanging from one of the racks so I can check for accuracy.
- Don’t over bake the bread, if you are unsure, take it out. If it is slightly under baked it will finish baking in the toaster.
Don’t forget to pin this Muesli Toasting Bread!

58 Comments
Dietrich
February 7, 2019 at 4:25 pmThis bread has become part of our breakfast repertoire. I bake it in a bread form, double the amount and make two loaves at a time. I stick to the recipe but add about 2% malt powder, it helps the rise. We love it!
Sue
February 7, 2019 at 5:46 pmThanks Dietrich, I love it when my recipes become part of someone’s ‘routine’ ~ enjoy!
Bakken | zipzop.nl
June 15, 2018 at 12:35 am[…] zo’n enthousiasme over, dat het water mij in de mond liep. Ze had het recept hier vandaan https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/muesli-toasting-bread/ Gisteren heb ik de stoute schoenen aangetrokken en heb hem ook gemaakt, ik bak al jaren zelf voor […]
Lori
December 6, 2017 at 12:36 pmThis is delicious bread!!! I doubled the recipe but divided it into 3 medium sized loaves. One for now, one for the freezer and one to share. Thanks for sharing your recipe
Sue
December 6, 2017 at 1:01 pmYou’re welcome Lori, thanks for the comment :)
Ranju Sadhuram
November 28, 2017 at 12:24 pmGreat recipe. Made it for the first time today. My husband is in love with this bread. Most of it gone barely enough left for breakfast tomorrow. Will be making another loaf tomorrow.
Sue
November 28, 2017 at 1:15 pmThanks for the report Ranju!
Cindy
June 17, 2017 at 8:02 amYou’re right, best toasting bread ever! After looking at your photos on my favorites forever, I finally got around to making it and can’t stop! I’ve made it with different add-ins (dates, dried berries, different nuts) but always do the apricots and pistachios as well, definitely a winning combo!
Sue
June 17, 2017 at 8:05 amI’m grinning reading this Cindy ~ I’m really happy that you love it. I especially love to share recipes that can be customized like this one can…now I feel like some toast ;)
Andrea
May 16, 2017 at 8:33 amis one packet of yeast equal to one teaspoon ? I use a large container. Thanks.
Sue
May 16, 2017 at 10:18 amI packet of yeast is equal to 2 1/4 teaspoons, Andrea ~ enjoy!
Kate
April 10, 2017 at 12:57 amI am no longer able to cook; but, I saw this jeweled bread and knew my aide had to make it. I’ll have to have better oversight next time, and there will be a next time, as I believe she measured the flour wrong and it was not a sticky dough at all. It was crumbly and dry. In order to salvage all those lovely dried fruits and toasted nuts we put it back in the bowl and added some water. It was a hail Mary salvage but even though the recipe was botched the bread was delicious and awesome! I can’t wait to make it again. This time we will use the Kitchen-Aid instead of going with her by hand bowl preference and I will be sure the flour is measured correctly. we shared part of the loaf with an elderly neighbor and she thought it was divine… so the lesson is make this bread!
Colleen
March 7, 2017 at 4:09 amJust wanted to give you a huge thank you! I made this bread the other day and it is wonderful! Followed your recipe to a “T”. The only thing that I didn’t have was bread flour, so I added 3 tsp. of vital wheat gluten to the 3 cups of flour. Mine rose quite nicely. I also added a little bit of candied orange peel as well (and may just add some grated orange peel instead the next time) , but it turned out great. Thank you for posting. I took a picture, but I don’t know if /how to add it to the comments section. xoxo oh yes..it wasn’t easy working all the fruit and nuts into the dough tho!
Sue
March 7, 2017 at 7:36 amI’m thrilled you liked this Colleen ~ and yes, it is a little bit of a challenge to work all those goodies into the dough, I drop them in a little at a time to try to spread them out. The orange peel sounds like a great addition, too. The best way to share a photo, and I’d love to see it, is on facebook (you can message me and link it) or on instagram or twitter with the hashtag #tvfgi ~
Colleen
March 8, 2017 at 6:18 amThanks Sue…I “think” I sent you a tweet..haha..I’m sure not an expert on Twitter yet, so you’ll have to check and see if you see my bread or not..
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
March 1, 2017 at 4:41 pmI definitely need to make this! Love the idea of muesli in bread and toast is my favourite snack! I’ve always been curious about those proofing boxes, so good to hear your thoughts!
Sue
March 1, 2017 at 6:22 pmI absolutely love it, Jennifer, I can never seem to find a warm spot for bread dough, and because I can set the temperature to anything I want, it can be used for all sorts of diy projects.
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
March 1, 2017 at 2:32 pmI don’t eat a whole lot of bread but boy does this look good. All those goodies in there? Yes, please.
Sue
March 1, 2017 at 4:10 pmI figure if I’m going to splurge on the carbs, it should have some benefits, and this bread definitely does!
Susan
March 1, 2017 at 2:26 pmI need this bread in my life soon ;) Not only do I love fruit and nuts in bread but it looks so pretty!
Dawn
March 1, 2017 at 12:36 pmThis looks amazing! I have a plethora of dried fruits, nuts and seeds I’d like to try in this–muesli is definitely going on the shopping list!
I sometimes proof dough in my dryer–turn it on high while I’m making the dough and then turn it off and set the dough in its oiled tub inside. Works well for me, though now I’m eyeing that proofing box.
Sue
March 1, 2017 at 12:43 pmOh wow Dawn, I love the dryer idea, i thought I’d heard of them all, but that’s a new one, and it makes so much sense!
John/Kitchen Riffs
March 1, 2017 at 7:51 amTo die for? Sold! This looks terrific — thanks.
Sue
March 1, 2017 at 8:05 amAbsolutely, guaranteed ;)
Barbara
March 1, 2017 at 7:17 amCan I make this in the bread machine?
Sue
March 1, 2017 at 7:18 amI don’t see why not!