Muesli Toasting Bread

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

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!