Muesli Bread

calendar Nov 21, 2022 · 3 min read · bread

This recipe winds up being in lunch kits for my kids for a week. I make it into scone(ish) shapes and send it as part of a larger lunch with hard boiled eggs, peanut butter, cheese, apples and grapes.

I always get caught by the amount of time this one takes to prepare and make. In a perfect world, you should allow for upwards of 4 hours of prep time, including rising. Realistically, I'm going to make this on Sunday night before the week gets going and can be rushed to ~90 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 3/4 Tbsp fast-acting yeast
  • 3 cups unbleached flour
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 Tbsp salt
  • 1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup raw pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup raw almonds

Process

  1. In a large bowl, combine the water and yeast together to get the yeast proofing.
  2. In small bowl, combine the flours and salt. Whisk to combine.
  3. Dump the flour mixture into the water/yeast mixture, and mix to combine until the flours are completely incorporated. It'll be really sticky.
  4. Oil a large bowl (I transfer the dough temporarily from the bowl I was originally using, wash, dry then oil it) and transfer the dough to it. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise. If you've got time, let it rise in the fridge for 2 hours. If you don't, put it in a warm spot (like your oven with the light on) and give it ~45-60 minutes.
  5. While waiting, take your raisins and soak them for 20 minutes. Pat dry. This helps keep them from burning during baking.
  6. Once risen, lightly flour your counter and pour the dough out. Make a bit of a large divot or pit in the middle of the dough, and pour the dried fruit, seeds and nuts into the middle,
  7. Kinda.. fold and knead the dough until the add-ins are all incorporated.
  8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  9. Form into a large disc shape, and cut into 10 pie-shaped pieces (or as many as you need for the week).
  10. Place the scone-ish pieces on the baking sheet, giving as much room as possible.
  11. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Cover and let rest for another 30-45 minutes.
  12. Pre-heat the oven to 450
  13. After they've rested, bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

The original recipe for this called for a steamy oven - place a baking sheet (or roasting pan is my preference) on the bottom rack of the oven when you pre-heat. When you put the bread in the oven, fill the baking sheet with boiling water. This will spatter and steam a bit, so be careful, but it will yield a steamy oven for a bit. I tend to not do this all that often - I feel it's hard on the oven...