Have I ever talked about how much I love toast? It's one of my favorite things to eat and I could eat it everyday for breakfast if I let myself. When I have toast, I prefer it to be simply buttered because it really highlights the flavors of the crispy bread whereas jam tends to obscure them. Once in a while, I'll have peanut butter on toasted white bread but give me a delicious butter like Kerrygold Irish butter any day. Mmmmm!
My favorite bread to toast is anything but white --oh!, and rye & pumpernickel but that's because I dislike those two breads in any form. I like a stronger 'wheaty' flavor than a white bread can provide. The last few days, I've been making loaf after loaf of Whole Wheat Muesli Bread. It's made with a white whole wheat flour--which as you can tell doesn't look very white at all--which gives it that nice nutty taste especially when toasted.
But I didn't stop there. I also added muesli to the dough for an even more intense flavor. The muesli I use contains rolled oats, wheat, rye, triticale, barley, almonds, date crumbles, raisins, sunflower seeds, and walnut. All good stuff. Slightly sweet, nutty but deliciously soft and tender too this really does make a great whole grain sandwich toasting multi-purpose bread. I've also rolled it out in snakes and then made coils of it to make rolls which bake up a little firm on the outside but wonderfully soft on the inside. I think my family might be getting a little tired of this bread but I told them they are going to have to stick it out until it's been the bread at hand for an entire week because I am enjoying it so much.
Whole Wheat Muesli Bread
by Michelle
14 ounces white whole wheat flour
2 tsp of yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup of muesli (I like Bob's Red Mill)
2 tablespoons of oil
5 ounces of warm milk
6-8 ounces of warm water
1. In a bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, brown sugar and muesli. Mix in the oil and the milk. Slowly stir in the water until the dough forms a sticky looking ball. Allow it to rest about 5 minutes. Knead 8-10 minutes or until the dough is soft and pliable.
2. Shape the dough into a ball and place in greased bowl. Turn once to coat and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
3. Shape the dough into a log and place in a loaf pan. Mist the top with spray oil and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it rise for 1 to 1.5 hours or until the dough has crested above the loaf pan.
4. Bake in a 350 oven for 30-35 minutes or until the bread is a warm golden brown. The internal temperature of the bread should register 190. Remove from pan to cool. Store well wrapped. This bread will keep nicely for a few days.
