It’s a lovely, rustic bloomer for this week’s Cakes & Bakes. It’s made with oats, seeds, nuts and dried fruit – hence the name muesli loaf.
Use whatever you have in the cupboard or pantry – it’s actually a great way for using up half packets of things you might have left over from other recipes.
We included flaked almonds, sesame seeds and golden linseeds in ours.
We do think that some dried fruit is a vital ingredient though. A hearty loaf punctuated by the subtle sweetness of the fruit works really well – as well as the sultanas that we added, you could try using figs, dates, raisins, dried apricots or cranberries… or a mixture!
It’s delicious on its own with butter… but also has lots of potential partners such as cured meats, cheese, honey and jams.
In the same way that blue cheese and digestive biscuits are a match made in heaven, so was our muesli bread & dolcelatte combination – a real winner!
Muesli loaf
Ingredients
- 10 g/ ⅓oz instant dried yeast
- 1 tsp sugar optional
- 600 ml warm water
- 500 g/17½oz plain flour
- 400 g/14oz wholemeal flour
- 100 g/3½oz porridge or rolled oats
- 75 g/2⅔oz mixed nuts & seeds
- 100 g/3½oz dried fruit
- 5 g/1⁄16oz salt
Instructions
- In a large measuring jug, add the yeast to the warm water. If your yeast needs a bit of help, stir in a teaspoon of sugar to the mixture
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients and combine. Make a well in the centre
- Once the yeast mixture has begun to bubble, pour into the well of the dry ingredients
- Bring the mixture together with your hands or dough scraper until a large ball is formed
- Empty out the dough ball on to a lightly floured work surface and knead for a good 10 minutes
- Put the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover with cling film and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour)
- Empty out the dough back onto the lightly floured work surface, knock back and form into a bloomer shape before placing on a large, well-greased baking tray
- Allow to prove again, covered in cling film, in a warm place for another hour
- Preheat the oven to 250ºC/475ºF/Gas mark 9
- Score the top of the loaf diagonally a few times before putting into the hot oven
- After 10 minutes, lower the temperature to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6
- Cook for a further 20 minutes until the top becomes golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when knocked
- Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing and enjoying!
