A bag of Bob’s Red Mill muesli, which is a whole grain cereal consisting of rolled oats, wheat, rye, barley, sunflower seeds, almonds and walnuts and raisins, inspired this bread. Unlike granola, no sugar is added in muesli. The same bag of Bob’s Red Mill muesli also produced some incredible rolls that are hard to forget. I don’t know why I haven’t made more frequent use of the muesli.
Muesli was created by Swiss nutritionist Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner at the end of the 19th century. Traditionally, the Swiss soak the dry muesli in milk and leave it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, the grains will have absorbed the liquid, plumping them up and infusing them with flavor.
In preparing both the bread and the rolls, I soaked the muesli for a few hours and let it drain so that I have better control of the hydration level of the doughs.
I added pistachios and sesame seeds in the bread dough to increase the nutrient density and the nutty flavor. These add-ins made up of 38% of the total flour weight. Furthermore, whole grain flours, a combination of buckwheat, kamut and white whole wheat made up 32% of total flour weight. This bread is perfect for breakfast to start the day or on the go whenever high-energy food is needed.
This is a levain bread using a sourdough starter fed with equal portion of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. It is a variation of the Tartine basic country bread in its methodology, the use of low-acid, young natural leaven, gentle kneading and a long slow rise. See the cheat sheet below for details. I like the superior keeping quality of the levain bread. I made three small loaves with this recipe, two round boules and one rectangular loaf. You can leave them out on the kitchen counter and they stay fresh for up to one week. Refresh them in the oven or the toaster, they are good to go.
I added 80 grams of pistachio and I would easily double the amount next time. The green color of the nut showed up prominently throughout the bread. The sweet nutty taste of pistachio adds crunch and depth of flavor. I cannot have enough of this bread.
No Comments