Swiss Raisin Muesli bread - getting closer!
Last April I posted this message about trying to replicate one of my favourite breakfast breads - a swiss raisin muesli bread: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/45619/deconstructing-muesli-bread
By November my attempt was evolving and I posted this on an attempt at the time: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/49652/swiss-muesli-raisin-bread-revisited
After that I went "dark" on the subject and decided to step back from the project and work on other issues in my general bread baking. I thought learning new skills and making more bread would help me think about what I was doing wrong.
Over the past few weeks I thought of revisiting the project as a recent porridge bread I made gave me an idea to use oats in making this muesli bread..
This morning I baked this bread:
It's my best attempt yet.
I took my 100% hydration starter, fed it 1:2:2 Thursday morning and night, then friday morning I fed it again 1:1.5:1.5 (but with rye flour rather than bread that time). I also created a soaker that morning using 140g rolled oats and boiling water. By Friday around 6pm I mixed 445g bread flour, 105g rye, 110g starter, 245g water (from soaked raisins), 120g soaked rasins, 90g flax seeds, 60g honey, 30g poppy seeds, 30g mix of sesame/pumpkin seeds and gave it all a good mix. The honey I used was a darker bolder tasting honey. After 30 minutes I added 11g of salt.
My stater was past doubling and had already fallen by the time I got home from work Friday night, so it wasn't ideal, but used it anyway. I ended up using stretch and folds every 30 minutes until about 10pm and then felt I should put it in the oven with the light on to get it going a bit more. I kept up the s/folds. By 11:15pm I pre-shaped and did a final shape at 11:45pm. I placed one loaf in a cloth lined oval basket, and as I don't have a second basket used a cloth lined pyrex glass loaf pan for the second loaf. They ended up with a weight of about 740g each. Next time I'd divide the dough into three loaves.
This morning I started up the oven and preheated to 500 and reduced to 475 for the first loaf, for the first 20 minutes (lots of steam and misted the loaves). Another 25 minutes at 450 and it was baked. I opened the door after 5 minutes to add more steam (that was a mistake). The second loaf was baked at 450 for the duration and I didn't open the door until 20 minutes passed to then remove the water pan.
Overall great loaf. I could have soaked the raisins for longer (as I was using this raisin water as my bread water) but had to buy them on the way home Friday night so I didn't get as good a raisin taste in the bread as I should have. They soaked in boiling water for only about 20 minutes. It was also a bit more dense/heavy than I would like, but not terribly so. I think I would reduce the amount of oats next time, not put in the sesame/pumpkin seed mix and make sure my starter was at peak when using. I might also reduce the amount of rye by about half and use more bread flour.
This bread is my white whale.. I'm so close!!
Looking forward to breakfast - a toasted slice (or two) with peanut butter and a warm coffee!
Thanks for the support along the way - bake happy! bread1965!
but as I am chomping down on a slice of this bread (daughter picked up a loaf when she was in Toronto for the weekend), I had an Ah ha! moment! The ingredient list has been bothering me for months.
Swiss Muesli Bread
Ingredients: unbleached wheat flour, water, raisins, vegetable oil, whole and ground brown flax seeds, organic whole grain rye flour, yellow flax seeds, honey, raisin juice concentrate, Dried Apple, yeast, sea salt, durum semolina, rolled oats, sunflower seeds, brown flax seed, Poppy Seeds, bacterial culture.
Normally, ingredients are listed from greater to least and salt which usually would be last on a bread recipe is smack dab in the middle of it. I examined the slice I was eating (went back for another) and clued in that the ingredients after the salt are the toppings. That’s why they have brown flax down twice and the amounts are so small. I’m not sure about the bacterial culture in the list and where it goes, in or on top and I tried looking it up by the number listed but no luck.
So Bread1965, if you make this bread again, try using the ingredients listed after the salt as a topping instead of inside the loaf. I am going to give this a shot one day. It is really good bread.
ETA: The durum semolina is probably what they use on the peel to get it in the oven.
You know, I was thinking about this bread just last night. I went to the market after work and almost bought some! But I'm traveling for work this weekend and left the market without. I didn't even dare to go by the stall so as not to be tempted to buy a loaf! I love that bread! So it's coincidental that you're having some!
But more to the point, leave it to a teacher to figure this out! You are such a smart cookie! Of course! It seems so obvious now! Given labeling rules I think you're right. I'm not sure I get the bacteria as a last item either - maybe a commercial baker on this site might have some insight.
I was thinking of giving this bread another go when I'm back in a few weeks. In the meanwhile, have a slice for me (toasted with butter of course!).
Enjoy ..
She picked it up yesterday just before flying home on the 6:20 pm Porter flight!
As to toasting, I will have to do that. I am eating plain out of the bag! It’s that good!