Review: So easy, even a child could do it. Dense and heavy, but super healthy!
So I've been on a health kick for the past few months...more on that to come. Realizing that dietary changes are just as important as fitness changes, I've been reading health/food blogs and health-related articles every day. It's been a tough road so far...trying to educate myself on ingredients and nutritional values, while considering the cost-benefits associated with healthy foods. After all, eating better - filling your cabinets and fridge with wholesome foods - ain't cheap! Sure, chia seeds (the new flax seed for the uninitiated) are high in fiber, protein, and can help keep you satiated for long periods...but they are $6 at my local health food store!
This bread has just a few ingredients you could find just about anywhere...all of which are relatively cheap (esp. if you buy the flour or muesli in bulk). It might just be my easiest recipe to date...a touch more difficult than, say, PB&J. Seriously. If you can measure out ingredients, stir them together, and operate an oven, then you're golden. Six super healthy ingredients (5 if you don't count the water)...it is wonderful warmed up with a touch of butter or jelly. Peanut butter might be too rich a condiment for this, but if you're feeling wild, hey, go for it. To summarize, I'll leave it to Nigella:
"It is heartening to know that you can be in a permanent hurry and spend no more than a few minutes at any time anywhere...and still make a beautiful loaf of bread." WORD.
Ingredients:
*2 3/4 cups wholewheat bread flour [I used pastry flour and it seemed fine.]
*2 cups oaty, unsugared muesli [Purchased from Whole Foods.]
*2 1/2 t. rapid-rise or instant yeast [I used 1 1/2 packages]
*2 t. kosher salt or 1 t. table salt
*1 cup lowfat milk
*1 cup water
Directions:
1) Mix the flour, muesli, yeast, and salt in a bowl, pour in the milk and water, and stir. [Seriously, easy!] It should be the consistency of thick oatmeal.
2) Transfer to a greased or silicon 2 lb. loaf pan [I used a standard Crate and Barrel 1-lb. loaf pan. and it was fine.] Put this into a COLD oven, turning it on immediately to 225 degrees. Bake at this low temp. for 45 minutes.
[I greased my pan with butter. I find that it works much better than Pam, and slightly enhances the taste of baked goods.]
3) After 45 minutes, turn the oven temp. up to 350 degrees and bake for 1 hour. The finished bread will be golden and dense, and should feel and sound slightly hollow if you knock it from underneath.
4) Remove to a rack and cool.
[I'd advise cutting the loaf after just a few minutes of cooling...use a potholder if you feel the loaf is too hot. I made the mistake of trying to cut the completely cooled loaf and it was HARD. Hard to cut and hard as a rock.]
[You should refrigerate the slices until you're ready to consume. I made the mistake of ziploc bagging them and leaving them out on the counter. A week later, our final bag had gone moldy - sick! - and we had to toss 5 precious pieces.]
I managed to cut the loaf into 14 pieces. After a rough calculation, I found that each slice had about 150 calories, 2.3g fat, 7.9mg sodium, 31.1g total carbs (5.5g fiber), and 5.4g protein. Not bad, I suppose. I would eat this for breakfast with some coffee, or pair with a Green Monster if I planned on doing heavy cardio or weights.
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