When John and I were living in Portland, we discovered the absolute best coffee shop in town. Yes, there are plenty: West coasters take their coffee seriously. But we found the absolute best. Its name is Heart. Nestled in a little strip on Burnside sits the quaint little black and white shop with huge window fronts, a giant exposed roaster in the center of the store, newspapers strewn about in messy stacks, a staff of blasé hipsters, and the best lattes in the world. What does this have to do with bread? A lot, in fact. Heart Coffee is all about supporting local, as are most Portland businesses, which is why they carried the only the freshest local baked goods from around the area. Homemade whoopie pies, cinnamon rolls, giant wrapped muffins with berries plump and gushing out the side, and – our favorite – muesli toast. Muesli simply means mixed granola – fruit, nuts, seeds, oats; whatever suits your fancy. But what few people experience is muesli in toast, which creates a euphoric combination of flavors and a sensational crunch that makes you resent regular toasts forevermore. Slather your slice with butter and honey and you have a near-perfect breakfast in tow. Every Sunday morning before church, John and I would invite friends to meet us at Heart for coffee and a chat. Sometimes no one was quite awake. Sometimes it was too loud to hear yourself talk. Sometimes no one showed up but us. But there was always, always a fresh loaf of muesli bread waiting to be thick sliced, toasted, and served alongside soft butter and local honey. Pair that with a perfectly-crafted latte and Sunday mornings were never so awesome as this. This loaf is a rustic style, but you could easily split into two small loaf pans to pull off a more formal shape. I, however, prefer the former. The little raisins puffed out the side, which reminded me why it’s smart to keep them toward the center of the loaf. Else they get crisp and require dusting off before eating. Consider yourself tipped off to this little trick. Your thanks, my welcome. I was so pleased with the way this batch turned out. Crusty on the outside, warm and soft on the inside with plenty of crunchy, sweet notes from the fruit and nuts. I lathered mine with a little butter and honey and it was a dream. But once it sets for a few days, it makes the perfect base for a french toast bake (recipe to come soon).
