Multigrain Bread

Week 21

This week it was MY turn to host. I choose Multigrain Bread. Recipe on page 104-105 of our book.

Picking a recipe, this time around, was rather difficult. There were a number of nights where I sat down to choose one and got up with nothing picked for my week to host. There were two "must haves" for hosting this week: one was nothing sweet and two was I really wanted to use my new standing mixer. I guess you can say that is how I came across the bread. I have never made Multigrain Bread before but love eating it. In fact, bread alone is one of the best things in the world. Reading over this recipe confirmed my desire to bake this. It was simple, a break from sugar, and lots of grains.

So here we go. . .

• Makes one 9-inch loaf

 For an accurate measurement of boiling water, bring a full kettle of water to a boil, then measure out the desired amount. You will need about 1 tablespoon of melted butter to brush over the loaf before baking. If you don't have a standing mixer, see Alternative Mixing Methods for Rolls and Loaves on page 102. (of book)

•  1 cup (5 ounces) seven-grain hot cereal mix (see the box at right)
• 2 cups boiling water (see note above)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for brushing (see note above)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 1/2-3 cups (12 1/2 to 15 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (5 1/2 ounces) whole wheat flour
• 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup  unsalted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quick-cooking oats

 

 

1.   Stir the cereal mix and boiling water together in a medium bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, until the mixture resembles a thick porridge and is just warm (about 110 degrees), about 30 minutes. Stir in the melted butter and honey.
 

 

2.   Combine 2 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. 

 

 

 With the mixer on low speed, add the cereal mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.

 

 

3.   Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes, adding the seeds during the final minute of mixing. If after 4 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom (see page 97). (of book)
 

 

4.   Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball. 

 

 

Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

 

5.   Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and , following the photos on page 109, gently press it onto a 9-inch square. 

 

 

Roll the dough into a tight cylinder and pinch the seam closed. 

 

 

Place the loaf, seam side down, in the prepared pan.

 

 

Mist the loaf with vegetable oil spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size and the dough barely springs back with poked with a knuckle, 45 to 75 minutes.
 

 

6.   Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. brush the loaf lightly with melted butter, 

 

 

sprinkle with the oats, then spray lightly with water. Bake until golden and the center of the bread registers 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, before serving. 

 

To Make Ahead

In step 4, do not let the dough rise, but refrigerate it overnight or up to 16 hours; let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then continue with step 5.

There is the recipe. I hope you try it and for my fellow baker friends I hope you liked it.

We loved the bread! I haven't made many bread loaves in my life of baking but this one is by far the best. It was healthy, moist, and yummy. The kids and I had it this morning with butter and honey and again for lunch as a ham sandwich. Yeah! 

A Tip & A Question:

1.  Mix the nuts into the dough by hand while you knead it into a ball onto the counter. Picture above shows the result from mixing nuts with standing mixer.
2. Why is the texture of homemade bread always different from store bread?