Multigrain Bread Recipe

When I eat bread, which is one of my favorite things to do, I want it to be full of flavor, full of texture, and full of nutrition. Sometimes I feel the process of making it is as satisfying as eating it! There is just something about baking bread that relaxes me and gives me a sense of accomplishment for the day. This multigrain bread recipe I’m sharing with you is one that feels so special when you eat it. As morning toast eaten with two eggs, it gives you a great start to the day. Topped with cinnamon and brown sugar, it’s a delicious snack in the evening. Whenever you eat it, you’ll agree it’s so satisfying, and the added seeds give it a nutty, complex flavor that will inspire you to make it again and again!

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Baking Bread as a Homemaker

A RETURN TO HOMEMAKING

Homemaking is so satisfying for me, whether it’s planning my family’s menu for the week or cleaning my refrigerator (I know, crazy). It seems that in recent years, the role of the homemaker has been recognized as a vital, admirable, and enjoyable part of the family life. So often, in the classes that we teach at the Flour Barn, we get questions about homemaking. We often talk about creating a life that allows one to be a homemaker. It feels like women are hungry for guidance and encouragement that homemaking is an honorable role to seek. This is groundbreaking in my opinion!

MY LIFE CHANGING CHOICE

As a young mother and a registered nurse (30 years ago), I felt the pull to be at home with my children and manage my home. After much contemplation, my husband and I decided to take the plunge, and leave my nursing career behind to pursue homemaking as my full-time occupation. At the time, I assumed one day I would return, when my kids were older and more settled. Well, homemaking was so much more than I expected–in a good way! And bread baking was such a big part of it all. Without a doubt, bread was the beginning of a new and richer way to approach our food.

Whether it’s whole wheat daily bread, sourdough boules, simple white bread or this multigrain bread recipe, baking bread is a wonderful starting point for meaningful homemaking!

About the Grains

This Multigrain bread recipe utilizes a 7-grain cereal mix from Wheat Montana Farms and Bakery. I’m able to get it at a local farmers market, but I’ve seen other brands with similar mixes of grains. 7-grain cereal usually contains a variety of whole grains, including wheat, rye, oats, barley, and brown rice. Other ingredients may include triticale, oat bran, and flax seed. I like this one because it contains a variety of unrefined grains which still contain their bran and fiber. This recipe also calls for some fresh ground wheat, which relies on my handy Nutrimill, as well as some bread flour which gives it just the right amount of softness! Remember, healthy bread is only healthy if our family wants to eat it! That’s why it must be delicious too.

Why Whole Grains

Whole grains, especially the kinds used in this multigrain bread recipe, retain their nutrients because they have not been stripped of their fiber and germ. That’s a good thing because we want as much of the original nutrients as we can get for the bread we’re eating daily!

Eating whole grains has so many benefits, both for our bellies as well as our hearts. However, if it’s not delicious, we’ll miss out on the best part of eating good bread–the joy it brings to any meal!

The Ingredients for Multigrain Bread Recipe

• I use this 7-grain cereal, but other brands with similar ingredients are just fine. You will be able to get several recipes from this one bag of cereal. I soak the cereal in 2 1/2 cups of boiling water, then allow it to cool to 100 degrees, so as not to kill the yeast when I add it. This cooling usually takes about an hour.
• All-purpose flour or bread flour will work in this recipe. I generally use bread flour because I have it on hand, but all-purpose will work very well. You could eliminate this and replace with more whole wheat flour, but your bread will not be as soft and light.
• I grind my whole wheat flour from hard white wheat berries, using my Nutrimill, but you can also use whole wheat flour that you purchase. Grinding your wheat may seem daunting, but it has just become a very easy part of my bread-making life. I keep my wheat berries easily accessible and my Nutrimill is on my counter most of the time, so that grinding wheat just takes a couple minutes. I usually do this part while my 7-grain cereal is cooling.
• Honey is usually my choice of sweetener for whole grain breads because it has naturally preserving properties and it just tastes so good. If you don’t have honey, you can use an equal amount of sugar as a substitute.
• Canola oil is usually the oil I choose for this homemade bread recipe because of its neutral taste. You could switch it out to avocado oil, or even butter if you like but the butter would need to be melted and then slightly cooled before adding it to the mixer.
• I have always used SAF instant yeast for my bread recipes and it never fails me, that simple. I store it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.
• Salt–just the plain old table salt. Don’t decrease the salt unless you have a health condition that requires it. It just makes the bread so yummy.
• The seeds in this recipe really give it the texture and nutty flavor that make it so special. You can use all sunflower seeds or all pumpkin seeds (pepitas). I use half of each kind, just to keep it more interesting.
• When you’re ready to shape the dough, roll the top of the dough and sides in oats–old fashioned rolled or quick oats work just fine.

The Process for Multigrain Bread Recipe

• Start by adding the 7-grain cereal to the large bowl of your stand mixer. (You can use a Kitchenaid stand mixer with a dough hook when making a two-loaf recipe. However, most of the time, I triple the recipe and use my Bosch mixer, because it has a larger capacity and motor.) Add the boiling water and give it a stir just to moisten all the cereal. At this point, you’re going to allow it to cool for about an hour until it’s about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Once cooled, the heat won’t kill the yeast. During this hour or so of cooling, get the rest of your ingredients measured out and ready.

• While the grains cool, mill your whole wheat flour. Next, add all the flours to a separate bowl and whisk together.
• To the mixer bowl with the warm cereal, add the honey, oil, and yeast. Mix until well combined.
• With dough hook attached, mixer on low, add approximately half of the flours, 1/2 cup at a time. You don’t have to be really particular about measuring at this point. We’re eventually going to add all the flour, but we want to do a short preferment called the “sponge” step. Allow the mixture to knead for a minute or so just to combine the ingredients well. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. This mixture will look like a really soft, wet dough and that’s good.
• What happens in the sponge stage and why do we take this extra step? You could actually skip this step and just add all the flour in one step, if you’re short on time, but taking this extra step really adds to the bread in several ways. Most importantly, this phase really gives the bread a head start in the fermentation process. Fermentation is, after all, when flavor develops in bread. The preferment stage called the “sponge” also improves the texture and crumb of your finished loaf of bread. Trust me, it’s worth the extra time.
• After the sponge stage, with mixer on low, add the salt and the rest of the flours, 1/2 cup at a time until dough forms a ball. Knead on low speed for 7 to 9 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Dough should begin to clean sides of bowl.
• Next, you will add your seeds. Because the bread dough is developed at this point, working the seeds in really needs to be done by hand. If we put the seeds in too early in the mixing process, they can prevent proper gluten development, so that’s why we wait. Just dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and begin to work the seeds into the dough until they’re evenly mixed in, and the dough becomes nice and smooth. I love this part because I like to use my hands to work with dough and this is my chance in this recipe!

• Place dough into a large, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until doubled. This usually takes about an hour or more if your kitchen is cool. The more you bake this bread, the more familiar with rise times in your home you will become.
• Next, on a lightly floured surface, divide dough into two pieces. You can use a kitchen scale to make sure they are equally sized loaves. Shape your multigrain loaf (video included), spray with a bit of oil, roll in oats, place in buttered or sprayed 9×5 inch bread pans. I find using baking spray to prepare my bread pans allows for better release of the loaves once they’re baked. Cover both lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until almost doubled. This will usually take 40 minutes or so depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

• Bake the homemade multigrain bread in a 375-degree oven for 35 minutes. Allow loaves to cool for five minutes in the pans. Then, remove from pans to wire rack and allow to cool. Use an instant read thermometer to make sure your loves are done. They should reach 190 degrees Fahrenheit internally when they’re done.

Multigrain Bread Recipe

Serving Size:

Two loaves

Time:

Four hours

Difficulty:

Ingredients

• 7-grain hot cereal mix 1 1/4 cups (178 grams)
• Boiling water 2 1/2 cups
• All-purpose or bread flour 3 cups (360 grams)
• Whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cups (195 grams)
• Honey 4 Tablespoons (85 grams
• Canola oil 4 Tablespoons (54 grams)
• Instant yeast 1 Tablespoon
• Salt 1 Tablespoon
• Sunflower or pumpkin seeds 3/4 cup (or a combination of both equaling 3/4 cup)
• Old fashioned rolled or quick oats 1/2 cup

Directions

1. Add cereal to bowl of standing mixer and pour boiling water over it, let sit, stirring occasionally, until cools to 100 degrees.
2. Whisk flours in separate medium bowl.
3. Once cereal mixture has cooled, add honey, oil, and yeast and stir.
4. Attach bowl to stand mixer fitted with dough hook. On low speed, 1/2 cup at a time, add one half of the flour, mix for one minute, just to combine. Cover with plastic and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
5. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time and salt and knead for 7 to 9 minutes. Dough will start to clear sides of bowl.
6. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and work in seeds by hand until evenly dispersed throughout the dough. The dough will become smooth and taut as you work in the seeds.
7. Place dough into large, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray two 9×5 inch bread pans with baking spray.
9. Divide dough into two pieces.
10. Shape loaves, spray each with light coating of oil or baking spray, roll over oats to coat and place in prepared pans. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until almost doubled, 40 minutes or so.
11. Bake for 35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.
12. Allow to cool in pans for five minutes, then remove from pans to cooling rack.

The Best Simple and Soft Multigrain Bread Recipe

This multigrain bread recipe I’m sharing with you is one that feels so special when you eat it. As morning toast with two eggs, it gives you a great start to the day.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 4 hours hrs

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 10 slices

Ingredients

  

• 7- grain hot cereal mix 1 1/4 cups 178 grams
• Boiling water 2 1/2 cups
• All-purpose or bread flour 3 cups 360 grams
• Whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cups 195 grams
• Honey 4 Tablespoons (85 grams
• Canola oil 4 Tablespoons 54 grams
• Instant yeast 1 Tablespoon
• Salt 1 Tablespoon
• Sunflower or pumpkin seeds 3/4 cup or a combination of both equaling 3/4 cup
• Old fashioned rolled or quick oats 1/2 cup

Instructions

 

• Add cereal to bowl of standing mixer and pour boiling water over it, let sit, stirring occasionally, until cools to 100 degrees.
• Whisk flours in separate medium bowl.
• Once cereal mixture has cooled, add honey, oil, and yeast and stir.
• Attach bowl to stand mixer fitted with dough hook. On low speed, 1/2 cup at a time, add one half of the flour, mix for one minute, just to combine. Cover with plastic and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
• Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time and salt and knead for 7 to 9 minutes. Dough will start to clear sides of bowl.
• Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and work in seeds by hand until evenly dispersed throughout the dough. The dough will become smooth and taut as you work in the seeds.
• Place dough into large, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray two 9×5 inch bread pans with baking spray.
• Divide dough into two pieces.
• Shape loaves, spray each with light coating of oil or baking spray, roll over oats to coat and place in prepared pans. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until almost doubled, 40 minutes or so.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.
• Allow to cool in pans for five minutes, then remove from pans to cooling rack.

Notes

• Making ahead and freezing: This bread freezes very well. I often triple this recipe and make it in my Bosch mixer, six loaves at a time. I slice the loaves, bag them, and freeze them for up to 3 months. If I want toast, I just pop a piece off the loaf and toast it directly. If I want a whole loaf, I get it out the night before I want it and by morning, it’s ready. The bread can also be thawed in the microwave if you need it in a hurry.
• Slicing the bread. Slicing bread, especially if you make a triple batch, is so much easier with an electric knife if you have one. If not, a bread knife will work fine also.
• Seeds or no seeds? If you’d rather have the bread without the seeds, feel free to just skip that step.
• Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Keyword freshly ground whole wheat, freshly milled grain, whole wheat, whole wheat bread

Hello! I am Kim, one of the bloggers for the Flour Barn Homestead, and mom to Ellen and Lily. Bread Baking is therapeutic for me and I hope you enjoy this one! Thanks for reading:)