Multigrain Sandwich Bread
We love this bread... it is so much better than the Milton's Multigrain. It isn't 100% whole wheat, but it does have plenty of whole grains to make it healthy and delicious. The added sunflower seeds give it a nice nutty flavor and the honey, a nice tinge of sweetness. I loved the fact that the bread didn't taste dry, "wheaty", or crumble as is usually the case with 100% whole wheat. Actually, the bread was quite moist and delicious. It slices beautifully.
We love this bread... it is so much better than the Milton's Multigrain. It isn't 100% whole wheat, but it does have plenty of whole grains to make it healthy and delicious. The added sunflower seeds give it a nice nutty flavor and the honey, a nice tinge of sweetness. I loved the fact that the bread didn't taste dry, "wheaty", or crumble as is usually the case with 100% whole wheat. Actually, the bread was quite moist and delicious. It slices beautifully.
- 1 cup 10 grain hot cereal
- 2 cups boiling water
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled, plus extra for brushing
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (up to 3 cups)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 1/4 tsps instant yeast (or rapid rise)
- 1 1/2 tsps salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- Carbohydrate 84.98272 g
- Cholesterol 11.44875 mg
- Fat 6.6584825 g
- Fiber 6.89121873978525 g
- Protein 13.136715625 g
- Saturated Fat 3.15529975 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (150g)
- Sodium 7.745125 mg
- Sugar 78.0915012602147 g
- Trans Fat 0.767297249999999 g
- Calories 445 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium bowl, add boiling water to the hot cereal and stir to mix.
- Stir every so often until it resembles a porridge and is just warm(110 deg). It will be anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending how cool/warm your house is.
- Stir in melted butter and honey.
- Combine 2 1/2 cups of the all purpose flour,whole wheat flour, yeast and salt in your mixer bowl.
- Use the dough hook.
- On low speed, add the cereal mixture and mix about 2 minutes.
- Increase the speed to med-low and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
- Should be about 8 minutes.
- If after 4 minutes, the dough is still sticking to the sides of the mixer bowl, add 2 TBS of flour at a time up to 4 TBS.
- You want the dough to clear the sides of the bowl and stick only on the bottom.
- I noticed I needed to add 2 more TBS for one of my loaves and another 4 TBS for the other loaf.
- Add the seeds at the last minute of the kneading process.
- Turn the dough on a lightly floured board and knead by hand to form a smooth ball.
- Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with a greased plastic.
- Let rise in a warm place.
- I always like to turn on the oven for half a minute(I then turn the oven off) to make a cozy warm environment for the dough to rise in.
- .
- Let rise till doubled in size about 1 -1/2 hours.
- Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
- I always like to add a piece of parchment paper on the bottom so I am guaranteed that the loaf does not stick.
- .
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter top and press into a 9 inch square.
- Roll the dough into a cylinder shape and pinch the seam so that it stays closed.
- Place the loaf in the prepared pan with the seam side down.
- Brush lightly with some olive oil.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
- Let rise in warm environment until doubled in size about 45-75 minutes.
- Mine took about 45 minutes.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Brush the loaf lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with oats.
- Spray lightly with water.
- Bake until golden 40 -50 minutes or until an instant thermometer reads 200 degs.
- Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Take out and cool for 2 hrs.
- As with all my breads, I freeze mine so that they won't dry out.
Soaking multi-grain hot cereal in boiling water is the critical first step that prevents raw grains from tearing the gluten strands during mixing, while also ensuring the interior crumb retains moisture for days. Traditional American bread-baking heavily relies on this initial hydration method when incorporating cracked grains or heavy cereals into a standard yeast dough. Without this preliminary steep, hard cereal particles absorb moisture from the flour mixture inside the baking loaf, resulting in a dense and rapidly staling product. Adding the resulting porridge to the mixer only when it cools to approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit protects the live yeast from thermal shock while allowing the honey and melted butter to emulsify smoothly into the starches.
Mastering Hydration and Kneading
Flour absorption rates fluctuate wildly based on ambient humidity and storage age, making it necessary to monitor the dough visually rather than relying solely on measuring cups. Allow the dough hook to work the mixture on medium-low speed for a full eight minutes until it clears the sides of the bowl and collects exclusively at the bottom. If the dough remains overly sticky past the four-minute mark, incorporate all-purpose flour incrementally by two-tablespoon increments up to a maximum of four additional tablespoons. Fold in pumpkin or sunflower seeds precisely during the final minute of kneading to prevent the seed hulls from prematurely cutting the developing gluten network. When shaping the final cylinder for the nine-by-five-inch loaf pan, pinch the bottom seam firmly shut to prevent uneven splitting during the final forty-five to seventy-five minute proof.
- Bake the loaf until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers an internal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cool the freshly baked bread in its pan for precisely fifteen minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.
- Allow the loaf to cool completely for two full hours before slicing to let the crumb structure set fully.
- Freeze surplus slices immediately to prevent staling, as commercial preservatives are absent from this formulation.
