Multigrain Sandwich Bread.... I never thought I would make a healthy sandwich bread that tasted soooo goood! I mean healthy doesn't always taste so good, right?:) We love this bread...it is so much better than the Milton's Multigrain. Ok, maybe its because it is homemade and just as delicious! It has a hint of sweetness from the honey. But I highly recommend this bread!
When I looked at the recipe, I noticed that it used 1 whole cup of whole grain hot cereal. The actual recipe calls for 7 grain hot cereal. Since I couldn't find the 7 grain, I ended up using a 10 grain hot cereal... what was available at my local whole foods store. I was intrigued to see how the cereal mix would play out. Never tried it before in a bread recipe.
Now, I have come to LOVE baking bread and it was the perfect excuse to make a loaf. Except, I didn't want to make just one loaf...too much work for only one loaf, so I did 2 instead. I was so thrilled with the results...so glad I made 2 loaves! 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 or "wheaty" or crumble as is usually the case with 100% whole wheat. Actually, the bread was quite moist and delicious. It sliced beautifully, it far exceeded what I expected and I can't stop talking about it. It is that good! I, for sure, will be making this again. Hope you enjoy...
You will need:~adapted from America's Test Kitchen Baking Cookbook~
1 cup 7 grain hot cereal (I used 10 grain)
2 cups boiling water
3 TBS unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for brushing
3 TBS honey
2 1/2- 3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 envelope(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
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, add boiling water to the hot cereal and stir to mix. 
2. 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.
3. Stir in melted butter and honey.
3. Stir in melted butter and honey.
4. Combine 2 1/2 cups of the all purpose flour,whole wheat flour, yeast and salt in your mixer bowl. Use the dough hook.
5. On low speed, add the cereal mixture and mix about 2 minutes.
6. 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.
7. Add the seeds at the last minute or so of the kneading process.
5. On low speed, add the cereal mixture and mix about 2 minutes.
6. 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.
7. Add the seeds at the last minute or so of the kneading process.
8. Turn the dough on a lightly floured board and knead by hand to form a smooth ball.
9. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with a greased plastic.
9. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with a greased plastic.
10. Let rise in a warm place. I always like to turn on the oven for about a minute to make a cozy warm environment for the dough to rise in.
11. Let rise till doubled in size about 1 -1/2 hours.
12. 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.
13. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter top and press into a 9 inch square.
11. Let rise till doubled in size about 1 -1/2 hours.
12. 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.
13. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter top and press into a 9 inch square.
14. Roll the dough into a cylinder shape and pinch the seam so that it stays closed. 
15. Place the loaf in the prepared pan with the seam side down.
16. Brush lightly with some olive oil.
17. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
18. Let rise in warm environment until doubled in size about 45-75 minutes. Mine took about 45 minutes. 19. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
20. Brush the loaf lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with oats... I noticed this step is iffy. The oats don't necessarily want to stay on top, so I skip the oats now. Spray lightly with water.
18. Let rise in warm environment until doubled in size about 45-75 minutes. Mine took about 45 minutes. 19. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
20. Brush the loaf lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with oats... I noticed this step is iffy. The oats don't necessarily want to stay on top, so I skip the oats now. Spray lightly with water.
21. Bake until golden 40 -50 minutes or until an instant thermometer reads 200 degs.
22. Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes. Take out and cool for 2 hrs. As with all breads I freeze mine so that they won't dry out. You can definitely slice the bread and freeze the slices.
22. Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes. Take out and cool for 2 hrs. As with all breads I freeze mine so that they won't dry out. You can definitely slice the bread and freeze the slices.
40 comments:
This bread is absolutely delicious! The dough is so easy to work with. Very healthful recipe. Makes a large loaf. Takes a little time to do but well worth the effort.
Anon, I am SO glad you liked this bread as well...We just LOVE it! Thanks you for your feedback...
Yes, the dough is indeed a pleasure to work with and the final product is so worth it:)...it makes really delicious sandwiches!
I'm new to homemade bread baking, and so far my family loves it! We've already made your 100% whole wheat sandwich bread and want to try this multigrain bread. Being new...what would happen if I used all whole wheat flour instead of some white and some wheat?
Karla, I am so glad you liked the 100% whole wheat bread. It is great that you are trying your hand at baking bread...
As for substituting whole wheat for all of the flour in this recipe, you will probably get a denser(and probably crumbly) bread. It definitely won't rise as much nor will it be as fluffy. You might need to increase a bit of the water
as well.
Do let me know if you make it with all whole wheat...would love to hear your feedback.
THANKS so much for this recipe--i just made it last night and it is amazing! so moist and hearty. the sunflower seeds (and i added some flax seeds as well) added so much texture. this is my new favorite bread, will make it every week!
thanks again! the pictures were so helpful
Sonia, Thank you so much for your feedback. This bread is one of my very favorite breads as well. The texture of the bread is wonderful... love all the grains.
Your tip on using flax seeds is excellent!
I am so very glad you enjoyed the bread... and that my photos were helpful.
Thanks for stopping by...it was sweet of you to take the time to comment.
This bread did not come out as expected and I was hoping you could help me. My dough was really thick, my kitchenaid could not even mix it, it just kind of flopped it around in the bowl. I actually had to push it off the dough hook and push it down into the bowl a couple of times just to get it to knead. It came out denser than I expected but I only let the second rise go for 1 hour I was in a time crunch so that might be it. But it was not very soft or elastic. I used the 8 grain bobs red mill. Was it the diff in the cereal? Did I miss count and add too much flour? I love the idea of this recipe and am assuming I did something wrong. What are your thoughts? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!
Pg Sherri, Sorry to hear that you had trouble with this dough, as it isn't a very dense dough at all. Actually, I feel the dough can be on the sticky side, but it's rather pretty elastic and fun to work with once the measurements are right.
Now, I can only guess at what could have gone wrong... using the 8 grain would not have affected the outcome. But here are my thoughts....
1. You added too much flour... the maximum amount of flour you should be adding is 4 cups. You initially start out with 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour... and then add a bit extra flour( a TBS at a time) until the dough is no longer very wet, or too tacky. But you shouldn't be adding more than 4 cups total of flour. And when measuring flour, I usually fluff it up and then scoop and level.
2. Not enough liquid... when soaking the 8 grain cereal, you need 2 cups total of boiling water... might have you used less? You need to boil a pot of water.... AND then measure out 2 cups. Don't just place 2 cups of cold water and then bring it to boil, as this will decrease the amount of water that is needed due to evaporation that occurs when boiling. Or maybe you let the cereal sit too long in the hot boiling water where the cereal absorbed all the liquid and it wasn't fluid-like in consistency? Not sure if this was the problem. Just some thoughts.
3. As for the dough "flopping" around, well that can be a normal part of kneading certain types of bread doughs...especially so for bagel doughs, as it is a denser sort of dough. I've often had to stop the mixer, and "push" back the dough in the bowl for heavier doughs. But having said that, I don't see that happening for this type of bread dough as it shouldn't be so dense.
4. The rising time does affect the outcome of breads... you don't want it underrisen nor overrisen. And an hour of rising time in one house can be totally different than an hour in another house.... house temperatures differ. I love placing my dough to rise in the oven where I have gently preheated it for a couple of minutes... just so that it's cozy and has the right proofing environment. You definitely don't want it to be too hot
I hope you can give the bread recipe a try again... it's a favorite of ours, and I hope you can enjoy it as much as we do.
Maybe you just miss counted the amounts, as it happens to all of us:)... it happens to me too, especially when I'm in a hurry:)
In any case, I hope this info helps a bit, and that you have success next time.
HI! I just discovered your blog and cannot wait to try your recipes! I have made whole wheat bread before but it has come out quite dense, and so I am looking forward to baking your whole wheat and multi grain sandwich bread. I like to add ground flax seed and bran flakes to the bread I make. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can incorporate these ingredients into these 2 recipes? Also for the multi grain bread, do you think I could try substituting white whole wheat flour instead of white flour? Thank you so much for all of your great recipes!
Hi Abbey, Welcome! I'm glad you stopped by:).
Most whole wheat breads do come out dense... and the more flax, bran and and other whole grains are added the denser the bread may come out... too much of the flax or wheat bran can really alter the bread dough. You can add flax and bran but don't add too much of it as it make the dough quite heavy, changing the consistency of the bread quite a bit. But having said that, here are some thoughts in how I would incorporate the flax and bran in the multigrain bread recipe:
You can add some ground flax seed(I'd start with 1/4-1/3 cup initially... and maybe increase it to 1/2 cup? after you see how those amounts work) and some bran(about the same amount) to the multigrain bread... the thing is, you will need to adjust amounts of flour or liquid in the recipe... either substituting some of the flour with the flax/bran amount....or adding a bit more liquid to the bread dough if it is too dry.
Bread doughs, in general, go by "feel". So the idea too keep in mind is not to add too much flour in the beginning... you can always add it at the end if you feel the dough is too sticky or wet... though you should always be cautious that you do not add too much flour( or flax/bran) as the bread dough can get too heavy and dense and not be able to rise.
If need be, allow the bread dough to rest for about 20 minutes before kneading the dough and adding extra flour(always by the spoonful)... this step(autolysis) helps the dough to absorb all the water and get fully hydrated. Then you can start kneading the dough without it being too sticky or wet.
You can use white whole wheat instead of the white flour... it should still work(but again, you may need to add a bit more liquid or use less of the white whole wheat flour... ww flour absorbs a bit more liquid than white flour).
Abbey, I haven't tried using the bran or flax meal in these 2 particular recipes, so these are just suggestions as how I would proceed... I wish you success. But with all whole wheat bread recipes, adding too much flour will make the bread dense... I hope this helps. Would love to hear back from you if you try the recipes.
I recently got a bread maker and was wondering if this recipe would work in there. Have you ever heard from anyone who adapted it to a bread machine?
Thanks
Hi Devon, You know, I haven't heard from anyone using the bread machine for this particular recipe... other bread recipes on this site, yes., but not this one( but that doesn't help).
I personally don't have a bread machine... nor had one in the past. So I'm not sure how I can be of help. I'm hoping the manual will give you some insight in how to proceed.... it might take you a few tries, but the bread is wonderful and worth making.
If you do try it I would love to know your result. Thanks for stopping by, and I wish you success.
Hey Ellie, So, I made the bread in my bread machine today and it turned out great! I love it! The texture is amazing for a multigrain bread... All the multigrains I have ever made were much denser and turned to sticky mush in your mouth... I will definitely be using this recipe regularly. Thank you!
Oh, that's awesome, Devon! Glad to hear it worked in the bread machine.
Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and share your feedback. Really appreciate it!
The bread, being multi grain, is definitely not dense... and I'm so glad you liked it as well.
It always makes my day when someone else enjoys a recipe I've posted as much as I do:). But this bread is truly amazing!
This is the best bread I've ever made/eaten! Thank you thank you thank you!
Anon, Yes, isn't it? We love this bread! So glad you enjoyed it too:)... thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it!
Hi Ellie,
I am going to give this a try this week, but have a couple questions. Are the sunflower seeds raw or toasted? Also, can bread flour be used instead of the all purpose flour and how will it change the bread? I just love your site and all the goodies on here!!!
Lorene, Thanks... really appreciate it! You know, I use unsalted roasted sunflower seeds, for the extra flavor... but you can use raw sunflower seeds, if you like.
As for using bread flour, you can definitely do so... my guess, it will probably make the bread a bit chewier and maybe denser, though not by much. I think it should work just fine.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we do:)! Appreciate you stopping by...
Hi Ellie,
I made the bread today, right by the recipe and it looked beautiful in the pan after rising, but then when I took it out to brush with butter and put the oats on, it fell :( I had hoped it would perk back up during the baking, but it did not. It looks a little sad, but tastes great. Next time no butter or oats.
Thanks again for all your wonderful recipes!!
Hi Lorene,
Oh, I'm so sad to hear the bread fell...
When you say you "took it out" to brush it with the oats and butter, did you already place the dough to bake? The brushing and oats are done right before baking the bread. The bread shouldn't have fallen otherwise... hmmm, I'm perplexed. But as you said, next time omit the butter and oats and you'll be fine. I sure hope you can try it again... though I know when things like this happen, you might want to take a break... I know I do. But just for a little while:).
Lorene, thanks a ton for stopping by and sharing. Wishing you success next time, because it's a delicious bread:).
Hi Ellie,
I actually let mine rise in the oven. I turn it on 170 for 30-60 seconds and the turn it off and put it in the oven to rise. We keep our home sort of cool. That is when I took it out to brush and put the oats on. I am not discouraged because this is the first time I have had one to fall so I guess that is not too bad.
Thanks again for all the helpful tips and pictures!!
Lorene, Love your positive outlook:)... glad to hear that.
Thanks so much for your kind comments.... and for stopping by. Have a great day!
This bread is so easy to make and delicious! I have been baking bread at home for over two years now , but always stuck to white bread. This takes a little longer to make but totally worth it!
Jayashree, Oh, I am so glad you like this bread:)... Thanks a ton for your feedback!
Yes, you are right... it takes a bit longer, but it's got so much more flavor and texture.
I love to double the recipe ... This way I can freeze some, for those days you need some sandwich bread .
Thanks so much for stopping by!
This bread looks great! Is the recipe for 1 loaf or 2?
Anon, As stated in my introduction(you may have quickly read through and missed it)... The recipe is for 1 loaf. I just made 2 loaves since I was still baking:)... Which explains the 2 loaves in the pictures:).
And yes, the bread is absolutely delicious! Hope you can give it a try.
I just tried a slice of this bread and my wife and I are very happy with the results. Your recipe seemed a little daunting to me as I never, ever, baked bread before but it turned out great. I made it into 2 loaves because my wife said it was too much for one pan. The result is great, big enough slices and better for portion control for the diet. thank you for posting.
Anon, Oh, I am so glad to hear that you tried this recipe... and that you and your wife enjoyed the bread!
Thank you so much for your feedback, it's always wonderful to hear back from those who try out the recipes I post. Thrilled to hear that even though the recipe seemed daunting at first, you still went ahead with it:)... I'm happy that you made smaller loaves and made the recipe work for you.
I was a little disappointed with this bread. I made a loaf last night, had a couple family members over and when I woke up this morning the loaf was gone.
;)
thanks again for the great bread
Jeremiah, Oh, NO!!!! I'd be disappointed too:). I'd highly recommend baking the bread again... maybe baking a couple of loaves:).
Thanks for the chuckle...Glad it turned out well for you, and that it was so well received.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Always appreciated.
I am very thankful for this recipe. This bread is so delicious. Luckily I doubled the ingredients. Will surely make it frequently. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Zsuzsa, That's wonderful to hear! So glad you doubled the recipe... the bread is indeed delicious.
I'm happy I could be of help in sharing a bread recipe that's a personal favorite... glad to hear it's become yours as well:)
Thanks a bunch for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Always appreciate it!
Happy New Year Ellie,
I made this bread this morning using 5 grain cereal and raisins. I don't have a dough hook so I just kneaded it by hand, it was pretty sticky even after I added extra flour, but turned out wonderfully soft. It seemed like there was too much dough for the 9x5" pan so I made a mini loaf also. I plan on making it again with 7 or 10 grain cereal and sunflower seeds. I like the Arnold 12 grain bread and hope to come close to that recipe so I can enjoy high fiber homemade bread. This recipe is great!
Liz, Happy New Year:)!
So glad you tried the multigrain bread recipe... even kneading it by hand! I love to hear the variations to the recipes and yours sounds wonderful. I think you can make it easier when kneading by hand to use oiled hands... but it sounds like you know how to bake bread and had no problem:).
I think you can play around with the fiber a bit... can use flax seeds, chia and other seeds of choice to increase the fiber content in the bread.
But the bread is wonderfully delicious and I'm glad you tried it. Thanks a bunch for sharing your feedback, always love to hear from my readers:).
I was looking around on your site after I decided to try the crushed new potato recipe for dinner this week and found this bread recipe. I have not made bread before and have wanted to start. This looks great and will be giving it a try today! I live in south Florida and it has been very hot and humid so hopefully it will not affect the outcome. If you have any suggestions about making bread in a really humid environment it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Kelly C, I am so glad you stopped by... and thanks for trying out the crushed potatoes:).
This recipe for bread is one of my favorites and I sure hope you enjoy it as well. Since this will be your very first try at making bread, you will need to keep in mind a few things... especially in a hot and humid environment. Bread making can involve a bit of having a feel of the dough... not too wet, not too dry... but here are a couple of tips.
1) You will need to add a bit of extra flour to compensate for the humidity... this can be anywhere from a few tablespoons to maybe even 1/3 of a cup. The bread dough shouldn't be on the wet side.... just a bit tacky, and definitely clearing the side of the mixer bowl.
2) Since it is also hot, the bread rising will definitely be shorter... so use your intuition and see that the dough doubles in size on the first rise... and then when dough is in pan, and rising again, see that it rises to maybe 1 inch over the the top of the pan, or almost doubles in size. You don't want it to rise too much or it will spill over in the oven.
I sure hope you'll have a successful loaf... and that you enjoy it!
Just made it. Fabulous!! I also added 1/4 cup of walnuts and 2 tablespoons of golden flax seeds. Delicious, fluffy, and hearty! We didn't wait 2 hours for it to cool though...we only made it about 30 minutes before diving in, haha ;) Sooo yummy! Thanks for sharing :)
Anon, That's wonderful! So glad to hear you loved the bread:)... Thanks a bunch for sharing your result, I really appreciate it!
Just made it today. It was great as toast, though I probably should have left in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. I also miscalculated the prep time and after having it formed and in the bread pan I had to put it in the fridge for the two hours I was out of the house. Still, all in all, I can't wait to try and make this again.
Joseph, Glad to hear you enjoyed the bread! Thanks a bunch for stopping by and sharing your feedback. I really appreciate hearing from my readers:). I love this bread... and find it extremely tasty as a sandwich bread. It goes wonderfully well with leftover turkey:). You can choose to add other seeds/nuts/ dried fruits if you like to make something different... but I prefer it as is! Hope you enjoy it even more the second time around!
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