Friday, January 16, 2009

Cre8: Wholesome Multigrain Bread

In pursuit of the perfect multigrain bread...

About a year ago, my husband and I made the decision that we would make all our own bread for the family. This was one part frugality, 1 part eating healthier, and 1 part that we like to make stuff. So, we pulled our bread maker out of storage, brushed off the dust, searched for recipes online, and got started. We make a whole wheat sandwich bread for the kids as well as a multigrain bread for ourselves, our kids like to call it the “grown up bread”.

I honestly had a lot of trouble finding a good whole wheat multigrain bread. Here was my criteria for the perfect bread:
  • 100% whole wheat flour along with other whole grains for the health benefit.
  • A little bit on the sweeter side.
  • Dense and filling, but not a brick.
  • Moist, not dry.
  • Containing Omega-3 Fatty Acids for the Good Cholesterol Benefits.
These were my main concerns. We started with a base recipe I found at bigoven.com and then we tweaked it and tweaked it until we just recently got it JUST RIGHT for our tastes. So, here it goes:

Ingredients:
  • 13 oz Warm Water
  • 2 Tbsp Yeast Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 Tbsp Canola Oil
  • 3 Tbsp Honey
  • 1 Tbsp Molasses
  • 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 3 Tbsp Nonfat Dried Milk
  • 2 ¾ Cups Whole Wheat Flour
  • ¼ Cup Gluten
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 3 Tbsp Cornmeal
  • 3 Tbsp Toasted Wheat Germ
  • 1/3 Cup Sunflower Seeds
  • 1/3 Cup Rolled Oats (Toasted)
  • 1 Tbsp Flax Seeds
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seeds

Directions:
We use a bread machine to make the dough, but we cook it in the oven. We’ve also made it totally in the bread machine.
  • Proof the yeast in all the water according to your brand’s instructions.
  • Combine ingredients in the order they are listed.
  • Either use your bread machine dough setting or knead by hand accordingly.
  • Let the dough rise ~ 1 hr.
  • Knock the dough down, form into a loaf, and place in a 9-in. loaf pan.
  • Let rise for another hour.
  • Bake at 325* for ~30 min. Remove from loaf pan. If sides and bottom are still moist, return to oven for 10-15 min.
  • Slice and enjoy.
To me, this bread is a meal in and of itself! Since it is so moist, I often eat a slice of it with some homemade yogurt for lunch. I also love it toasted with butter on it. The bread keeps very well for homemade bread and stays nice and moist.

1 comment:

Amy @ Finer Things said...

This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for. Thanks so much for sharing it over at Finer Things. I'm grocery shopping tomorrow and will make it asap.

Amy