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.