Multigrain Seeded Bread
It’s been a long time since I’ve come up with something new for Jam & Bread. Well, my Roast Grape and Goat Cheese tart aside. But still, it’s been a while. That’s because I’ve been learning about taking pictures with artificial light. I know that sounds relatively easy, but as soon as you mount a strobe to a light stand everyone starts talking about physics and the “inverse square law” and the whole thing becomes — perhaps — more complicated than it needs to be. So I took a break from all that recently to develop my Multigrain Seeded Bread recipe. And you know what, it’s really good.
My Multigrain Seeded Bread came about because Lyndon and I really like Dave’s Killer Bread, and they sell a Good Seed loaf that is particularly delicious. But here in Boston that single loaf of bread can cost upwards of $7 and there comes a point where I just can’t. I like the bread, and I really like that the company is giving former inmates a new lease on life by teaching them a trade (we have an astronomically high incarceration rate here in the US which is something that we should all probably be a bit more concerned about, but that might be too big/heavy a topic for a blog about my adventures with food). I will pay a lot of money for an artisan loaf. However, $7 for a loaf of sandwich bread from the supermarket? No. You can pry those bills out of my cold, dead, hands.
Developing a delicious Multigrain Bread that is chock full of seeds
I am a slow recipe developer. That’s probably because I’m not a trained chef; I’m a musician (who now also takes pictures). But I do enjoy the process of creating something new, even if it takes me longer than it would some other people. And I didn’t knock this one out of the park right away. The first loaf actually wound up in the compost. But little by little I got there. Here are the things I really wanted out of this bread:
- Ample whole wheat flour. In fact, I wanted at least 50% of the flour to be whole wheat. That’s a large percentage for a sandwich loaf, but I knew I could make it pay off.
- Enough sweetness to balance out that heavier flour. I also wanted as much natural sweetness as possible, with the smallest possible amount of refined sugar.
- Grains! After all, this is a multigrain bread.
- Lots of seeds that are both delicious and easy to find. I used ones that were already in our pantry.
- Just enough fat to keep the loaf soft and supple for a few days. Lyndon refers to this type of soft bread as “granary bread,” as this is the term his grandmother used. I have to admit, I really enjoy granary breads.
Be Careful Of The Rise
Because this is a yeasted dough — as opposed to a sourdough — that yeast is going to do its job and do it well. So please be careful of the rise. You’ll need about an hour for the first rise and and hour for the second, but don’t just set a timer and say “OK bread, you have exactly 60 minutes and then we’re moving on.” The bread might be ready in 45 minutes, or it might take 90. It all depends on the ambient temperature of your kitchen. Here are a few things to keep in mind when watching for your dough to rise:
- “Doubled” is just that. Any bread recipe that says “wait for the bread to double in size” means you actually wait until it has doubled in volume. This is easiest if you have a container that has volume measurements on its side, but it also fairly easy to do in a bowl. Just eyeball it.
- After you shape the loaf and put it in your bread pan wait until the crown of the loaf has risen 1-inch (2cm) above the lip of the pan. If you wait until the lowest part of the loaf has risen that high you will wind up with an enormous, oddly shaped, loaf that you will ultimately be unhappy with because it won’t fit into your toaster once sliced.
- Some bread recipes call for boiling water to be added to the oven when baking. Mine does not. This is a trick from professional bakeries and while it is extremely effective at getting bread to “spring” in the oven my Multigrain Seeded Bread springs just fine on its own. In fact, I was happier with the loaves I baked in a regular old dry oven than the ones I baked when I chucked water in. Bonus, I’m not going to require you to toss boiling water into a hot oven!
Now Go, And Bake
I can’t lie to you, I am particularly happy with this loaf. As are our upstairs neighbors. And I genuinely think you will be, too. My Multigrain Seeded Bread is chock full of chia, bulgar, and flax, topped with oats and sweetened with just enough honey and molasses to make it irresistible. Like any bread it’s a project, but one that is mostly hands-off. And because this is a yeasted bread (as opposed to a sourdough) the dough is guaranteed to rise beautifully for you.
Tag me Instagram @jamandbreadofficial (I love seeing when other people make one of my recipes!) and please consider leaving me a review below if you make my Multigrain Seeded Bread. I sincerely hope you love it, and that you are ON BOARD with making my Multigrain Seeded Bread a staple of your bread making routine.
For even more recipe ideas you can follow me on Pinterest!
Enjoy! 😀🍞👍🏻
Multigrain Seeded Bread
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 1 Sandwich Loaf 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
My Multigrain Seeded Bread is chock full of chia, bulgar, and flax, topped with oats and sweetened with just enough honey and molasses to make it irresistible. Like any bread it’s a project, but one that is mostly hands-off. And because this is a yeasted bread (as opposed to a sourdough) the dough is guaranteed to rise beautifully for you.
Don’t have instant yeast on hand? Don’t worry, you can read my simple guide to substituting yeast here.
Ingredients
for the starter:
- 1/2 cup bread flour (70g)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (70g)
- 3/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon dry milk
- 2 tablespoons honey (42g)
- 250 grams lukewarm water (1 cup)
for the bread dough:
- 1 1/4 cup bread flour (170g)
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (110g)
- 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
for the seeds/grains:
- 1/4 cup bulgar wheat (40g)
- 2 tablespoons flax seeds (15g)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (12g)
- 1/2 cup boiling water (110g)
the finishing touches:
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 tablespoon molasses (42g)
- 1 3/4 teaspoons table salt (12g)
- 1 tablespoon butter (14 grams)
- a handful of quick-cook oatmeal
Special equipment needed:
- 9x5-inch bread pan (23x13cm tin)
Instructions
- OK, I know. That ingredient list looked epic. But nothing about this is hard, so here we go: Combine your starter ingredients (bread flour, whole wheat flour, instant yeast, dry milk, honey and lukewarm water) in a bowl and mix well. Professional bakers call this a sponge. I’m a bit low-brow, so I call it a starter as it’s the thing that starts your bread. And it’s going to give your bread a ton of flavor.
- Next, sprinkle your bread dough ingredients (bread flour, whole wheat flour, instant yeast, and sugar) over the top of your starter. DON’T mix them in. Just let them lay there like a blanket. Cover the bowl and set it aside for an hour (this is the exact time you’ll need to prep your seeds… amazing!).
- Now, combine your seeds/grains (bulgar wheat, flax seeds, chia seeds) in a small bowl. Mix them together with a half cup of boiling water and cover. Let that sit for 1 hour. See how not-difficult this actually is?
- When that hour is up add the seeds to your bowl of bread dough. Add in your neutral oil, molasses and table salt and knead. The dough is ready when it’s tacky but no longer sticky. If you’re using the dough hook of a stand mixer this will take about 10 minutes. By hand you’re looking at 15, but kneading dough by hand is a really good way to work out any pent-up aggression you might be feeling, so I say go for it. Spray a large bowl or container with non-stick cooking spray (or lightly grease with oil), place the dough inside and let rise until doubled. 1 hour.
- Turn your oven to 350°F (170°C+fan). Lightly spray or grease a 9×5-inch bread pan (23x13cm tin). Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and, using your fingertips, nudge it into a rectangle. Arrange the dough so the long edge leads away from you. Starting at the end furthest away from you roll the dough up like spas roll up towels. Tuck the ends in a bit, and place the dough into your bread pan. Cover and let rise until the crown of the bread is 1-inch (2cm) over the top of the pan.
- Melt your butter and gently brush it over the top of your loaf. Shake some oats on top. Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 50-ish minutes.
- Remove your bread from the oven and immediately turn it out of its pan. The bread should sound hollow when you tap its bottom. Cool on a cooling rack and do your best to resist cutting into it before it’s fully cooled. Store tightly wrapped for several days.
Keywords: bread, whole wheat, sandwich loaf, Multigrain Seeded Bread
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