Another Multigrain Bread to Try

We ran out of bread yesterday and I had to (gasp) buy a loaf.  I actually really mind doing that because I am very rarely pleased with what I bring home.  My parents buy bread at the bakery in Kensington and I really like that bread, but otherwise, I am pretty picky and only like homemade.  However, I had a lot going on and kept putting off the (easy and fast) dough making process, until the point where we ran out. Then this morning, our bought loaf was almost gone.  I didn't really have time to wait the 15 or so hours for a loaf of my no-knead recipe, so I dug out a recipe book and tried a regular "knead and have bread in two-three hours" type of recipe.  Here are the results.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook 15th edition; Mixed-Grain Bread

Mixed-Grain Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp)

1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup cracked wheat (I used Red River Cereal)
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp (1/2 tablespoon) salt

1 1/2 cups additional whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats

1 1/2- 2 cups additional all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup each of whole wheat and white flour with dry yeast, set aside.

In a saucepan, combine milk, water, cracked wheat, cornmeal, brown sugar, oil and salt.  Heat and stir over medium-low heat just until it becomes warm, between 120 and 130 F.  Add this warm milk mixture to the flour mixture, and beat on low speed with an electric hand mixer for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl.  Then beat on high speed for three minutes.

It's weird for me to use a hand mixer during the bread making process!  Not entirely unpleasant, however.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the next 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, and the 1/2 cup of rolled oats.  I used quick oats this time.

Then mix as much of the remaining white flour as you can into the dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead in enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is almost smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes of kneading should do.  *I used about a cup of the all purpose flour after mixing in the whole wheat and oatmeal.

Shape the dough into a ball, and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning over to grease the whole surface of the dough.  Cover, and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about one hour.

Dough immediately after kneading.

Dough after an hour sitting in the sunshine on the floor in the dining room.

Punch the dough down, turn onto a lightly floured surface (mine wasn't floured, it didn't stick) and cut into two equally sized pieces.  Cover them (I used plastic wrap that had been over the bowl) and let them rest for ten minutes.

Shape each piece into a loaf and place in greased 8x4x2 inch loaf pans.  Cover again and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 30 minutes.  While you're waiting, preheat the oven to 375.

Brush tops of loaves with water and sprinkle with additional rolled oats.  I used large flake oats for the top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped.  Immediately remove bread from pans, and cool your luscious loaves on wire racks.

My loaves. You may notice a slight discrepancy in size and shape--the second one fell victim to a small plastic jar of car-shaped gummy vitamins falling on it during the second rise.  I gave it time to recover, and put it in the oven when the first one came out, but it never quite regained it's proper shape or stature!

A shot of freshly sliced bread. 

Overall, I think this is a nice recipe.  When I first started baking the no-knead recipe, I wasn't sure how I felt about it.  It tasted different, it was denser and heavier, and it seemed almost a little TOO rustic.  But now that I'm used to it, I prefer it.  Now when I bake more "regular" homemade bread, I find it tastes really yeasty and sweet and is super soft.  That might be just the kind of bread you like--my sister tried it and liked it, and my husband (who isn't exactly effusive in praise about most homemade products) said it was really good.  So I do think it is a nice recipe, but I enjoy the other one more.  I find the "bits" in this bread more obvious when you're chewing it, because in the no-knead recipe, they have hours to absorb some of the dough's moisture and become softer.  Maybe you like your bits a bit bittier.  I'm not sure how I feel about it.

However, when I'm short on time and can't wait an entire day (or night) to have bread, I think this is a pretty tasty recipe and it's nice that it makes two loaves, rather than one, even though they are a little smaller than the loaves I'm used to.  If you have a favourite multi-grain whole wheat recipe, please pass it on!  I love trying new bread recipes.

This post is shared with Homestead Barn Hop #57 at Homestead Revival.