I mention mutligrain bread in a lot of my menu posts so I thought I’d share my recipe with you. It’s a breakfast favourite at our house because it has a wonderful flavour and aroma when toasted.
Instead of measuring out individual grains for my bread, I use a multigrain breakfast cereal. We usually have Red River cereal here so I most often use that, but Sunny Boy or any other mixed grain cereal will work just as well—provided it’s not an instant cereal.
I also use sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds in my bread. They’re not essential but they do add good flavour and bring some extra nutritional benefits to the party. You can omit them if you want, or substitute other seeds.
To make multigrain bread, you’ll need:
- 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice mixed with enough lukewarm water to make 2-1/4 cups liquid in total
- 2 Tablespoons of molasses
- 4-1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup sunflower oil
- 3 cups white bread flour
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup multigrain breakfast cereal such as Red River or Sunny Boy
- 1/2 cup shelled, unsalted sunflower seeds
- 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoons salt
- melted butter (not pictured)
Stir the molasses into the water/lemon juice mixture until the molasses is dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the water. Don’t just pour it in all at once. It will clump and not dissolve properly.
Wait about 10 minutes, until the yeast is dissolved and starts to foam up.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the melted butter, in the order listed.
If using a mixer, mix the dough with a dough hook until it forms an elastic ball the pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If your mixing your dough by hand, stir it until it forms a stiff dough and then knead it until it forms an elastic ball. Work it well. It should spring back when you poke it lightly with your finger.
Divide the dough in two and form it into loaves. Place the loaves into oiled or buttered loaf pans.
Leave the dough to rise for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until it’s doubled in size. It won’t rise as much as a loaf of white bread might.
Bake the bread in a 375˚F oven for 45 minutes, rotating the loaves halfway through the baking time. If the tops of the loaves start to get too brown, cover them with foil.
When the bread is cooked, it will make a hollow sound when you tap on the bottom of the loaves with your fingertip.
While the bread is still hot from the oven, brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter. Again, this isn’t strictly necessary but I do it because the butter adds flavour and helps to make the crust less brittle.
Let the bread cool completely before slicing. This bread is excellent toasted and tastes great with Rhubarb Berry Jam.