A Healthier Slice of Life: A Simple Multigrain Bread Recipe

How to Make a Quick Homemade Organic Bread

Switching to a whole-grain diet can be tricky and unsatisfying, especially for those who are used to eating the usual kind of meals an average healthy person eats. But you can always do some workarounds on your food to give it flavor and texture that can satiate your tastes.

Bread is one of the easiest food recipes you can make out of grains. Whole-grain bread is one of the most suggested food items by experts to include in a healthy diet. If you’re looking for a quick homemade organic multigrain bread recipe, just keep reading!

What is a Multigrain Bread

Multigrain bread, as it stands for itself, is any kind of bread that is made of several types of grains. A lot of grains are now readily available on groceries near you so it’s now easier to make this recipe. Several types of grain contain essential nutrients such as fiber, protein and B vitamins but it is important to carefully choose which grain product you will use as some of them are too processed that the natural nutrients are lost along the way.

This multigrain bread recipe uses organic ingredients that can be eaten by anyone of any age. This can be easily prepared and cooked so anyone can bake this in an instant or whenever you feel like doing it.

Grains You Can Use in a Bread

Grains are so versatile that you can recreate dishes out of them in so many ways. As they belong to the same kind of crop, they actually have similar features and uses; hence you can mix them all in a single dish, like bread. The most common types of grain that are typically used in bread include rolled oats, quinoa, sunflower seeds, wheat, corn, barley and more. Find out all types of grains here.

Key Details of the Recipe

Preparation to Make the Multigrain Bread

5 Main Steps and Why

This recipe can be completed in 5 easy main steps!

1. Soaking the seeds/grains – You can prepare the grains ahead of time by soaking them in a bowl of water to make them softer and easy to mix with the other ingredients as you prepare the dough later on.

2. Making the dough – Where you can showcase your baking 101. The basic mixing of flour, baking powder and other dried and wet ingredients and kneading it after.

3. Resting and shaping the dough – After kneading, letting the dough rest for an hour to rise should not be skipped in any baking recipe.

4. Baking the dough – Placing the shaped dough in the oven. It is vital to follow the required temperature of the oven and time duration.

5. Tasting and Plating – Before taking out the bread from the oven, make sure to check if it reached the right texture and taste. Plate it well so it will be visually appetizing too.

Key Ingredients and Alternatives

• 1½ cups boiling water – For soaking only
• 1½ cups warm water – For the yeast and flour mixture
• 1 cup of Multigrain Cereal Mix – You can opt for a pre-packed multigrain mix available in the stores near you or you can also use separate grains and mix them to get a cup of multigrain cereal. Whole grains and seeds you can use are rolled oats, flax seeds, cornmeal, sesame seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, or quinoa. Save an extra for toppings.
• 2 cups of bread flour or all-purpose flour. Leave extra flour for kneading.
• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup rye flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ ounce (1 packet) active dry yeast
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons of butter, olive oil or vegetable oil, to grease the pan

Organic whole wheat flour

Organic Medium Rye Flour

Instructions

It’s important to follow each step in the instructions below. You can prepare the grains the night before baking for quicker results. Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes before the actual baking.

1. Soaking the grains. In a measuring cup or in an ordinary medium bowl, mix your 1 cup of seeds and grains and pour in ½ cup of boiling water and cover it. Leave it for about 1-2 hours at room temperature.
2. Yeast. After the water-and-grain mixture cools down, pour in the yeast and brown sugar.

After 5-10 minutes, you should notice a foam or a bubble on the surface–this means that the yeast is active and ready.

3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine all the flour in the ingredients: bread flour, whole wheat flour and rye flour. Mix them with a whisk until well combined.
4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients. In your flour mixture bowl, pour in the soaked grains with yeast and sprinkle the salt all over. Add the 1 1⁄2 cups of warm water and stir to combine everything until a semi-dry and wet consistency is achieved, ready for kneading.
5. Kneading. Pour a considerable amount of flour on the surface and place the mixed dough on top of it and let it rest for 5 minutes. Start kneading using your hands or you can also use a rolling pin or a mixer to continue kneading.
6. Rest. This is meant for you and the dough. Prepare a separate container or bowl, and brush it with butter or olive oil before placing the dough. Put the dough on the oiled bowl, brush some oil on it and cover the whole bowl with a kitchen towel. Let it rest for 1-2 hours. (You can sprinkle some seeds/grains on this phase at your preference).
7. Shape the bread. As soon as the dough doubled its size, punch it down to release the gas. Place it back to your working surface with sprinkled flour and move your rolling pin back & forth. Roll the dough and shape it to form a loaf. It doesn’t have to be perfect as the shape will change along the way and will also rise according to your pan or foil.
8. Bake it till you make it. Grease your baking pan with butter or oil and put your dough onto it. Place your pan on the bottom oven rack and heat the oven to 425°F for 20 minutes. After, reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and rotate the pan to continue baking for about 20-30 minutes more until the loaf is deeply brown on top and the internal temperature reaches 195-200°F.
9. Checking. Before concluding that it’s done, you can confirm by slightly tapping the bread. If it sounds hollow, it’s done. To be more accurate, its internal temperature should read 195-200°F. 
10. Plate it. If it’s done, remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Slice it after and place it on your favorite plate.

There are many ways to produce multigrain bread. You can also reshape the dough into rolls or slice it into pieces or buns before baking. Adding some pastry topping or flavoring such as cinnamon powder, raisins, blueberries and the like, can make your bread more delectable and satisfying especially for those who are sweet-tooth eaters.