Multigrain Bread

When I saw this great recipe show up on Our Best Bites I knew I would be making it as soon as I had a chance to purchase the 7 grain cereal blend. I made this today and it was big hit in my house even with my picky 4 year old grandaughter. If you like making your own bread and want one that is perfect for sandwiches then look no further :)

Cooks Illistrated Multigrain Bread

printable version

1 1/4 c. 7-grain hot cereal mix (like Bob's Red Mill or Arrowhead Mills) **(I used 7 grain cereal from Winco's bulk section) 2 1/2 c.  boiling water 3 c. flour 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour 4 tbsp honey 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast 1 tbsp table salt 3/4 c unsalted pumpkin or sunflower seeds (I left these out) 1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats 1. Place cereal mix in bowl of mixer and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour. Whisk flours in medium bowl. 2. Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, melted butter, and yeast and stir to combine. Attach bowl to standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer running on low speed, add flours, 1/2 c at a time, and knead until dough forms ball, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest 20 minutes. Add salt and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3 to 4 minutes (add 2-3 tbsp flour if needed). Continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes. Add seeds and knead for another 15 seconds. Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, taut ball. Place dough into greased container with 4-qt capacity; cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes. 3. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 9×5 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and pat into 12×9 inch rectangle; cut dough in half crosswise. Shape loaves and coat with oats; cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes. Bake until internal temperature registers 200 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire rack before slicing, about 3 hours. 4. Leftover bread can be wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 3 days; wrap with an additional layer of aluminum foil and the bread can be frozen for up to one month.