Multi Grain Bread

This recipe probably looks familiar as it is almost identical to my hamburger bun recipe...just a few tweaks here and there really. Mmmm.....the scent of fresh bread in the air....dreamy.

Multi Grain Bread

1 pack active dry yeast
2 to 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats, ground
1 cup warm skim milk
2 tbls oil
1 tbls raw honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup non fat plain yogurt
2 egg whites, beaten
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup oat bran
2/3 cups milled flax
3 tbls vital wheat gluten

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. (I just use warm water from the tap.) Add in warm milk, oil, honey, and salt. Stir in yogurt....I heat up my yogurt slightly just to take the cold out of it. It's not critical that you do that but it works for me. Add in wheat germ, whole wheat flour, oat bran, flax, ground oatmeal, and vital wheat gluten. Mix in the egg whites. Mix in all purpose flour until mixture is too stiff to work in the bowl. Turn out onto a board and knead in remaining flour. (flexible cutting mats make a fabulous surface to work bread on) Continue to knead dough for about 8 to 10 minutes adding flour to keep dough from sticking. Place in bowl and cover, letting rise in a warm place for about an hour. I generally use the microwave for this step...heating up a mug of water to steaming before putting my bread bowl inside.

After bread has risen turn back out onto your board and punch down. Work the dough for a bit before shaping it into a loaf and popping it into a greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes in a warm spot. Preheat your oven during this time to 350. Pop the loaf in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until it nicely baked through. Let cool on wire rack. Slice when cool.


A pic of the process....
I've experimented quite a bit with forming the loaf. I've tried one rise only with my dough popped straight into the pan. I've rolled my dough out into a rectangle before rolling it up into a loaf. (Sometimes I would brush the surface of the rectangle with water to make it extra sticky.) I finally settled on a middle ground approach. I let the dough rise the usual hour, work it a bit, shaping it roughly into a loaf before a quick second rise. It takes less effort this route and the bread has a nice tight texture.