Multi-Grain Sandwich Bread

What is heavy, powered by a motor, and is colored ’70’s yellow-green?  My stand mixer of course!  Did you think I was telling you a joke?   What?  ’70’s yellow-green is still in style! My reliable friend was a gladly-accepted hand-me-down.  He’s been looking a little lonely in the corner lately, so I decided to dust him off and make some homemade sandwich bread.  It’s been a little rainy here lately, so no harm in turning the oven on for a few hours.

I’ve been wanting to bake a healthy bread a home, although there are a lot of options out there these days that are very good.  When looking for a bread at the grocery store, remember to make sure you are buying one make with whole grains, not just whole wheat.  If you choose a bread just made with whole wheat and not whole grains, you might as well eat white bread.  It also should be higher in fiber.

Also, by baking your bread at home, you’re leaving out the chemicals and preservatives.  Just make sure to use it up or freeze what you don’t eat to cut down on waste.  This recipe keeps for about 1 week – 1 1/2 weeks when left on the counter.

This recipe was slightly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.  This is the part where I geek out about America’s Test Kitchen and how awesome it is!  Here’s the link to their website.  If you haven’t ever, go there now:  America’s Test Kitchen.  This delightful little corner of the world tests recipes and figures out the best way to make them at home, including everything from chicken fried steak to, bread, obviously.  They even have a healthy cookbook, which is where this recipe came from.  They also conduct blind taste tests to find out which products are the best.  Yay PBS.

We hope you enjoy the recipe below.  Until next time SPFers, stay happy and healthy!

What’s your favorite sandwich bread?  Tell us in the comments section.  Come on, you know you want to!

Multi-Grain Sandwich Bread

Ingredients:

Note:  This recipe uses a stand mixer with a bread hook.  You can mix and knead the bread by hand, but it takes a little more “elbow grease.”

2 Cups boiling water (America’s Test Kitchen says to bring the water to a boil first and then measure it in order to get an accurate measurement.)

1 Cup Seven Grain Hot Cereal Mix, like Bob’s Red Mill (don’t buy boxed cold cereal mix)

3 tablespoons honey

3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 3/4 – 2 1/4 unbleached all purpose flour

1 envelope instant or rapid rise yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup unsalted, toasted sunflower seeds

Vegetable spray

1/4 cup old fashioned or quick cooking rolled oats

1. Stir the boiling water and cereal mix together in a medium bowl, cover, and let stand, stirring occasionally, until the mixture resembles a thick porridge and is just warm (about 30 minutes).  Stir in the honey and melted butter.

2.  Combine 1 3/4 all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt in a standing mixer and bread hook.  Mix on low speed and add the cereal mixture until dough comes together – 2 minutes.

3.  Mix on medium-low speed and knead until smooth and elastic – 8 minutes.  Add the remaining all purpose flour 2 tablespoons at a time if needed, after mixing four minutes, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.  Add the sunflower seeds and continue to knead until incorporated – 1 minute.

4.  Place dough onto lightly flour counter and knead by hand to form a ball.  Place in large lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap.  Let rise in warm place until doubled in size – 40 – 60 minutes.

5.  Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.  Place dough on lightly floured surface for a second time.  Shape the bread loaf by pressing the dough into a 9-inch square, and roll it up into a tight cylinder.  Pinch the seam together to secure, and then fit the dough seam down into the pan.  Cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until loaf has nearly doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes.  Place oven rack on lower-middle rack and preheat to 350.

6.  Brush loaf with 1/2 remaining tablespoon melted butter, sprinkle with oats, then spray lightly with water.  Bake until crust is golden and center of the bread registers at 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 35-45 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.

7.  Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then let cool to room temperature on a wire rack, about 2 hours, before serving.

Serving size: 1/2 inch slice, 190 cal, 5 g fat, 30g carbs, 6g protein, 4g fiber, 200mg sodium

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crystal sykes

Crystal is the founder of Simply Playful Fare. She has been in the kitchen for as long as she can remember. She has a degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing.