Lotsa Grains Bread
This bread is good for the soul (and for the colon!). Packed with nutrients and hearty flavor, this loaf is guaranteed to please in more ways than one. We use it regularly for sandwiches and toast, but it could also likely be used for any other bread-y thing with great results (I’ve made some delightful dinner rolls out of the dough before, and though I’ve yet to make French toast or garlic bread with it, but I think both would turn out alright). And recently, I upped the nutrition factor by dumping in our new household favorite health-item, golden flax seeds. Baking with flax seeds is fun when done right, and in this loaf, the moisture of the bread helps to open up and soften the seeds, making for a scrumptious bite everytime.
To be noted: I use a bread machine to mix, knead, and rise the dough, but you can do these things without the machine if you wish. Just do as you would any other bread, mix the ingredients, knead ten minutes, let rise for 45 minutes to an hour, punch down and shape, then let rise again for 30-45 minutes.
Yields: 1 “Medium” 1 1/2 lb. loaf, or one 9×5″ loaf
Ingredients:
1 c. water (sometimes/often more, depending on the weather)
1 egg
2 T. oil (I use olive oil)
2 T. honey
1 1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. seven grain cereal (we get ours in bulk at Whole Foods; great price!)
2 T. untoasted wheat germ
2-3 T. golden flax seed
1 1/2 T. vital wheat gluten (optional, but pretty much necessary)
2 t. active dry yeast
Directions:
1. Add ingredients in order, or according to your bread machine’s standards. Set to mix, knead, and first rise (or you can let the machine bake the whole thing, if you like). Watch dough for the first few minutes to see if adjustments (more water, more flour, etc.) need to be made and make them. Dough should leave a sticky remnant on your fingertip when you touch it.
2. Remove dough when ready. Shape into rectangle to fit bottom of greased 9×5″ loaf pan. Place in pan and let rise, covered with towel or plastic grocery bag for 30-45 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375 F during last five-ten minutes of rising time. When dough has doubled in size and oven is preheated, place into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned and internal temperature reaches 190 F (a meat thermometer will give you this reading; if you don’t have one, it would be beneficial to get one…).
4. Remove from oven and let bread cool completely (dump it out of the loaf pan or it will sweat and be soggy!) on a cooling rack. Try your hardest not to cut into the bread until it has cooled completely; bread finishes cooking outside of the oven and needs time to firm up before slicing.
5. Slice it up and eat it! Stores great in the freezer if it takes you more than four days to eat through a loaf, just slice and pop into a freezer-safe bag; toast or thaw needed-slices when ready.
