Better Multigrain Bread

As much as I love whole wheat bread, sometimes it can taste a little too one-dimensional. This recipe takes the nutritional value of whole wheat bread and boosts the flavor with five to seven different whole grains that provide a depth of flavor. The addition of sunflower seeds provides a welcome (but not overpowering) crunch and burst of nutty flavor. This bread makes incredible toast and is a great-tasting replacement for white bread on almost any sandwich.

Breads

Prep: 20 min
Rise: 2 hours
Cook: 40 min
Total: 3 hours
Yields 2 loaves

Nutritional Info

T1D Carbs-per-gram ratio: 0.4712

Serving Size: 71g (about 33g carbs)

* Multiply serving weight in grams by the carbs-per-gram ratio to calculate the total estimated carbs. Provided for informational purposes only. Consult your doctor for insulin dosing advice.

200g / 1 ¼ cups seven-grain cereal mix
2 ¾ cups boiling water
In a large bowl, combine multigrain cereal mix with boiling water. Stir to combine and let sit until fully absorbed and room temperature, about 1 hour.
84g / 4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons butter, melted
8g / 2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
Add honey, melted butter, and instant yeast to bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or dough whisk to combine.
427g / 3 cups all-purpose flour
214g / 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
Add flour to bowl and mix well with a dough whisk until incorporated.
Stir well with a dough whisk until a rough ball of dough starts to forms, about 2 minutes. The dough will be rough and sticky.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes to allow flour to absorb water.
1 tablespoon table salt
Add salt to dough and knead well to combine. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until smooth, about 10 minutes. The dough should be moist and tacky. If the dough sticks too much to your hands or the surface, add additional flour in tablespoon increments.
88g / ¾ cup unsalted sunflower seeds
Once dough is smooth, coat dough with sunflower seeds and knead for an additional minute until fully incorporated.
Rising
By hand, form dough into a ball by flattening dough and folding the four corners into the middle of the dough. Flip over and shape into a disc.
cooking spray
Lightly spray the sides of a large bowl with cooking oil. Place dough ball into bowl and turn several times to lightly coat dough.
Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Forming Loaves
Once dough has doubled in size, punch down and separate into two pieces using a pastry blade or a knife.
On a clean work surface, gently stretch and press one piece of dough into a rectangle about 13 to 15 inches long and 7 to 9 inches wide. Starting from one of the smaller edges, roll the dough tightly onto itself to form a spiral, cylinder shape. Turn dough seam side up and pinch it closed.
Place dough in greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan and press gently so dough touches all four sides of pan.
Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, about 40 minutes.
Baking
4 cups water
Pour water into an empty loaf pan or spare baking pan and place on lowest oven rack. Position second oven rack to be above water-filled pan in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.
Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan. Place loaf pans in oven, immediately pouring heated water into empty loaf pan or oven pan and close oven door. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 200°F, about 40 to 50 minutes.
Remove bread from pan immediately and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely to room temperature, about 4 to 6 hours. Slice and serve.

From MakeBetterFood.com. Jun 5, 2013. (makebetterfood.com/recipes/multigrain-bread/). Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

MakeBetterFood.com

In a large bowl, combine multigrain cereal mix with boiling water. Stir to combine and let sit until fully absorbed and room temperature, about 1 hour.
Add honey, melted butter, and instant yeast to bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or dough whisk to combine.
Add flour to bowl and mix well with a dough whisk until incorporated.
Stir well with a dough whisk until a rough ball of dough starts to forms, about 2 minutes. The dough will be rough and sticky.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes to allow flour to absorb water.
Add salt to dough and knead well to combine. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until smooth, about 10 minutes. The dough should be moist and tacky. If the dough sticks too much to your hands or the surface, add additional flour in tablespoon increments.
Once dough is smooth, coat dough with sunflower seeds and knead for an additional minute until fully incorporated.
By hand, form dough into a ball by flattening dough and folding the four corners into the middle of the dough. Flip over and shape into a disc.
Lightly spray the sides of a large bowl with cooking oil. Place dough ball into bowl and turn several times to lightly coat dough.
Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Once dough has doubled in size, punch down and separate into two pieces using a pastry blade or a knife.
On a clean work surface, gently stretch and press one piece of dough into a rectangle about 13 to 15 inches long and 7 to 9 inches wide. Starting from one of the smaller edges, roll the dough tightly onto itself to form a spiral, cylinder shape. Turn dough seam side up and pinch it closed.
Place dough in greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan and press gently so dough touches all four sides of pan.
Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, about 40 minutes.
Pour water into an empty loaf pan or spare baking pan and place on lowest oven rack. Position second oven rack to be above water-filled pan in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.
Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan. Place loaf pans in oven, immediately pouring heated water into empty loaf pan or oven pan and close oven door. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 200°F, about 40 to 50 minutes.
Remove bread from pan immediately and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely to room temperature, about 4 to 6 hours. Slice and serve.