wholesome 10-grain bread

Perfect for sandwiches and simple breakfast toasts, it was surprising that this whole grain bread did not turn out heavy at all. The crumb texture was light and springy with a very good whole grain flavor. The recipe suggested 7-grain hot cereal mix but I used Bob's Red Mill's 10-grain mix which I already have. Either one is good to use. I used a bread machine to knead the dough but it can be done by hand or with an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook as well.

The dough wasn't too sticky so it was fast and easy to shape them into logs (shown above). The dough was divided into equal parts (I like to weigh them using a kitchen scale to get equal portions) then rolled tightly into logs. Brush the tops with beaten eggs. Sprinkle oats evenly on a cutting board then dip or roll the logs on the oats for an even coating.

Cover them with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel. A good tip I found was to use new and clean shower caps. They're the right size and fit most bowls and pans plus the elastic band works great. Set them in a warm place until they rise to about 1" above the rim of the pans. They rise very well for about an hour.

Freshly baked loaves of bread are shown above and below. I made a previous batch sprinkled with just plain water but the oats adhered to the tops of the bread brushed with beaten eggs better.

For the recipe...
MULTIGRAIN BREAD (adapted from Olga's Flavor Factory)

1 1/4 cups 10-grain hot cereal mix (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
2 1/2 cups boiling water
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (SAF brand is my favorite)
1 tablespoon salt (may be reduced to 2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup oats for the topping

Pour the boiling water over the 10-grain mix and set aside for 1 hour to let the grains absorb the water and soften. Allow to cool to about 100F.  Stir in the honey, melted butter and yeast. Transfer the mixture to the bread machine pan or mixing bowl. Whisk the flours and salt together then add to the 10-grain mixture. Choose the bread machine's Dough setting to mix, knead and rest the dough for a total of 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the risen dough to a cutting board. Divide equally in half. Flatten the dough then roll tighly into logs. Brush the tops with beaten egg then dip or roll on the oats. Place in bread pans lined with parchment paper. Allow to rise for about 40 minutes. Sprinkle the tops with water then bake at 375F for about 40 minutes or use an instant-read thermometer to check if bread interior has reached 190F to 200F. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.