Multigrain Bread

This humble loaf of bread, in some small way, saved my weekend. A few rather unplanned events popped up with the worst timing (of course), but it was the thickly cut slices of whole wheat and mixed grains that pulled me up from what I realized could be worse.

We woke up Saturday morning to a flat tire and after a turn of many events found out someone had actually slashed our tire. My first thought was "What! Who just does that?!" My second thought was "bummer, now we are going to miss breakfast  at my grandpas house, where a bunch of relatives were in town!"

The night before we had planned on meeting at his house at 8 am for his famous Swedish pancakes. There was talk of fresh strawberries and mounds of creamy white whipped cream on top of light and buttery folded pancakes. An event I did not want to miss. But we did miss it, because even after we fixed our tire; even after my aunt said we should just come over for lunch instead because there was still some pancakes left; even then we missed it because my little car just didn't want us to get there; blinking it's hazardous check engine light at us furiously while on our way, forcing us to turn around and go back home.

We were left without a car the whole weekend and it's still being worked on. In the meantime I was so glad I had baked this bread Friday morning because I wasn't about to let car problems ruin an otherwise beautiful day. For breakfast I topped it with a fried egg and later I enjoyed a slice with homemade hazelnut butter. It was a simple pleasure and I soon forgot about the pancakes we would have had. I do however, have a copy of that Swedish pancake recipe, maybe I'll share it with you one day, but for now I offer you this multi-grain bread.

I've been making my own loaf of bread for over a year now... don't look at me like that. I started making it out of not wanting to pay a ridiculous 4 dollars or more a loaf for something we would sometimes eat in less than a week. Over time I've learned to enjoy the process. Letting a handful of ingredients work their magic and transforming into something so seemingly simple, it amazes me every time. Plus the taste is far beyond better than anything found at the store.

I usually make a simple loaf of plain whole wheat, but have been curious lately to try out new versions. If you have never made a loaf of bread from scratch, I suggest you do. There is nothing more satisfying than the moment it comes out of the oven with its lightly browned domed top; the smell alone will make you weak in the knees. And this past weekend it saved me from what could have been an otherwise awful day. Yes, bread has that kind of power over me.

When I first made this bread I used equal combination's of wheat bran and quinoa. I was nervous because the sponge seemed really dry, but after two hours it had definitely become a "sponge" and it worked perfectly. The second time (the loaf pictured), I used equal parts wheat bran and brown rice left over from dinner the night before. One of the reasons I enjoyed this bread so much was the fact that you can use so many different grains in different proportions, which is perfect for using up small amounts of whatever is in the refrigerator or pantry at the time.

Multigrain Bread

Adapted from The Baker's Dozen

1 loaf

sponge

1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon honey

3 cups (15 ounces) whole wheat bread flour

dough

1/4 cup buttermilk or water

3 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 cup (5 ounces) total of any combination of the following:

   uncooked rolled oats; uncooked coarse cornmeal; cooked brown rice or
   wild rice; oat or wheat bran; uncooked millet, amaranth, or quinoa; rye
   or kamut flour; triticale, rye, or wheat flakes.

1 cup whole wheat bread flour, or as needed

l large egg beaten with 2 teaspoons water, for glazing, optional

1 tablespoon uncooked rolled oats, optional

To make the sponge, combine the water, yeast, and honey in the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer. Let stand until the yeast is creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir well, about 100 strokes (or mix on low speed with paddle attachment for 1 minute). Scrape the bowl down and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature until the sponge is bubbling vigorously (it may collapse, which is fine), about 2 hours.

To make the dough, add the buttermilk, 3 tablespoons honey, and the salt to the sponge. Attach to the mixer and fit with the paddle attachment. On low speed, add the grains and mix to form a dough. The amount of dry ingredients and liquid will depend on the grains used. If the dough is too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. If too moist, add more flour as needed; it could take up to a cup, depending on the multigrain blend you use.

Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium-low speed until the dough is supple, about 10 minutes. The dough will feel tacky but not sticky, and neutral in temperature, neither cold nor warm. You can also knead by hand if you would like.

Oil a large bowl and roll the dough around until coated with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for  about 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. 

Remove the dough from the bowl and press it by hand into a 3/4-inch thick, 6 inch wide, and 8-inch long rectangle. Form it into a loaf by folding the short end of the dough one section at a time, pinching  the crease with each rotation. It will spread out wider as you roll it. Pinch the end of the seem closed with your thumb. Place the rolled dough into a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan; make sure the ends of the loaf touch the ends of the pan for an even rise. lightly spray with oil and cover again with plastic wrap.

Let rise at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes. At this point you can coat it with the egg wash and sprinkle with rolled oats, if desired.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Bake the bread for 50 to 60 minutes. It should be golden brown on top and sound hallow when tapped on the bottom. When it finished baking, remove it from the oven, let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the loaf pan and cool it on a rack completely before slicing.