Multigrain Yeast Bread

Recipe from William-Sonoma Essentials of Healthful Cooking

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 1 loaf (16 slices)

Well, I thought this bread was just terrific.  It was quite easy to make, especially if you have a mixer with a dough hook. (Directions are also included for making this bread by hand.) This bread is now in my regular bread-making rotation.  It’s a sturdy bread, perfect for toasting.  Top it with a slice of your favorite cheese for lunch, or spread it with some butter and jam for a teatime snack, or place a dollop of baba ghanouj on it and then plop a hot scrambled egg on top of that for a fabulous breakfast.  This is good enough for company.

1½ cups milk

¼ cup dark molasses

1 envelope (2 ½ teaspoons) active dry yeast

2 cups + more as needed all-purpose flour

1 cup + more as needed whole-wheat flour

½ cup + 1 Tablespoon old fashioned rolled oats (divided)

1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt

1 large egg, separated

1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon hulled unsalted toasted sunflower seeds (divided)

Directions:

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the milk and molasses and heat to 105-115 F degrees.  Remove from the heat and sprinkle the yeast on top.  Let it stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

By Mixer:  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, stir together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole-wheat flour, ½ cup oats, and 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt.  Whisk the egg yolk into the saucepan with the yeast mixture.  Add that to the mixer bowl.  Beat on medium speed until a sticky dough forms.  Continuing to beat, add small amounts of all-purpose flour until the dough comes together.  Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes, add all-purpose flour as needed to reduce stickiness.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (I used whole-wheat flour for the kneading board.) and form the dough into a smooth ball, adding a bit of whole-wheat flour as needed to reduce stickiness. 

By Hand:  In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole-wheat flour, ½ cups, and 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt.  Whisk the egg yolk into the saucepan with the yeast mixture.  Slowly add that to the large bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough comes forms.  Add small amounts of all-purpose flour until the dough comes together.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (I used whole-wheat flour for the kneading board.) and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, add all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour as needed to reduce stickiness.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl.  Turn to coat with the oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 

Lightly oil a 9”X5” loaf pan.  Punch the dough down and let it rest for 10 minutes.  Turn the dough out onto the floured board and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sunflower seeds.  Ford the dough over and knead until the seeds are evenly distributed.  Flatten the dough into a 12” X 7” rectangle.  Beginning with a short side, loosely roll up the dough rectangle and pinch the seam to seal.  Transfer, seam side down, to the prepared pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.***  While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. 

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg white.  Remove the plastic wrap and brush the top of the loaf with the egg white.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tablespoon oats and 1 Tablespoon sunflower seeds evenly over the top.  Bake the bread until the top is golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, 40-45 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.  The loaf can be cut into 16 slices.
***When I first made this bread, I had to leave the house unexpectedly, and so I put the loaf in the fridge and let it rise there for about 2 hours.  I then took it out of the fridge and let it set for about 30 minutes before popping it in the oven. 

Here's Multigrain Yeast Bread, toasted, spread with almond butter,
topped with unsweetened granola and sliced apples.
Served with hot coffee or tea, this makes a fabulous breakfast!

Here is a great breakfast made with Multigrain Yeast Bread (toasted)
spread with cream cheese.  It's topped with scrambled egg,
smoked salmon, cucumbers, capers and fresh dill.  YUM!!