Multigrain Bread is packed with whole grains, seeds and whole wheat with just a touch of maple syrup and brown sugar. Leavened with commercial yeast, with little hands on time, this homemade sandwich bread recipe comes together in about 4 1/2 hours. Shaping is easy and forgiving, perfect for a beginning or advanced bread baker! This recipe is vegetarian or vegan.
The Satisfaction of Homemade Bread
Mmmmmm can you smell it?
Fresh-baked homemade, multigrain bread. I don’t do it often enough. But when I do, oh my goodness.
I just want to eat bread. All the time. Slathered with marmalade, blueberry jam… or pumpkin butter… or avocado… or, or….
I usually start the day with a green smoothie. But, when there’s fresh baked bread in the house, I have my green smoothie, and a slice. Or two.
I’m a bread hound and am sort-of particular about it. I like bread to be firmer than not, yet with a soft texture, and have lots of seeds and grains. This whole grain bread is what I call a quicker bread, because it only takes a few hours to make and it’s made with a quick yeast rather than a sourdough starter.
What is Multigrain Bread Made Of?
Simple ingredients come together to make a fabulous, soft sandwich loaf. Here’s what you’ll need to make homemade multigrain bread:
- 10 Grain Cereal (see recipe notes for alternatives)
- Rolled Oats
- Quinoa
- Whole Flax Seed
- Sunflower Seeds
- Cooked Brown Rice
- Unbleached Bread Flour
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Plant or Dairy Milk
- Maple Syrup
- Quick Rise Yeast
- Salt
- Brown Sugar
How to Make Multigrain Bread
Making yeast bread does require a bit of a time commitment. However, for this bread, hands on time is short while hands off time is much longer for fermentation, proofing and baking. I make this on a day I know I’ll be home for the morning or afternoon. Here’s how to make this multigrain bread recipe:
- First, make the soaker by placing the cereal, rolled oats, quinoa, flax, sunflower seeds and water into a small bowl. Leave out at room temperature overnight.
- The next day, mix the milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. In a stand mixer, mix then knead the flour, brown sugar, salt, yeast and milk mixture. Add the soaker and brown rice and knead until all the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is tacky, not sticky.
- Next, allow the bread to rise in a lightly oiled bowl for about 90 minutes.
- Shape the dough then place in a lightly oiled pan. Rise again for about 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Last, bake the bread.
Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing into the loaf.
Recipe Development
I dinked around quite a bit with this whole grain bread recipe before deciding I was ready to share it. I changed the flour up a few times adding more whole wheat than white, made a loaf with way too many seeds and grains, then one with not enough and finally baked one far too long trying to achieve a darker crust. I also tried incorporating sesame seeds but their flavor was just too strong for this recipe.
We ate each loaf, but this is the loaf I saved for you and is my best multigrain bread recipe yet!
This bread is sturdy and makes an excellent vehicle for creamy condiments and crunchy veggies.
This homemade multigrain bread recipe had to pass the toast test. I think this is my favorite way to eat it, toasted, with the topping du jour. But this multigrain bread makes over-the-top delicious croutons for salads too.
If you’ve never made bread before, this loaf is a good introduction into bread making. It comes together with ease, and shaping it is quite forgiving.
Traci’s Tips
- This homemade whole grain bread recipe calls for 10 grain cereal. If unavailable, polenta, millet, quinoa, amaranth or a combination of these grains can be used.
- Whole wheat bread flour can be challenging to find. If whole wheat bread flour is unavailable this recipe will also work using whole wheat flour with similar results or all unbleached bread flour can be used. Texture and flavor will vary if using all unbleached bread flour.
- You’ll need a small amount of cooked short grain brown rice. I pull the amount needed from a batch when I’m making it for something else because trying to cook 3 tablespoons of rice is cumbersome. The rice can be frozen and thawed for use when ready to make bread.
- Multigrain bread can be made vegan or vegetarian. Simply use your favorite milk, nut or dairy in this recipe. I typically use almond or homemade cashew milk.
Makers Notes
So happy to read y’all are enjoying the bread in the comments below. Keep those tips comin’! Here are a excerpts from the community:
- Tim used a bread machine to make this loaf. See his tips in the comments below the recipe card.
- Carolyn “used fennel seeds instead of flaxseed for a more savory flavor.”
- Pat said “use about 1/4 cup more flour to get the right consistency. Perfect for bread and awesome for buns.”
- Jeff said “I just finished baking this bread in a covered Dutch oven. It turned out fantastic. 450 degrees for 40 minutes then 10 with the lid off.”
- Susan said “I kneaded the dough by hand, and it was very easy to work with and rose beautifully. Besides tasting wonderful, this bread also freezes very well.”
More Bread Recipes to Love
- Sourdough Oat Sandwich Bread
- Seeded Multigrain Sourdough Bread
- Everyday Sourdough
- Yeasted Oatmeal Maple Bread
Soft Yeasted Multigrain Bread
Ingredients
For the Soaker:
- 1/4 C 10 Grain Cereal, *See Note 40g
- 2 Tbs Thick Rolled Oats, 18g
- 2 Tbs Quinoa, 24g
- 2 Tbs Flax Seed, 26g
- 2 Tbs Sunflower Seeds, 22g
- 1/3 C Water, 79g
For the Dough:
- 1/2 C Milk , + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 140g, use plant or whole milk, I use homemade cashew milk
- 1 1/2 C White Unbleached Bread Flour, 264g
- 1 1/2 C Whole Wheat Bread Flour, 258g **See Note
- 3 Tbs Brown Sugar, 46g
- 1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt, 10g
- 1 Tbs Quick Rise Yeast, 6g ***See Note
- 3 Tbs Cooked Brown Rice , 44g ****See Note
- 1 1/2 Tbs Maple Syrup
- 3/4 C Water, room temperature 178g
For Finishing:
- Olive Oil, for the bowl and pan
- 1 Tbs Rolled Oats, 10g
- Bread flour for dusting
Instructions
For the Soaker:
- The day before making the bread, prepare the soaker by placing the cereal, rolled oats, quinoa, flax, sunflower seeds and water into a small bowl. It wont completely cover the grains, rather, just moisten them. Leave out at room temperature overnight.
For the Dough:
- Coat the inside of a large bowl and a 9x5" loaf pan with olive oil. Set aside.
- Mix the milk and apple cider vinegar together. Whisk vigorously. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add both flours, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix for 10 seconds. With the mixer off, add the soaker, brown rice, syrup, milk mixture, and water. Mix on speed 4 just until the dough comes together, and is hydrated. A chunky ball should form (if there's still some dry bits in the bottom of the mixer, add a tablespoon of water and mix just until a dough forms). Switch to the dough hook. Mix on speed 4 for 9-10 minutes, stopping occasionally to push the dough back down into the bowl. If the dough feels a bit too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water, if too wet, a few pinches of flour (don't worry, this dough is very forgiving).*If kneading by hand, knead for about 12-13 minutes on a lightly floured work surface.The dough is ready to remove from the mixer when it is more tacky, than sticky and registers 77-81 Fahrenheit (25-27 Celsius) on a instant read food thermometer (very important temperature). Finish the dough by kneading it on a lightly floured work surface for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with a bit of flour if needed.
- Tuck the dough into a ball making sure the surface is taught. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or moist doubled up tea towels.Set a timer for 90 minutes to allow the dough to ferment. It should double in size. If the dough is rising too fast, pop it in the fridge to cool it down for 10-15 minutes or set it in a cooler area of the house. It may take longer to rise, but we don't want it to rise too fast, as this is where flavor development occurs. The goal is not for it to rise in 90 minutes. The goal is for the dough to double in size. 90 minutes is only a guide.
- To shape the dough, remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Use the illustrations in the blog post as a guide to shape the dough. Press the dough into a rough rectangle about 3/4 inches thick, 6 inches wide and 8-10 inches long. Fold the dough lengthwise 2/3 over onto itself and crease it firmly using the pinky side of your hand. Fold the 1/3 piece left towards the crease and pinch the seam closed. Fold in the ends, coming in about an 1 inch and pinch the seam closed. Turn the bread over and rock it back and fourth a bit and gently fluff the ends in a bit. Gently place the loaf, seam side down into the prepared loaf pan. Lightly spray or brush with water and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of rolled oats over the top. Cover with plastic wrap or moistened doubled up tea towels. Set the timer for 90 minutes and proof until the dough nearly doubles in size. I've had this dough take longer and much shorter to rise than 90 minutes (It's also risen right on time before too!). The amount of time will vary depending on the temperature of its surroundings. Just keep an eye on it and look for it to almost double in size or rise about 1 1/4 inches above the lip of the pan at the center. *Tip: if the dough is sloooow, you can pop it into a turned off oven with the light on to speed this along.
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (176 Celsius) with the oven rack in the center. Bake for 20 minutes, rotate the pan and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 185 -190 Fahrenheit (85-87 Celsius), and is golden brown. Tent with foil if needed at about 30 minutes if the bread is getting too dark.
- Turn the bread out of the loaf pan and onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely, for a least 2 hours. If the bread is cut before it's cool it will be gummy inside.
- Store cut side down on a cutting board, for a few hours of storage. For longer storage, store in a plastic bag for up to 2 days. Freeze sliced in a freezer bag for up to two weeks. The bread can go from freezer to toaster, or thaw covered at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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This is an AMAZING bread recipe! I make this once a month, slice it up and put it in the freezer. It toasts up like you just made it. This is eeeaaassyyyyy! Traci’s comments on how / when / if the bread rises are on point – it has been different with each loaf, but patience is your friend here. The maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness and again, if you let the loaf sit for a while before cutting, there’s no gumminess. Love this recipe!!
Love hearing this, Shannon! Thank you for your note and giving the bread a go!
Hi Traci
Awesome recipe, but in the article you refer to a Bread Machine version but for the life of me, I can’t find that info anywhere in the recipe card … help!!!
Hi Nicole! I have not made this recipe in a bread machine (I don’t have one), so I didn’t include how to do this in the recipe. However, Tim left a comment in the comment section that he did make this recipe in a bread machine. He shared his tips in the comments. His comment is what I refer to in the blog post. I hope this helps!
Hi Traci, I made this recipe for the first time and hadn’t made multigrain bread before. Was I supposed to soak the granulated yeast in warm water before adding it to the flour? I didn’t see that in the recipe. The flavor turned out bitter but it looked good!
Hi Alicia! Thank you for your note. There’s no need to soak the granulated yeast in warm water since it’s instant yeast. You can if you like, and, if you think your yeast may be expired, proofing your yeast may be helpful, but it’s not necessary with instant. I’m curious about the bitter flavor… although this bread recipe has an earthy flavor due to the whole grains, it shouldn’t taste bitter. Stale or old whole wheat flour can taste bitter however.
Turned out great! I used all purpose whole wheat flour for all 3 cups, and honey instead of maple syrup since that’s what I had. A great loaf. The instructions were perfect. Thanks! Next on to the sourdough!
Thank you for your note, tips on modifications and giving the bread a go, Georgianna! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying it!