This 1 lb bread machine multigrain bread recipe creates a small sandwich bread loaf with a little extra crunch. It uses multigrain cereal (which consists of chopped grain seeds & not large cereal flakes) to add texture & fiber to the bread.
In my opinion, 1 lb bread machine recipes are perfect for singles, small families or people who do not want lots of leftover bread.
Slices of 1 lb Bread Machine Multigrain Bread

Recipe Sections
| Recipe RatingFeatured Comment Betsy “LOVE the 1lb recipes, the bigger loaves were getting moldy before we could finish them, these are PERFECT!” |
This 1 lb bread machine multigrain bread recipe is ONLY for small compact bread machines (such as the Briskind Compact Bread Maker or Zojirushi Mini Breadmaker). 1 lb bread machine recipes do NOT work well in bread machines that have 2 lb or greater loaf capacities. See the tips section below for more information.
Loaf of 1 lb Bread Machine Multigrain Bread

Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup – Milk (warm) – 173 milliliters
- 2 Tablespoons – Unsalted Butter (softened) – 29 grams – If desired, you can replace the butter in this recipe with an equivalent amount of olive oil.
- 1 1/2 Cups – Bread Flour – 180 grams
- 1/2 Cup – Multigrain Cereal – 80 grams – Do not pre-moisten & do not use large breakfast cereal flakes. Need to use cereal that consists of small chopped-up pieces of grains. See tips section for more info.
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons – Light Brown Sugar (leveled & packed spoons) – 32 grams – For a less sweet bread, you can use 1 tablespoon of sugar (13 grams).
- 3/4 Teaspoon – Salt – 4.5 grams
- 3/4 Teaspoon – Bread Machine Yeast (Instant Yeast) – 2.7 grams – Not active dry yeast
Servings – Roughly 9 slices
Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, silicone spatula, oven mitts, cooling rack and a bread machine.
Multigrain Bread Ingredients in Bread Pan (Before Mixing)

Close-Up of Multigrain (Chopped Grains – Not Cereal Flakes)

Instructions
- Bread machine settings – 1 pound loaf, light color and “basic/white” bread setting.
- Soften the butter in your microwave. FYI – I like to semi-melt the butter for better “mixability”.
- Unplug your bread machine.
- Remove the bread pan from the unplugged bread machine (so when you add the ingredients, they can not accidentally spill into the machine).
- Pour the milk into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients. Place the bread machine yeast in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid or salt (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together by the bread machine). Put the bread pan with ingredients back into the unplugged bread machine.
- Plug in bread machine. Enter the correct settings (1 lb, light color & basic/white bread) and press the “start” button.
- When the bread machine has finished baking the bread, unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan from the bread machine. Wear oven mitts as the bread pan & bread machine will be hot.
- Remove the bread from the bread pan and place the bread on a cooling rack. Use oven mitts when removing the bread as the bread & bread pan will be hot.
- Let the bread cool on the cooling rack for 1-2 hours before cutting.
- Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common bread machine problems.
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Helpful Tips
- The tips below are designed to help bread machine “novices” and those who haven’t touched their bread machine in years.
- Click on this “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
- This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on easy 1 lb Bread Machine Recipes such as buttery white bread, oatmeal bread and whole wheat bread.
- This is the 1 lb version of my popular Bread Machine Multigrain Bread Recipe (which focuses on 1.5 lb and 2 lb loaves).
- This is NOT a soft white bread recipe! This recipe creates a hearty & slightly crunchy multigrain bread.
- The multigrain cereal used to make this bread should consist only of tiny chopped-up grains and seeds (such as wheat, rye, triticale, millet, brown rice, barley, corn, soy beans, etc.). See the picture higher up on this page for an example of this type of cereal.
- Do NOT use a cereal consisting of large multigrain flakes, etc. The multigrain cereal used in this recipe should not look like corn flakes. The use of cereal with large flakes can result in the dough being too dry (as the large flakes can absorb more moisture than chopped up hard pieces of grain).
- Make sure to use FRESH multigrain. Multigrain can spoil quickly because the hard protective shell of the grains has been broken. This leads to shelf life issues via oxidation, etc. FYI – Some people like to store their multigrain in airtight containers in their refrigerator or freezer in order to extend the shelf life of the multigrain.
- Do NOT pre-moisten the multigrain cereal or you will be adding too much liquid to the recipe. The multigrain cereal should be dry when added to the bread pan.
- For this bread recipe, I often like to use Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Hot Cereal product as the multigrain ingredient. This product consists of hard bits of chopped up grains & seeds. It adds a nice “crunch” to the bread. FYI – We are not sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. I just like their multigrain cereal products.
- You can find similar products made by their competitors online or in your supermarket. Look for products called multigrain hot cereal, 10 grain hot cereal, 7 grain hot cereal, etc.
- Just remember these multigrain products consist of chopped grain seeds (and NOT large cereal “flakes”).
- If you liked this 1 lb bread machine recipe, you might also like to try Bread Dad’s other 1 lb bread machine recipes such as buttery 1 lb Bread Machine White Bread and 1 lb Bread Machine Oatmeal Bread.
- As I stated at the top of the page, this recipe is ONLY for small compact bread machines.
- 1 lb bread machine recipes generally do NOT work well in larger machines with 2 lb loaf capacities, especially if the machines have 2 paddles or a wide horizontal bread pan. However, some visitors have success making 1 lb recipes in a 2 lb “compact” bread machine with a vertical-oriented bread pan (a pan with a square bottom that mainly pushes the bread upwards versus a pan with a wide rectangular bottom)
- If you use larger bread machines with 2 paddles or a wide horizontal bread pan, a 1 lb loaf usually comes out more like a pancake (with lots of exterior crust and less of the soft interior).
- If your bread machine says that it makes 1lb, 1.5 lb AND 2 lb loaves, it will probably have a problem with smaller loaves. Generally, a bread machine is good at making small loaves OR larger loaves (usually not both).
- Moreover, some small compact machines have problems with 1.5 lb online recipes (even if the manufacturer says their machine can handle 1.5 lb loaves). This was another reason for Bread Dad to make some 1 lb loaf recipes.
- If you don’t know the loaf size (e.g. my 1 lb, 1.5 lb or 2 lb recipes) that best fits your bread machine, please take a look at my Bread Machine Pan Sizes page. It covers the internal dimensions of the pans used by variety of different bread machines and offers suggestions about the loaves that best fit those machines.
- WARNING – Since 1 lb recipes use smaller amounts of ingredients, it is easier to mess up 1 lb recipes!! There is less room for measuring errors versus larger loaves. To make 1 lb loaf recipes successfully, you need to measure accurately (no eyeballing ingredients).
- The top of your bread can sometimes be a little lumpy due to the smaller amounts of ingredients in a 1 lb loaf. Why? Because, as I stated above, there is less room for measurement errors in small loaves versus large loaves. A little too much moisture or flour has a bigger impact on a 1 lb loaf versus a 2 lb loaf.
- To make my 1 lb bread machine recipes, I own & use a Briskind Compact Bread Maker Machine. In case you are interested, another popular (but more expensive) bread machine focused on making 1 lb loaves is the Zojirushi Zojirushi BB-HAC10 Mini Breadmaker.
- In case you are looking at getting a bread machine to make 1 lb recipes, here are some of the benefits of a small compact bread machine; 1 lb loaves are perfect for single people or people who don’t want a ton of bread, a compact machine takes up less space in the kitchen (so more convenient for an apartment versus buying a giant bread machine), it uses less energy than a large bread machine, it creates smaller sandwich slices (sometimes, in my opinion, the slices from 2 lb loaves are too large – especially for kids), etc.
- The disadvantages of a small compact bread machine; small bread pan capacity (so you can’t make a larger loaf if you have guests coming over), not many online recipes are focused on 1 lb loaves, sometimes 1 lb loaves have more uneven crusts (vs bread made with larger horizontal bread pans), etc.
- Visitors – What compact bread machine did you use to make this recipe (such as Briskind Compact Bread Maker or Zojirushi Mini Breadmaker)? Please post your machine & any compact bread machine tips in the comment section below.
- This recipe uses bread flour. It will work with all purpose flour but your multigrain bread will be a little more dense/less fluffy.
- Optional – If you want more fiber in this bread, you can replace the bread flour with a 50/50 mix (50% whole wheat and 50% bread flour). The whole wheat flour adds more fiber and the bread flour adds the rise (airiness) to the bread.
- Do NOT use cold milk. The main problem with using regular milk is that people tend to use cold refrigerated milk and this can slow the yeast growth. Try to use warm milk (or instant powdered milk mixed into warm water). However, you should also be aware that the milk/water should not be too hot because very hot milk/water can kill the yeast.
- Optional – If you are out of dairy milk (or do not want to use dairy milk), you can replace it with soy milk, oat milk, water, etc. I use whole milk because it adds a little extra flavor to the bread but you should use a milk substitute that is best for your family.
- Optional – If you want to create an even softer multigrain bread, use buttermilk instead of the milk called for in the recipe. Buttermilk is acidic and this helps to “tenderize” the gluten in the flour. Buttermilk is a great way to soften homemade bread. See my Buttermilk Powder page for more details on how to make your own buttermilk.
- Optional – If you do not have butter, you can replace it with a neutral tasting vegetable oil (e.g. canola oil or corn oil) on a 1 to 1 basis.
- Optional – If you are trying to cut down on saturated fat and want a healthier bread, you can replace the butter in this recipe with an equivalent amount of olive oil.
- Visitors – How do you like to make your multigrain bread more unique or special? Do you add more fiber (by replacing some of the bread flour with whole wheat flour)? Add dried fruit or chopped nuts? Other? Please post your multigrain variations in the comment section below.
- This recipe uses bread machine yeast (instant yeast) and NOT active dry yeast.
- When adding the yeast, it should be placed in a position that is separate from the salt (e.g. placed on opposite sides of the bread pan). Close contact with salt can kill or slow the growth of the yeast. I like to make a small “divot” on top of the flour in order to hold the yeast (separate from the salt) before the bread machine starts mixing the ingredients.
- Many bakers like to make a small pocket in the top of the flour in order to hold the bread machine yeast in place (looks sort of like a small flour volcano with a yeast crater). This is done to prevent the yeast from falling into the liquid ingredients (and activating prematurely), coming into contact with the salt, etc. until the bread machine is turned on.
- I would recommend NOT reducing the salt in this recipe. You generally want to keep the salt-to-yeast ratio at a 1:1 basis in most bread recipes (1:1 based on teaspoons to teaspoons and NOT grams to grams). The salt moderates the growth of the yeast. If you cut the salt (and disrupt this 1:1 ratio), the yeast will grow faster than expected. In turn, this leads to more bread collapses (because the yeast rises too high and then craters in the middle) and/or results in “slack” less manageable dough. In addition, less salt will impact the flavor and browning of the bread.
- Having trouble with bread collapses & misshapen bread tops? Make sure to read Bread Dad’s article on Bread Machine Bread Collapses. It has reasons for and solutions to potential bread collapses.
- If your bread comes out too dense, it is likely due to one of the following reasons; You are using old or stale yeast, using a cold refrigerator temperature liquid (which slows yeast growth), baking in a cold winter temperature kitchen, using all purpose flour (versus bread flour as called for in the recipe), placing salt on top of or next to the yeast (salt kills yeast so it must be placed away from the yeast in the bread pan), etc. For more reasons, you should visit Bread Dad’s Why Is My Bread Machine Bread So Dense? page.
- For information on other possible errors, please visit my Common Bread Machine Mistakes page.
- If you start substituting ingredients (e.g. using different types of flour not called for in the recipe), you are experimenting and should not expect similar results to the recipe shown above. Experimenting can be fun. However, you should expect some successes but more potential disappointments when you start to experiment with recipes. For example, if you substitute whole wheat flour for the bread flour, you will probably experience a problem (as whole wheat flour doesn’t rise nearly as well as bread flour). Moreover, whole wheat flour has a totally different flavor.
- If you have a problem with a bread machine recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (e.g. using the correct bread machine settings), you are using the correct amount of an ingredient (e.g. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measurement cup or accidentally add a teaspoon when a tablespoon is called for), you are using the correct ingredients (e.g. bread machine yeast versus active dry yeast or bread flour versus all purpose flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes.
- If you haven’t used your bread machine in a long time, please buy some NEW bread machine yeast before making your bread. Old yeast can die or lose its potency and this will lead to bread that does not rise properly. Bread machine yeast may not be viable if it has been sitting in your pantry for years.
- FYI – Bread machine yeast loses its potency over time. Generally, bread machine yeast lasts for only 3-4 months after you have opened the bottle. However, if the yeast is exposed to air & moisture (e.g. the bottle not sealed tight) or exposed to higher temperatures, the yeast will expire even more quickly.
- Kitchen humidity can impact a recipe. A winter kitchen tends to be drier due to your heating system drying out the air. In contrast, a kitchen in the summer can be much more humid. This change in humidity impacts baking as flour can soak up humidity from the air. Therefore, you might have to add 1-2 teaspoons of liquid in the winter if the dough is looking too dry. Or you might have to add 1-2 teaspoons of flour in the summer if the dough is looking too wet. If your kitchen is very dry or humid, you might have to add even a little more (but start with 1 teaspoon at a time until you achieve the right consistency). Of course, excessive kitchen humidity or dryness can impact a recipe at any time during the year (not just in the summer & winter)!
- Humidity is also one of the reasons that people should store flour in an airtight container (if they have already opened the flour package). Flour (not in airtight containers) can pick up extra moisture from the air while sitting in the pantry. This can throw off recipes, spoil the flavor, degrade shelf life, etc.
- You can also use this homemade bread to make one of Bread Dad’s delicious & toasty Panini Recipes.
- My recipes are based on US ingredient measurements (e.g. US cups & tablespoons). However, as a courtesy to our European visitors, I have also included some very ROUGH European equivalents (e.g. grams & milliliters). Since I rarely use European measurements when baking, please let me know in the comment section below if any of the European ingredient measurements need to be changed (e.g. for XYZ ingredient, milliliters are more commonly used versus the grams information listed in the recipe).
- Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a bread machine. The bread pan and the rest of the bread machine can get very hot during the baking process. This means that the bread pan and bread machine is likely to be very hot when you attempt to remove a baked good from the bread machine and/or bread pan.
- For more easy bread ideas, please visit Bread Dad’s sections on Bread Machine Recipes and Homemade Bread Recipes.
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Reference Sources
- Wikipedia, Bread Machine
- Wikipedia, Multigrain Bread
1 lb Bread Machine Multigrain Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Milk (warm) – 173 milliliters
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (softened) – 29 grams
- 1 1/2 Cups Bread Flour – 180 grams
- 1/2 Cup Multigrain Cereal – 80 grams – Do not pre-moisten & do not use large breakfast cereal flakes. Need to use cereal that consists of small chopped-up pieces of grains. See tips section for more info.
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar (leveled & packed spoons) – 32 grams – For a less sweet bread, you can use 1 tablespoon of sugar (13 grams).
- 3/4 Teaspoon Salt – 4.5 grams
- 3/4 Teaspoon Bread Machine Yeast (Instant Yeast) – 2.7 grams – Not active dry yeast
Instructions
- Bread machine settings – 1 pound loaf, light color and “basic/white” bread setting.
- Soften the butter in your microwave. FYI – I like to semi-melt the butter for better "mixability".
- Unplug your bread machine.
- Remove the bread pan from the unplugged bread machine (so when you add the ingredients, they can not accidentally spill into the machine).
- Pour the milk into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients. Place the bread machine yeast in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid or salt (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together by the bread machine). Put the bread pan with ingredients back into the unplugged bread machine.
- Plug in bread machine. Enter the correct settings (1 lb, light color & basic/white bread) and press the "start" button.
- When the bread machine has finished baking the bread, unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan from the bread machine. Wear oven mitts as the bread pan & bread machine will be hot.
- Remove the bread from the bread pan and place the bread on a cooling rack. Use oven mitts when removing the bread as the bread & bread pan will be hot.
- Let the bread cool on the cooling rack for 1-2 hours before cutting.
- Please read the recipe's tips section on Bread Dad for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common bread machine problems.
Notes
Nutrition
Related Recipes
- 1 lb Bread Machine Banana Bread
- 1 lb Bread Machine White Bread
- 1 lb Bread Machine Oatmeal Bread
- 1 lb Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread
- Bread Machine Multigrain Bread – 1.5 lb & 2 lb
- Multigrain Bread – Oven-baked recipe
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