Multigrain Bread Recipe – Crunchy!

This multigrain bread recipe is easy to make and provides you with a bread full of crunchy natural goodness. It uses multigrain cereal (e.g. 10 grain hot cereal) in order to make a delicious homemade bread. This kind of multigrain cereal contains chopped grains/seeds (and not large cereal flakes) such as wheat, rye, oats, millet, barley, etc. Your family will love this crunchy & hearty bread.

Homemade Multigrain Bread

Recipe Sections

1. Ingredients
2. Instructions
3. Helpful Tips

This recipe is the oven-baked version of Bread Dad’s very popular bread machine multigrain bread. It has the same great taste but this oven-baked multigrain bread comes out in the classic bread loaf shape (versus the usual “block” shape associated with most bread machine breads) and without any bread machine mixing paddle “holes”.

Key Ingredient – Multigrain Cereal

While you can knead the dough by hand or with an electric stand mixer, my multigrain bread recipe shows you how to make this bread with a bread machine’s dough setting. You then finish the process by baking this multigrain bread in your oven.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 Cup – Milk (warm) – 307 milliliters
• 4 Tablespoons – Unsalted Butter (softened) – 57 grams – If desired, you can replace the butter in this recipe with an equivalent amount of olive oil.
• 3 Cups – Bread Flour – 360 grams
• 1 Cup – Multigrain Cereal (e.g. 5, 7, 8 or 10 grain cereal) – 155 grams – Do not pre-moisten cereal. Use DRY multigrain cereal which consists of chopped grains (and not large cereal flakes).
• 1/3 Cup – Light Brown Sugar (packed) – 72 grams – If you prefer non-sweet multigrain breads, you should use only 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon – Salt – 9 grams
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon – Instant Yeast (or Bread Machine Instant Yeast) – 5.4 grams – Not active dry yeast

Servings – Roughly 18 slices

Equipment – Measuring cup & spoons, flexible spatula, cutting board, 9 x 5 inch metal bread pan, oven mitts, oven, wire cooling rack and a bread machine.

Multigrain Bread – Straight from the Oven

Instructions

• Creating dough with bread machine
• Shaping dough & baking bread in oven

Instructions – Creating Dough with a Bread Machine

• Unplug your bread machine.
• Remove the bread pan from the bread machine.
• Pour the milk into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients. Place the instant yeast (bread machine yeast) in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together by the bread machine). Some bakers like to make a small indent on top of the flour to prevent the yeast from spilling into the liquids or mixing with the salt before the machine is turned on.
• Put the bread pan with ingredients back into unplugged bread machine.
• Plug in bread machine. Enter the “Dough” setting on your bread machine and then press the “Start” button.
• When the bread machine has finished making the bread dough, unplug the bread machine.
• Remove the bread pan (with the dough) from the bread machine.
• Now read the instruction section below on “shaping the dough & baking the bread”.

Instructions – Shaping the Dough & Baking the Bread

• Sprinkle a little bit of flour onto a large cutting board.
• Remove the dough from the bread pan and place the dough on the cutting board.
• Press down on the dough with your hands and create a “flattish” rectangle with the dough. The dough should be roughly 1 inch high.
• Roll up the dough into a tight “jelly roll”. FYI – Please see the short instructional videos in the tips section below for more information on how to shape the dough if you haven’t shaped bread dough before. It is easier to watch & learn from these short videos versus trying to explain the rolling technique step by step.
• Place the rolled up dough into a lightly greased or nonstick bread pan.
• Press down on top of the dough so the edges of the dough press out towards the sides of the bread pan. This should result in little or no gaps between the dough and the bread pan. This helps the bread to turn into a nice loaf shape without any misshapen edges. Make sure that the top of the pressed down dough is roughly level (so one side isn’t much higher than the other).
• Optional – Lightly coat the top of dough with vegetable oil in order to prevent dough exterior from drying out.
• Loosely cover the top of the bread pan with plastic wrap. Set the covered bread pan aside for 60-90 minutes for the dough to rise into a loaf shape. Once the dough has risen 1 – 1.5 inches (2.5 – 3.8 cm) above the rim of the bread pan, the dough should be ready to be placed in the oven. FYI – You want the dough to fully rise during this stage. So don’t try to shorten this rising time. If the dough is still significantly rising while in the oven, you are more likely to see crust/seam cracks or “bursts” in the oven. In addition, the speed of the dough rise will vary in part based on the temperature of your kitchen (e.g. rise faster in the summer & slower in the winter).
• During this “rising” period, preheat the oven to 350 F. This should be done at least 10-15 minutes before you expect to put the dough & bread pan into oven.
• Optional – Just before you put the bread pan in the oven, you can use a pastry brush to add an egg wash (egg white) to the top of the dough. Then sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of multigrain on top of the “sticky” egg wash. This adds a more “authentic” multigrain bread appearance to the top of your bread.
• Place the bread pan in the (preheated) oven to bake at 350 F for 37-42 minutes. Wear oven mitts when dealing with a hot oven. Place the bread pan in the middle of the oven.
• Rotate the bread pan in the oven after 15-20 minutes (in order to ensure an even browning of the bread).
• After the 37-42 minute baking period has finished, remove the bread pan from the oven. Wear oven mitts. Optional – Use digital thermometer to confirm that the bread has been fully baked. See tips below.
• Remove the bread from the bread pan and place the bread on a wire cooling rack. Wear oven mitts.
• Optional – If you did not add the egg wash/multigrain on top of the dough, you can brush melted butter on top of the bread with a pastry brush (after the bread has been baked). This “basting” helps to create a more golden & tastier crust.
• Allow the bread to cool down on the wire cooling rack for 1-2 hours before slicing the bread.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common bread making problems.

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Helpful Tips

• The tips below are designed to help bread making “novices” and/or 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 my 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 Bread Recipes such as extra soft white bread, French bread and Greek yogurt bread.

• As I said above, this multigrain bread recipe is a variation of my popular Bread Machine Multigrain Bread Recipe. You are taking the dough from the bread machine recipe and baking it in the oven (versus baking it in the bread machine). Oven baking provides a better loaf shape (no bread machine “block” shape), no bread machine mixing paddle “hole” and more baking options (e.g. addition of grain & egg wash on top or a butter basting).
• What is multigrain cereal? This type of cereal is made from “milled” grains & seeds and includes things such as whole grain wheat, rye, oats, flaxseed, etc. It is usually made into a kind of hearty porridge. However, we are making it into a hearty bread!
• The multigrain cereal used to make this bread should consist of tiny chopped up grains and seeds (such as wheat, rye, triticale, millet, brown rice, barley, corn, soy beans, etc.).
• You should NOT use cereal consisting of large multigrain flakes, etc. The multigrain cereal 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).
• I often like to use Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal to make this multigrain bread recipe. FYI – I am not sponsored or compensated by Bob’s Red Mill. I just like their multigrain cereal products. You don’t have to use their cereals as you can find other companies that make similar products. Just look online or in the supermarket for 5, 7, 8 and 10 grain cereal products that consist primarily of small chopped grain seeds.
• Be aware that multigrain cereal can spoil if kept too long. So don’t use that old bag of multigrain cereal that has been sitting hidden in your pantry for months. Consider buying fresh multigrain when making this bread. Also keep the multigrain in an airtight container for a longer shelf life.
• If you like “crunchy” breads, you might like to try my Seed Bread Recipe. It is made with sunflower, flax and chia seeds.

• Optional – If you would like to add a little sweetness to this recipe, you can add 1/2 cup of dried cranberries or raisins when making the dough. This is in addition to the recipe’s regular wet & dry ingredients.
• Optional – Or instead of dried fruit, you can add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or chopped pecans for a little extra crunch!
• Optional – If you want more fiber in this bread, you can replace the bread flour with a 50/50 flour 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.
• 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.
• Optional – If you prefer non-sweet multigrain breads, you should use only 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar (versus the 1/3 cup of light brown sugar).
• Optional – As I stated in the recipe, you can use an egg wash (with egg white) to stick 1-2 teaspoons of the multigrain to the top of the bread dough just before baking. This will provide your bread with a more “authentic” multigrain appearance. Or you can baste the finished bread (without egg wash & seeds on top) with melted butter if you want a more buttery top to your bread.
• Visitors – Do you add anything extra to your multigrain bread? For example, dried fruit? Chopped walnuts? Seeds? Please post your multigrain bread variations & tips in the comment section below.

• Do NOT use cold milk because that will inhibit the growth of the yeast. The milk should be lukewarm in temperature. If you use cold milk, your bread may have trouble rising properly. You can use a microwave (for a very short time) in order to warm the milk. However, don’t make the milk too hot as excessive heat can kill the yeast.
• The ideal temperature for liquid ingredients used when making bread machine bread is around 100 to 110 F. Cold liquids (such as water & milk straight from the refrigerator) will slow yeast growth and liquid ingredients that are 140 F or above can kill the yeast. Some people like to use a digital bread thermometer in order to measure the temperature of their liquid ingredients.
• Optional – If you want to make this bread even softer, you should use buttermilk (instead of the milk called for in the recipe). The slight acidity of buttermilk “tenderizes” gluten and creates a softer bread.

• Use FRESH ingredients (e.g. flour) for the best results. Ingredients that have been sitting in the pantry for months can become stale or pick up weird smells & flavors.
• Try to keep your ingredients (e.g. flour and sugar) in airtight containers in order to extend their shelf life.
• Flour (when stored in an open bag and not in an airtight container) can absorb a lot of moisture from the air. This extra moisture throws off recipes and can lead to bread collapses, etc.

• My recipe is based on bread flour (and not all purpose flour). A bread made with all purpose flour will NOT be as good as one made with bread flour. Most sandwich bread recipes use bread flour because bread flour has more gluten than all purpose flour. This helps to add “structure” to the bread and capture more of the CO2 “bubbles” put out by the bread yeast. Thus bread flour breads tend to be fluffier than all purpose flour breads.
• Moreover, since all purpose flour has less gluten than bread flour, breads made with all purpose flour do not hold together as well as breads made with bread flour. Gluten provides structural strength to bread. Breads made with all purpose flour often will “crumble” and/or break more easily when sliced (versus breads made with bread flour).
• This recipe will NOT work with gluten free flour. Gluten free flour differs significantly versus flours with gluten and requires you to use recipes specifically designed for the use of gluten free flour. If you use gluten free flour in this recipe, you are likely to have a baking disaster.

• If you are having a problem shaping the dough, you should use the links below to watch some dough “shaping” instructional videos on YouTube.
• King Arthur Baking
• San Diego Artisan Bread School
• Father Dominic – a slightly different method versus the videos above
• If you like, you can knead the dough by hand. However, kneading dough by hand for 10-15 minutes is too much work for me!!! I prefer my bread machine to do the hard stuff.

• This multigrain bread recipe uses bread machine yeast or instant yeast. It does NOT use active dry yeast.
• Active dry yeast is different from instant yeast & bread machine yeast. Instant yeast & bread machine yeast are added directly to the recipe’s ingredients. In contrast, active dry yeast must be activated in water/milk before being added to a recipe’s ingredients. Many bakers find it quicker to use instant yeast because you just add it to the dry ingredients. With active dry yeast, you need to spend roughly 10 minutes “proofing” (activating) the yeast with a liquid & sugar.
• Cooler home temperatures in the winter can cause rising problems for bread dough. Ideally, your room temperature should be around 75-80 degrees F. Colder winter room temperatures can significantly delay the rise of the dough. You will need to raise the temperature of your kitchen (if you like a cold house in the winter) or find a warm spot for the dough to rise. I often put my dough (covered of course) next to a heating vent in the winter to make sure it is getting enough heat. Or I use an electric heating pad to warm my dough (yes Bread Dads are kind of crazy!).
• Conversely, dough can rise faster than expected in a very hot kitchen.

• Kitchen humidity can also 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)!
• Other factors that can impact the rise of the dough include old or expired yeast, contaminated yeast (e.g. the yeast was left in an open jar & air moisture contaminated it), water that is too cold or too hot, using heavily chlorinated tap water, placing salt next to or on top of the yeast (salt can kill yeast or inhibit its growth), not covering the dough during the rising period (as the exterior of the dough can dry out & limit the ability to rise), etc.

• How do you know when the dough has risen enough in the second rise (when the dough is in the bread pan)? After letting the dough rise for 60-90 minutes (and when it is roughly 1-1.1.5 inches above the 9 x 5 bread pan), you can try the “poke test“. Poke your finger into the dough (going in about an inch). If the poke hole rebounds immediately, you need to allow more time for the dough to rise further (it is “under proofed”). If the hole doesn’t come back at all, the dough has risen too much (it is “over proofed”). If the hole slowly fills over 2-3 seconds, the dough is at the right stage of proofing.
• If you want to learn more about the poke test, you might like to watch this YouTube video (not done by me).
• Unfortunately, the temperature of your kitchen can make the timing for this perfect poke result hard to predict (because there is a faster dough rise in hot kitchens and a slower rise in cold kitchens). Experience with “proofing” will make this easier (but it can be a problem for beginning bakers).
• FYI – If the dough is “under proofed” (hasn’t risen enough) when you place it in the oven, the bread is more likely to burst/crack when baked in the oven (as the still rising dough will push against the hardening crust and “burst” at the seams of the crust). Bakers try to get around this issue via testing for the right “proofing” level (e.g. use the poke test), “scoring” breads (slicing the top of the dough so the cracks occur where you want them), adding moisture inside the oven (so the dough doesn’t harden as quickly), using a dutch oven (in order to trap the dough moisture inside the dutch oven container & not spread out into the oven), etc.
• Don’t overproof the dough (let it rise too long). This occasionally happens when someone forgets about the rising dough and comes back hours later to check. Overproofed dough leads to deflated dough as well as flat and/or sunken bread tops. According to Wikipedia, “Overproofing occurs when a fermenting dough has rested too long. Its bubbles have grown so large that they have popped and tunneled, and dough baked at this point would result in a bread with poor structure.”
• If your dough is “over proofed”, you might like to read the King Arthur Baking article “How to save over-proofed dough” as it gives tips on how to save the dough.
• For more information on dough proofing, please read this MasterClass article “Baking 101: What Is Proofing?“.

• For this recipe, I like to use a 9 x 5 inch metal bread pan. The bread is too big for a smaller bread pans (e.g. 8 x 4 inch bread pans).
• To prevent your bread from sticking to the bread pan, you should consider using a nonstick bread pan or either “greasing” the bottom & sides of the pan with butter, vegetable oil, a cooking spray, etc. Even if you’re using a nonstick pan, you should also consider greasing it (as some nonstick pans become more “sticky” as they age).
• Use an oven thermometer as your expected oven temperature may be different than reality. Some ovens can be 25-50+ degrees F hotter or colder than the number you set with your oven dial. An oven thermometer (which usually costs less than $10) is an easy way to measure the actual temperature inside your oven.
• Use a digital bread thermometer to test if your bread is completely done. The interior temperature of the bread should be 190 to 200 degrees F. This inexpensive tool can save you from underbaked breads.
• You should let your bread cool down for 1 to 2 hours on the wire cooling rack before you cut any slices (or the slices will be “gummy” and not taste as good as expected). Excess interior moisture is released (via steam) during the cooldown period.
• If you are looking for other bread recipes where you can make the dough in your bread machine and bake it in your oven, you should try my recipes for White Bread, Soft Whole Wheat Bread, French Bread, Greek Yogurt Bread, Buttermilk Bread, Cranberry Walnut Bread and Oatmeal Bread.

• If you have not made bread in a long time, please buy some new bread machine yeast or instant yeast before making your bread. Old yeast can die or lose its potency and this will lead to bread that does not rise properly. Yeast is not likely to be viable if it has been sitting in your pantry for years.
• Once you have opened the container that contains the yeast, the yeast will last longer if you store the bottle in the refrigerator or freezer. Just make sure the bottle is sealed tight (as yeast will deteriorate quickly if exposed to air, moisture and/or heat).
• If your dough is having trouble rising properly, you should check out my How To Test Yeast page. This yeast test will show you if your yeast is alive & active or dead/expired. It will save you from a few bread disasters!

• 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, hot oven, hot bread pan, etc.
• For more easy bread ideas, please check out Bread Dad’s sections for Bread Machine Recipes and Homemade Bread Recipes.

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Multigrain Bread Recipe – Common Question & Answers

What is multigrain cereal?

Multigrain cereal consists typically of coarsely ground grains and seeds. It can contain a wide variety of grains & seeds such as wheat, rye, triticale, millet, brown rice, barley, corn, soy beans, oat bran, flaxseeds, etc. Multigrain cereal is used for hot breakfasts (e.g. as a porridge), an ingredient in baked goods (e.g. to add fiber & “crunch” to the baked good), etc.

Reference Sources

1. Wikipedia – Baker’s Yeast
2. Wikipedia – Bread Machine
3. Wikipedia – Grain
4. Wikipedia – Multigrain Bread
5. Wikipedia – Sandwich Bread

Related Recipes

1. Bread Machine Oatmeal Bread
2. Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread
3. Buttermilk Bread – Oven baked
4. Oatmeal Bread – Oven baked
5. White Bread – Oven baked
6. Whole Wheat Bread – Oven baked

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