It’s important to pay attention to your daily fiber intake, even (and maybe especially) when you’re trying to figure out the best way to do your part in resisting creeping authoritarianism. I’ve been in a pretty consistent breadmaking routine ever since I put up my very first post about baking bread more than 17 (!) years ago. And in all that time that I’ve been making bread, my standard recipe is pretty basic—1:3 ratio of whole wheat flour to white bread flour: suitable to most uses, including rolls, loaves, focaccia, pita bread, pizza dough, sometimes even bagels. The one thing it couldn’t do is fulfill my craving for a hearty wholegrain loaf that would fit into my kitchen routine as seamlessly. I’ve tried a few different recipes over the years, but nothing has ever made it into the regular rotation. But I think I may have found The One, at last—ironically in a cookbook I bought eight years ago.
Multigrain Cereal Bread
Adapted from Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford
The best thing about this recipe for me is that the source of the ‘multigrain’ in this bread is a multigrain hot cereal mix (I use this one). I had no idea these even existed until I found this recipe, but I love that it’s such an easy and convenient option. In the past I was always daunted by the prospect of trying to find, buy, and manage even a few types of whole grains in order to make multigrain bread, and this genius hack just removes that whole obstacle. I’ve been making this bread consistently for the last six months, and it has become a staple in my daily breakfast. It’s hearty and chewy and leaves me feeling much more satiated than any other bread I consume. And it’s texturally consistent enough that I think it could be a feasible option for people who might expect to have texture issues with multigrain bread—always a plus in my house!
Yield: 1 tin loaf*
⅔ cup (106 g) 10-grain hot cereal
1 cup boiling water
¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup
2¼ cups (288 g) bread flour**
1 cup (128 g) whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons (~10 g) kosher salt
2¼ teaspoons (~5 g) instant yeast
1 cup room temp water
1. In a large (at least 2-cup) measuring cup or a medium bowl, combine cereal, boiling water, and maple syrup. Leave to stand for 10 minutes while you get on with the rest of the recipe.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and yeast.
3. Add room temp water to hot cereal mixture and stir to combine. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix together (I use my beloved dough whisk for this) until fully combined into a fairly sticky dough.
4. Cover the bowl and put in a warm place to rise for 60-90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
5. Heat the oven to 375F/190C and arrange with a rack in the middle. Line a loaf pan with baking parchment, or grease well with butter.
6. Use a rubber spatula or other implement of choice to scrape dough from bowl into loaf pan and distribute evenly. Leave to rise for 10-20 minutes while the oven comes to temperature, or until the top of the dough has risen to the edge of the pan.
7. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating halfway through, looking for a golden crust. If you have an instant-read thermometer, insert into the center of the bread to check that the internal temperature is at least 190F/88C and that the probe comes out clean.
8. Tip the bread out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Let rest for at least 15 minutes, and preferably longer, before slicing.
* The original recipe calls for making two smaller, round loaves baked in Pyrex glass bowls, but after a few tries I’ve decided I prefer it as one larger tin loaf.
** The original recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but I like the consistency better with bread flour.
