My Multi-grain Bread Recipe

A few years ago, while having breakfast at a friend’s house, he served us freshly baked home-made bread.  I really enjoyed the bread and asked my friend how he made it. He pointed me to his bread-making machine. That was motivation enough for me to buy a bread-making machine for myself. So, it was almost four years ago that I bought my first bread machine (Sunbeam brand). I was really excited about the possibility of baking my own bread using ingredients that I could experiment with.

For the first few breads, I used the exact recipes that were in the recipe book that came with the machine. Despite using exact measurements given in the recipe, it still took some experimentation to get the quantity right. I always had to add either more flour or more liquid to get the consistency right. Over a period of time, I learnt how to test the consistency of the dough with my finger.

After baking a few breads, I decided to experiment with different ingredients. Over time, I have experimented with several different kinds of grain as well as different fluids and other items. I am giving here a generic sample recipe that I use for most of the breads. I will also let you know all the different variations that I have tried.

The Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup Orange Juice

2 TBSP Butter (I use ghee)

1 cup Whole Wheat flour (I use the regular flour that we get from the Indian store for our chapati)

2/3 cup Oats (Old-fashioned oats)

1/3 cup Chickpea flour (besan)

1 TBSP Gluten

3 TBSP Bread flour

2 TBSP Soy flour

2 TBSP Flax seeds

2 TBSP Cracked wheat

1 TBSP Powder milk

1 TSP Ginger powder

1 TSP Cinnamon powder

1 TBSP Sunflower seeds

2 TBSP Brown sugar

1 TSP Salt

2 TBSP Chopped almonds

2 TBSP Chopped walnuts

2 1/2 TSP Dry yeast

Method

In a measuring bowl, add all the dry ingredients (except yeast). Make sure that the total adds up to 3 cups. If needed, make adjustments so the total amount is 3 cups. In the inner pan, add the orange juice and butter. Add the dry ingredients into the pan from the measuring bowl. Now add the yeast on top.

Option 1: Baking in the bread machine

Put the bread pan in the machine, set the menu to "whole wheat" setting and start the cycle. After about four minutes, open the cover and put your finger into the dough. You should be able to dip your finger into the dough slightly with light pressure. As I mentioned above, it will take some experimentation over a few breads to determine what consistency is right for the bread. If needed, add some fluid or flour to the mix, as required. When the cycle is complete, take the bread out and let it cool on a cooling rack before slicing it up.

Option 2: Baking in the oven

When I first started making bread, I used the bread machine to bake the bread (option 1 above). However, I found two issues with this method:

• The bread slices were too big (width of the baking pan in the machine)
• The kneading pin in the pan left a big whole in the bread  that made a large number of slices uneven and unattractive

So, I decided to use the bread machine to make the dough only . Now, I keep the setting to "dough" which includes time for the bread to rise. The dough cycle lasts 1 1/2 hours in my machine. After the dough is done, I use the regular oven for baking the bread. Lightly oil (use a spray or a brush) the bottom and sides of the bread pan. Transfer the dough to the bread pan and bake the bread in the regular oven. I keep the baking temperature at 325 degrees and preheat for about four minutes. Then I bake the bread for 50 minutes. After the bread is done, I let it cool while still in the bread pan. When it is sufficiently cooled down, I take the bread out and let it cool further before making slices.

For making slices, I have purchased an electric slicer which makes very evenly sliced bread slices. It also allows me to adjust the thickness of the slices.

Optional Ingredients

Over the years, I have experimented with many different ingredients and combinations thereof.

Flours: The whole wheat flour is always one of the ingredients in the breads that I bake. Some of the others I have tried are: barley, millet, corn flour and rye flour.

Grains and Seeds: You may want to experiment with quinoa, sesame seeds, wheat bran, pumpkin seeds

Liquids: This is one area where I have tried some really "crazy" ingredients. The items that I have used are: various types of fruit (pulp/juice) – orange, banana, mango, grapes, strawberries, pear, pineapple etc; milk, yogurt, whey; steamed or cooked vegetables like spinach, carrots (finely grated), dal, chick peas, sprouts and a few others. Once you know the required measures for the dry and liquid ingredients, you can experiment with different items as long as you maintain the required final measure for the dry and liquid ingredients.

The bread made with the above method is usually a little richer and denser compared to the ones you get from the stores. I have enjoyed these home-made breads so much that now I don’t even like the breads from the store any more.

Give the above a try and let me know how you like the recipe. Please share your comments/feedback as well as your own experience with baking breads and other baked items.