Mulitgrain Bread (made with 7 grain cereal)

I will admit it...I am a baker at heart.  Sure, I like to cook, but my real love is baking.  Since I began my quest to get healthy and lose weight, I had come to the conclusion it was best to forgo baking all together.  I still bake occasionally, but mostly for special occasions and not just for recreation.  A few weeks ago, I was watching an episode of American's Test Kitchen where they made multigrain bread using a 7 grain hot cereal.  I thought it looked like an interesting way to make a multigrain bread, without having to go out and buy all the different flours.  I was excited to try it and get a chance to bake!  I was not disappointed.  This bread is delicious!  It makes 2  9 x 5 inch loaves, that when sliced into 16 pieces per loaf, give it a 2 point value ( 3 points+ )  per generous slice.  Plus, when it bakes, it makes your entire house smell wonderful!!  If you can't or don't want to eat both loafs, you can wrap a loaf in a double layer of plastic wrap plus a additional layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to a month.  You will need a stand mixer with a dough hook to make this recipe.  Also, I used King Arthur Flours ( both bread and white whole wheat) in my bread, and if you have a scale, I would suggest weighing the flour not measuring it.   

 Multigrain Bread from America's Test Kitchen

Yield - 2 loaves  Servings - 16 slices per loaf  Serving Size - 1 slice   Points per svg - 2 points   PointsPlus per svg - 3 points+

Calories - 126.4,  Total Fat - 3.5g,  Carb - 21.9g,  Protein - 3.7g,  Fiber - 2.5g

6  1/4 oz Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal ( 1  1/4 cups)

2 1/2 cups boiling water

15 oz bread flour  (3 cups)

7  1/2 oz white whole wheat flour (1  1/2 cups)

4 TBS honey

4 TBS unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

1 TBS kosher salt

3/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1.  Place cereal mix in bowl of standing mixer and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resemble thick porridge, about 1 hour.  Whisk together flours in med bowl.  

2. Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, melted butter, and yeast and stir to combine.  Attach bowl to standing mixer fitted with dough hook.  With mixer running on low speed, add flours, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes.  Cover dough with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 20 minutes.  Add salt and knead on medium low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3-4 minutes.  ( if it does not clear sides, add 2 - 3 tbs additional flour and continue mixing)  Continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes.  (* Note...I did not have any problem with it pulling away from the sides...but I did weigh my flour, I didn't measure it.)  Add seeds and knead for another 15 seconds.  Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough form a smooth, taut, ball.  Place dough into greased container with 4 quart capacity; cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, 45-60 min.  

3.  Spray two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.  Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and pat into 12 by 9 inch rectangle; cut dough in half crosswise with a knife.  Shape loafs by starting with the short side facing you and at the farthest end, roll up into a log.  Keep roll taut by tucking it under itself as you go.  To seal loaf, pinch seam gently with thumb and forefinger.  Spray loaves lightly with water or nonstick spray ( I used my misto filled with extra virgin olive oil) Roll each loaf in the oats to coat evenly.  Place loaves in pans seam sides down.  Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in size: 30 to 40 min.  ( I needed to let it rise about an hour before it got to the right size)

 

Ready for second rise.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake 30 to 40 min or until internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.  Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire rack before slicing.  

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