Multigrain Bread- 2 loaves

I wanted a hearty bread that created two loaves (one for current eating and one to be turned into croutons). I looked through my recipe binder and found this recipe which is an adaptation I created at some point. It checked all the boxes and I had all the ingredients, so it was a go.

My other fun plan was to bake one loaf in a loaf pan and the other on a baking sheet just to see how it went. Not to give away the ending, but both ways turned out great. It honestly just depends on what you want out of your bread, ie is it for sandwiches, as a side to soup, or for dips, etc. I specifically made the baking sheet loaf for the croutons because it is crustier by nature. I have found that crustier breads make better croutons as they dont have the tendency to crumble as much as a regular loaf.

This is not a difficult bread to make. The dough is a bit sticky, so I suggest oiling your hands before kneading or shaping your loaves. I used amaranth flour as one of my grains, but you can substitute buckwheat, rye, spelt, or even just a whole wheat flour if youd like.

Happy baking, friends!

Yield: 2 loaves

Multigrain Bread

• 1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup amaranth (or other grain) flour
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)
• 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Gather together your ingredients. In a small saucepan, heat the plant milk, sugar, salt, and coconut oil on low heat until the oil melts and the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm temperature.

In a medium mixing bowl, but not the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the seeds, cornmeal, amaranth flour, potato flour, and 3 cups of the unbleached all purpose flour. Set aside.

When your plant milk mixture is close to lukewarm, dissolve the yeast in the warm water in the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl). Allow to rest for 2 minutes to dissolve the yeast.

Add the lukewarm plant milk mixture and the 4 1/2 cups of flour youve already whisked together. Using the dough hook, mix for about 1 minute. If kneading by hand, combine until dough becomes cohesive.

Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well before each addition, until the dough clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. You may not need all the flour, no worries there. Continue to knead for about 2 more minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic and sticky to the touch.

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and place in a draft free area to rise for 1 hour.

Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and divide the dough in half. Shape each loaf and place in greased loaf pans or on a greased baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Towards the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 400F.

Bake the loaves for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.