Best Hearty Oat And Whole Wheat Bread Recipes

OATMEAL BREAD

Steps:

• Add oats and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Heat milk to a simmer and pour on top, stirring to combine. Set aside for about 1.5 hours. Mixture should be at room temperature.
• Add honey, warm water, instant yeast, and salt to the bowl and stir well to combine. Add the whole wheat flour and mix on medium-low speed until combined. Add the all-purpose flour, a little at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Only add enough flour to make a dough that is soft, and not overly sticky (don't add too much flour!). Knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• First Rise: Transfer dough to a greased bowl and cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and divide into two equal pieces. Shape into loaves and place in two lightly greased loaf pans. Make egg wash and gently brush some over the top of each loaf. Sprinkle a small handful of dry oats on top.
• Second rise: Cover with a well greased piece of plastic wrap gently laid on top and let rise in a warm place until risen about 1 inch over the loaf pans, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Carefully peel off the plastic wrap.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes. Loaves are done when tapping lightly on the tops produces hollow sound (or when instant read thermometer registers 200° F). Cool for 15 minutes on wire rack, then turn out of pans and cool completely.

BASIC MULTIGRAIN BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup water. Add 2 teaspoons honey. Whisk until yeast dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add butter and remaining 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water and 3 tablespoons honey. Whisk together all-purpose, whole-wheat, and rye flours with salt; add 3 cups to yeast mixture. Mix on low speed until smooth. Add remaining 3 1/4 cups flour mixture, 1 cup at a time. Add wheat berries, bulgur, 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup flaxseed, and 1/3 cup sunflower seeds; mix on low to combine. Continue mixing until dough comes away from sides of bowl and forms a ragged, slightly sticky ball.
• Butter a large bowl. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball. Transfer to prepared bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
• Let dough stand in a warm place until it doubled in volume (it should not spring back when pressed), about 1 hour. Butter two 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pans. Punch down dough and divide in half.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape into a 7-by-7-inch square. Fold dough into thirds; press seam to adhere and pinch ends to seal. Place seam side down in loaf pan. Repeat process with remaining piece of dough.
• In a small bowl, mix egg white with 1 teaspoon water and brush mixture over tops of loaves; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons rolled oats, remaining 1 tablespoon flaxseeds, and remaining 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds.
• Spray two pieces of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray; drape loaves with prepared plastic wrap and let stand until dough rises about 1 inch above tops of pans, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees for conventional, 425 degrees for convection. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees (conventional) or 375 degrees (convection).
• Uncover loaves and transfer to oven. Bake, rotating pans after 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown and internal temperature reaches 205 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes total. Transfer to wire racks. Let cool slightly; turn out loaves. Let cool completely before slicing.

NO-KNEAD SEEDED OVERNIGHT BREAD

Steps:

• Stir together 3 cups whole-wheat flour, bread flour, oats, salt, yeast, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, and 2 tablespoons each flax, poppy, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Whisk honey or sugar into water in measuring cup, then stir into flour mixture. Drizzle a thin layer of oil over top of dough, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 2 hours, then let rise at room temperature 12 to 18 hours.
• Coat inside of a large Dutch oven or ovenproof pot with oil and sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour. Stir dough to deflate, then quickly form into a ball and place in pot. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour and smooth into dough with your hands. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon each pumpkin, flax, poppy, and sesame seeds. Cut an X in top of dough with a sharp knife. Cover; let rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees with a rack in lower third. Lightly sprinkle top of dough with water, cover, and place in oven. Reduce oven heat to 450 degrees. Bake until browned, about 45 minutes. Remove lid; bake 15 minutes more. Let cool in pot on a wire rack 15 minutes, then turn bread out onto rack to cool completely. To store, wrap tightly in plastic and keep at room temperature up to three days.