Multi-Grain Seeded Bread

Name: Multi-Grain Seeded Bread
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon yeast (- I use Red Star); 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 3/4 cups warm water (- not hot, not cold); 1/3 cup raw honey; 1/3 cup canola oil; 3 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal; 1 Tablespoon chia seeds; 1 Tablespoon poppyseeds; 1 Tablespoon flax seed; 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds (- any combo); 3 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (- add flour until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl); few pats butter (- to brush on top of bread)

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Multi-Grain Seeded Bread is a hearty, nutty tasting bread, made with oatmeal, honey, white whole wheat flour, and plenty of seeds and nuts. We love toasting this healthy bread, and topping it with peanut butter and jelly!

Overhead shot of a loaf of sliced multi-grain seeded bread, on a wooden cutting board.

Baking bread is a lot like art. It is a process that starts with yeast, liquid, salt, and flour – and possibly several other ingredients, depending on the type of bread you are making. The ingredients are transformed during the proofing process and completed in the oven. The end product is a beautiful loaf of bread. And if you do it right, it’s delicious as well.

I believe my Mom was an artist in the kitchen. Baking bread was her creative outlet. And it has become mine too. However, while my mom shared her art by giving bread away, I get to complete the process by sharing it with all of you. Because I believe art should be shared.

My sister, Jackie, introduced me to Whole Foods’ Seeduction Bread during our visits to see her family in Colorado. Ever since, I’ve been thinking about making a copycat version, and this is my attempt.

Overhead shot of two loafs of multi-grain-seeded bread on a cooling rack.

Ingredients needed for Multi-Grain Seeded Bread:

Yeast – I use Red Star Active Dry Yeast. (This is a very large amount. I keep a bunch in the freezer, and it lasts a long time.) We have perfect bread-making weather here in Texas, and my bread always rises pretty quickly. You may need a Quick Rise Yeast, depending on where you live.
Sugar – Just a pinch of sugar is needed to help activate the yeast.
Water – You need to use warm water to activate the yeast. You should be able to keep a finger in it, without it being too hot.
Honey – I always use raw honey. This is what gives it a slightly sweetened flavor.
Oil – This recipe calls for canola oil, but I’ve used olive oil too.
Salt – Kosher salt for the win.
Oatmeal – Old fashioned oatmeal is really the only kind I buy now.
Seeds – A combo of chia seeds, poppyseeds, and flax seeds.
Nuts – A combo of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. You can use raw or roasted, whatever you have or prefer.
Flour – This recipe calls for white whole-wheat flour. I’ve also used a combo of regular whole wheat and all-purpose.
Butter – Brush the tops of the bread loafs with butter, after baking.

Collage of 1) a white bowl of seeds, and 2) a white bowl of nuts.

Overhead collage of 1) the multi-grain seeded bread dough in mixer, and 2) the bread dough in glass bowl.

How to make Multi-Grain Seeded Bread:

Note: You can definitely make this recipe by hand instead of using a mixer. It will take a little bit more time and some arm strength, but you can do it.

Activate the yeast. Using a large standing mixer, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Take a spatula, and stir it around a couple of times. Then let it sit for about 15 minutes so that the yeast activates. You should see a bubbly mixture when it’s ready. See above.
Add other liquid ingredients, and salt. Add honey, oil, and salt. Stir again to mix well.
Place dough hook on mixer, and start adding dry ingredients. Add the seeds and nuts, and about three cups of flour. Using dough hook, turn on mixer, and mix well.
Continue adding flour to desired consistency. Let the mixer run, and occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Gradually add more flour until you get a nice dough consistency. It should be slightly sticky, but easy to handle.
Let the dough rise. Grease a large bowl with canola or olive oil. Remove the dough from the mixer, and form it into a ball. Then place it in the bowl, and cover it with a clean dishtowel. Place the bowl in a quiet corner of your kitchen and let rise until approximately doubled in size. The rise may be different each time, and will vary depending on where you live.
Punch the dough down. When the dough doubles, rub a little oil on your hands, and punch bread, starting in the middle, and gently punch sides into the middle of the bowl. This should only take a couple of minutes. No need to over-handle the dough. Lift dough up with your hands, and pour a little more oil into the bowl and spread up the sides. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with towel, and let rise again.
Form loaves of bread. Once the bread rises twice, it’s time to form the dough into loaves. Prepare bread pans with baking spray. (See below for my favorite pans.) Add a little oil to a pastry mat or a large flat surface (a cutting board works too), and form sections of dough into oblong shapes for bread.
Let rise again. Cover dough with clean dish towels, and let it rise again, until almost doubled in size.
Bake. Bake bread in a preheated 350 degree oven, until done, approximately 30 minutes. The bottoms should be slightly browned, and the tops a nice golden brown. Remove bread to a cooling rack.
Make it shiny. Using a pastry brush, brush softened butter on top of the loaves to get a nice shine.

Side shot of a sliced loaf of multi-grain seeded bread, on a cutting board.

White whole-wheat Flour has the same nutritional value as whole-wheat flour but is made from a different grain of wheat. It has a milder taste and a paler color. It also has a nuttier flavor than regular all-purpose flour, but not as nutty as 100% whole-wheat. I love how this bread turned out using white whole-wheat flour.

Some tips for making epic Seeded Oatmeal Wheat Bread.

When you add the warm water to the yeast, sugar, and salt – be careful to use WARM water, not hot. If the water is too hot, the yeast will disappear and you can’t make bread without yeast. Also, do not use cool water because it won’t activate the yeast.
Don’t add all the flour at once because every baking day is different. Some days you will need a bit more flour and some days, you will need less.
The dough shouldn’t be overly sticky when ready. It should bounce back slightly to the touch. Over time, you will learn exactly how much flour is needed to make the ultimate bread.
When done, the bottom of the bread should be slightly brown and crunchy, and the top, a nice golden brown.
Be sure to brush some butter on the top of the loaves of bread to get a nice shine.
You can also change up the seeds, and use whatever you have on hand.

Active Dry Yeast vs Instant Yeast:

As a rule, I only use Active Dry Yeast in my bread baking. You can use Instant Yeast as well, but will need just a little bit less. Instant Yeast also requires less time to rise, but since I live in a fairly warm, humid climate (Texas), I’ve never had a problem with my bread rise.

Active Dry Yeast – A type of dry yeast that’s granular, similar to cornmeal. This yeast is a living organism that’s dormant until proofed, requiring a small amount of lukewarm water and a pinch of sugar to activate.
Instant Yeast – Also known as quick-rise, rapid-rise, or even bread machine yeast. This yeast is milled into smaller particles so it doesn’t need to be dissolved into water. The dough rises faster with this yeast because enzymes and other additives are included to make this happen. You don’t ever need to do more than one rise with this yeast.

My hand holding a slice of multi-grain seeded bread, with peanut butter and jelly on top.

Kitchen Tools used for this recipe:

Bosch Universal Mixer – The mixer I use for baking bread.
USA 1 Pound Bread Pans – The perfect size pans for bread baking.
Cooling Racks – Use these for all your baking needs.

Make this bread recipe next: Whole Wheat Honey Bread

Please let know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.

xoxo ~Sue