Anne’s Multi-Grain Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup grains (unsweetened cereal such as a 7 grain hot cereal mixture)
2 cups water

1 packet yeast
4 cups flour (2 whole wheat, 2 bread flour)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tea spoon salt

1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon flax seed
1 tablespoon pumpkin seed
(also any combination of the above seeds with sesame, oats, raisins)

Step 1:
Put 1/2 cup grains into bowl, pour 2 cups boiling water into grains. Stir and let sit 20 mins. Add packet of yeast, 1 cup of flour mixture, oil, salt, brown sugar, Then gradually mix in rest of flour to form dough. Leave a little bit of flour to use later. Let rest 15 mins.

Step 2:
Turn dough on floured surface, Knead until smooth and elastic, add 1/2 of your seeds gradually while kneading for the next 10 mins. Also add more flour if too sticky. Oil large bowl, add dough to bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover bowl with clean kitchen towel. Let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Keep in warm place (use microwave rice warmer bag thing and hug the bowl) You could also do everything up to this step up to a day in advance, but be sure to store in plastic.

Step 3:
Punch down dough, knead briefly on oiled surface. Shape into loaf. Sprinkle seeds onto baking sheet place loaf on the sheet. Let rise in warm area about 30 mins. (I put the rice warmer bag under pan)

Step 4:
Put a bread pan in the oven on the lower rack and set oven to 425 degrees. Brush loaf with water and sprinkle remaining seeds on top, then use sharp knife to slash bread. (3 times diagonally). Put in oven on the rack above bread pan. Immediately pour 2 cups of water into lower pan.

Bake loaf for 35-40 mins until golden and crusty.