MULTIGRAIN SANDWICH BREAD

Directions

• Bring some water to a boil in a tea kettle or over the stovetop. We will need 345 g, about 1 ½ cups, for this recipe - meaning you will want to boil a little more than this in order to account for any water that will boil off.

• In a small bowl, weigh 100 g of seven-grain hot cereal mix. Pour 345 g of boiling water over the hot cereal mix, stir, cover, and let it rest for 30-60 minutes, until the grains soak up a good amount of water and the cereal is only slightly warm to the touch (about 100 degrees F).

• Add the butter and honey to the hot cereal and stir until well mixed and the butter is mostly melted. Set aside.

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Whisk briefly to combine.

• Add the hot cereal mix to the stand mixer. Stir to further cool the mixture before adding your starter.

• Last, add your active starter. Give it one last rough mix, then transfer to your stand mixer.

• Knead on a low speed to thoroughly mix, then increase to a medium-low speed, speed 4 on a KitchenAid, and knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough should completely pull away from the sides and bottom of the bowl by the end of kneading. If it is not, add flour, one to two tablespoons at a time, until it is able to do this.

  • For an Ankarsrum mixer, use the dough roller and scraper attachment. Set the speed between 2-3 and the timer to “on.” Let the mixer work until the dough comes completely together, then set the timer to twelve minutes and allow the dough to knead until the timer is finished.

• Using wet hands (this is a sticky dough), remove the dough from the stand mixer. Shape it into a round, then proof until the dough increases in volume by at least 50% (doubled in size will give you the softest, fluffiest texture). This generally takes between six to eight hours in my oven with the light on, but may take more or less time for you depending on the temperature and environment of your home.

  • Optionally, you can cold-ferment your dough during this step. Let it rise on the counter until it has increased in size by about 50-70%, then transfer to the refrigerator until the next day. NOTE: I find the final oven spring on a cold-fermented dough is not as good for this recipe, though the taste is just as great. It is also much easier to shape from cold.

• After the dough has finished fermenting, turn it out onto a clean counter. Fold into thirds (4:21 in video) using wet or lightly floured hands and bench scraper to prevent a sticky mess. Then, roll the dough up into a log (4:50 in video).

• Transfer to a greased 9X5 loaf pan. Lightly oil the top of the dough (to prevent the cover from sticking), then cover once more.

• Let the dough proof again until it has risen just above the rim of the pan (2-4 more hours).

• When your dough is ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 F and boil some more water in a tea kettle or over the stovetop.

• Remove the cover from your dough and brush all over with melted butter.

• To your preheated oven, place an empty, water-safe loaf pan next to the loaf pan with your dough. Fill the empty loaf pan about halfway with boiling water.

• Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 190 F.

• Brush the hot loaf with any extra melted butter.

• Transfer to a cooling rack, waiting at least 30 minutes before slicing.

• Enjoy!

• How to store: Store in a Ziploc bag on the counter for three to five days, or slice and store in the freezer.

  To reheat: From room temperature, toast 2-3 minutes. From frozen, toast 4-5 minutes. I do this in my air fryer at 400 F.