A very nice multigrain bread that is fun to make and has great results. Adapted from a Cooks Illustrated recipe.
Editor’s Note: Originally Published April 13, 2010. Re-edited photos and text on May 8, 2018.
I again had intentions of following a recipe, but I had my reasons to run amuck again. A tweet here, a small change there and a few simplifications and I was good to go.
I couldn’t find the 7-grain hot cereal that CI used, so I got Bobs Red Mill Muesli. Olive oil for butter and I didn’t do the oats nor the seeds in the original recipe.
My Rating
Low 5 to high 4. I’m a bread person, so I have a hard time not giving a wonderful bread a 5.
I thank any multigrain good quality hot cereal can be used. I will be looking various ones to use. Definitely, I will be repeating this recipe and I believe will be our standard bread.
Other Bread Recipes You May Enjoy
Julia Childs French Bread; Simplified
Stand Mixer Rustic Peasant Bread
1) In the bowl of the stand mixer combine 1 cup multigrain cereal mix. Add 1 3/4 cup boiling water. Mix well and let sit until temp is down to 110 degrees (about 20 minutes). Add 3 T honey and 3 T olive oil while setting. Mix well.
2) When the temp is down to 110, add yeast and mix well. Add 1 cup whole wheat flour.
3) Mix on “2” until flour is incorporated. Then add AP flour 1/2 cup at a time. Continue to mix and add scraping sides and bottom occasional until all flour is incorporated.
4) Remove dough hook and cover the bowl with plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
5) Add 2 t salt and turn mixer on 2. Knead for 8 minutes. Add extra AP flour or water 1 T at a time. You want the dough to grab the sides some and not ride up the dough hook completely.
6) Move to floured surface and hand knead for 2 minutes. Transfer to oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and towel. Place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size. About 1 hour.
7) Move to a floured surface. Handling the dough gently, form 12 by 9 rectangle. Cut in half. Roll into long loaves sealing edge by pinching and rolling ends under slightly and also pinch. Place seam down.
8) Place parallel about 4 inches apart on a pastry cloth and move as a unit to the French Loaf pan. If you don’t have the pan, put folds in the cloth. Cover with plastic wrap and towel. Place in a warm spot until double in size. About 45 minutes.
9) Preheat oven to 425 (convection) with a pan of water on the bottom rack for at least 30 minutes.
10) Remove dough and pastry cloth from pan. Spray pan with Pam. Gently move loaves back to pan by working your hands gently under the ends of the dough. If you don’t have the fancy pan, see the note below
11) Slash top of dough with a sharp knife or razor blade to allow for expansion. Brush top of loaves with water and place on middle rack and add 1-2 cups of water to a pan on bottom rack.
12) After 6 minutes, brush tops of loaves with water and add more water to pan if dry.
13) Bake until internal temp is 200 degrees, about another 20 minutes or a total of about 26 minutes.
14) Move to a cooling rack.
Notes: If you don’t have a fancy french loaf pan nor a pastry cloth, you can still do this. After you shape the loaves, place on parchment paper that is on wood (like a pizza peel or large cutting board). Of course cover and let rise. Then cut, water and transfer to a pizza stone that has been preheated in the oven for 30 minutes using the parchment paper to transfer and leave under the bread or remove at the 6-minute mark when you brush with water.
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Multigrain French Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup Multigrain hot cereal mix
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pack instant yeast
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of the stand mixer combine 1 cup multigrain cereal mix. Add 1 3/4 cup boiling water. Mix well and let sit until temp is down to 110 degrees (about 20 minutes). Add 3 T honey and 3 T olive oil while setting. Mix well.
- When the temp is down to 110, add yeast and mix well. Add 1 cup whole wheat flour.
- Spray dough hook with PAM and attach. Mix on "2" until flour is incorporated. Then add AP flour 1/2 cup at a time. Continue to mix and add scraping sides and bottom occasional until all flour is incorporated.
- Remove dough hook and cover the bowl with plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
- Add two t salt and turn mixer on 2. Knead for 8 minutes. Add extra AP flour or water 1 T at a time. You want the dough to grab the sides some and not ride up the dough hook completely.
- Move to floured surface and hand knead for 2 minutes. Transfer to oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and towel. Place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size. About 1 hour.
- Move to a floured surface. Handling the dough gently, form 12 by 9 rectangle. Cut in half. Roll into long loaves sealing edge by pinching and rolling ends under slightly and also pinch. Place seam down.
- Place parallel about 4 inches apart on a pastry cloth and move as a unit to the French Loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and towel. Place in a warm spot until double in size. About 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 (convection) with a pan of water on the bottom rack for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove dough and pastry cloth from pan. Spray pan with Pam. Gently move loaves back to pan by working your hands gently under the ends of the dough.
- Slash top of dough with a sharp knife or razor blade to allow for expansion. Brush top of loaves with water and place on middle rack and add 1-2 cups of water to a pan on bottom rack.
- After 6 minutes, brush tops of loaves with water and add more water to pan if dry.
- Bake until internal temp is 200 degrees, about another 20 minutes or a total of about 26 minutes.
- Move to cooking rack.
Recipe Notes
Check Out Other Great Recipes
Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Originally Published April 13, 2010.
Rosa Paredes
Terrible recipe! what a waste of time and materials. 1 3/4 cup of water was not enough for the flour. 425 oven was way too much, bread was tasty but hard from over baking it.
Abbie
Just made this recipe except instead of adding water in step 5, I added kefir, and quite a bit(1/2 cup or so). I balanced it out with a scant amount of extra flour. They came out AMAZING! A little more fluff in the texture with out losing that “tooth”.It gave it a more raise. Awesome, thanks!
Dan Mikesell
Great… I think most people are afraid of bread baking but really it is simple and modifications like you did almost always work.
Greg
I want some next time I come home for a weekend.
Renata
Oh, these loaves look gorgeous! I have bought myself one of these french bread loaf pans but I haven’t been brave enough to use it yet, but you have certainly encouraged me! And I love multigrain bread! That’s perfect!