12 grain honey bread
- 1/2 cup 12 grain cereal (70 grams)
- 14 oz milk (385 grams)
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry or instant yeast (7 grams)
- 2 tbsp liquid honey (40 grams)
- 3 tbsp room temperature butter (45 grams)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (10 grams)
- 3 cups bread flour (400 grams), plus an extra tbsp or two if required
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (400 grams)
- 1 1/2 tsp melted butter (optional)
In a microwave safe dish, heat the milk for two and a half minutes (using a 1200W microwave) or heat on the stove to about 200° F. Pour milk into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the cereal and mix well. Let stand until the temperature of the milk drops to 110° F.
Whisk in the yeast and honey.
Add the paddle attachment. Let sit for five or ten minutes until mixture gets a little bit foamy.
Add salt and butter, plus about one cup of the flour. Beat on low speed for a minute, then scrape the sides of the bowl. Add another cup of flour. Beat on medium speed until the flour is incorporated. Add the balance of the flour and the sunflower seeds. Mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl for about two minutes. If dough is too sticky, add about one tablespoon of additional flour.
Change the paddle out for the dough hook. Knead for about five more minutes.
Lightly grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat. Cover loosely with a clean, lint-free towel. Let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours in a warm, draft-free place.
Grease a 10" X 5" bread pan. You can also use a standard 9" X 5" pan, but the result will be a taller loaf. Not fitting in the toaster properly may be the unwanted consequence of the smaller loaf pan.
Punch dough down to remove the air. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter or board. With a rolling pin, roll dough into a rectangular shape about one inch narrower than your pan is long. Starting along the short end, roll dough into a log and place in greased baking pan.
Cover pan loosely with a clean, lint-free towel. Let rise for an additional hour in a warm, draft-free place.
With the oven rack at the bottom of oven, heat the oven to 350° F. Place bread pan in the centre of the oven rack and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove from oven. Take bread out of the pan and place on a cooling rack. Brush with optional melted butter. Let cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Hints
- if measuring flour by cups, use the fill and level method, not the scoop and level method
- the oven with the light on (but no heat) is a perfect environment to proof bread dough
- you can substitute large flaked oats in place of the 12 grain cereal
- use roasted sunflower seeds, either salted or unsalted or skip this ingredient all together (if the sunflower seeds are an allergy issue, you might be best to switch to the large flaked oats instead of the 12 grain cereal as it typically contains sunflower seeds as well)
- if you prefer to use sugar, substitute 3 tbsp sugar for the 2 tbsp of honey
- excellent bread for grilled cheese sandwiches
- tastes great with homemade butter
