Nine Grain Bread
Sponge 1 cup warm water
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup bread flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. brown sugar
Dough
All of sponge
1½ cups warm water
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 cup nine grain cereal mix
¼ cup millet
¼ cup flaxseed
2 tsp. salt
4¼ to 5 cups of bread flour
In a medium size bowl, combine all the ingredients for the sponge and beat until smooth. Allow the batter to sit for 20 minutes, or until batter is foamy and doubled in volume. Add the remaining water, brown sugar, oil, and salt, and beat until smooth. Add cereal mix, flaxseed, and millet and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Add 2 cups of flour and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Repeat with 2 more cups of flour. About ¼ cup at a time, work in enough of remaining flour to form a soft dough---it will be quite sticky, but resist the temptation to add too much more flour. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 to 12 minutes. Rinse and dry the bowl, then oil the surface of the dough and place in the bowl. Cover with a clean, dry dishtowel, and let rise in a warm place free from drafts for about one hour, or until doubled in volume. Punch dough down and knead briefly to expel larger air bubbles. Form into loaves and place in lightly greased 9” x 5” x 3” loaf pans. Cover with a clean dry dishtowel and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Loaves should be golden brown, slide easily from the pan, and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on wire racks.
---The nine grain cereal used for this bread is not the kind that you pour milk over, it’s used to make hot cereal, like oatmeal or porridge. You can usually find it in the bulk-foods section of a large supermarket or health food store, and it may be a blend of five or seven grains instead of nine. Whatever you find will work just dandy.
---This bread is among the all-time Saint Bede Abbey favorites---my fellow monks devour it whenever it is served! It makes excellent toast at breakfast, serves as a hearty base for a sandwich of lunch meat and cheese, and goes well with just about any dinner entrée. Fr. Patrick in particular loves this bread and will go to the kitchen before supper to hunt down the slices remaining from lunch and take them to his place at table. I sit at the same table and I’m pleased to report that he always shares the wealth!
---I developed this recipe for Mike the Deli Guy, to use as a base for the turkey sandwich at his shop. He would come over once a week or so and we’d bake about 16 loaves: 12 for him, 4 for the monks. The original recipe begins with “Pour 20 cups of warm water into the 50 quart bowl of the Hobart mixer.”
Sponge 1 cup warm water
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup bread flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. brown sugar
Dough
All of sponge
1½ cups warm water
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 cup nine grain cereal mix
¼ cup millet
¼ cup flaxseed
2 tsp. salt
4¼ to 5 cups of bread flour
In a medium size bowl, combine all the ingredients for the sponge and beat until smooth. Allow the batter to sit for 20 minutes, or until batter is foamy and doubled in volume. Add the remaining water, brown sugar, oil, and salt, and beat until smooth. Add cereal mix, flaxseed, and millet and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Add 2 cups of flour and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Repeat with 2 more cups of flour. About ¼ cup at a time, work in enough of remaining flour to form a soft dough---it will be quite sticky, but resist the temptation to add too much more flour. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 to 12 minutes. Rinse and dry the bowl, then oil the surface of the dough and place in the bowl. Cover with a clean, dry dishtowel, and let rise in a warm place free from drafts for about one hour, or until doubled in volume. Punch dough down and knead briefly to expel larger air bubbles. Form into loaves and place in lightly greased 9” x 5” x 3” loaf pans. Cover with a clean dry dishtowel and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Loaves should be golden brown, slide easily from the pan, and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on wire racks.
---The nine grain cereal used for this bread is not the kind that you pour milk over, it’s used to make hot cereal, like oatmeal or porridge. You can usually find it in the bulk-foods section of a large supermarket or health food store, and it may be a blend of five or seven grains instead of nine. Whatever you find will work just dandy.
---This bread is among the all-time Saint Bede Abbey favorites---my fellow monks devour it whenever it is served! It makes excellent toast at breakfast, serves as a hearty base for a sandwich of lunch meat and cheese, and goes well with just about any dinner entrée. Fr. Patrick in particular loves this bread and will go to the kitchen before supper to hunt down the slices remaining from lunch and take them to his place at table. I sit at the same table and I’m pleased to report that he always shares the wealth!
---I developed this recipe for Mike the Deli Guy, to use as a base for the turkey sandwich at his shop. He would come over once a week or so and we’d bake about 16 loaves: 12 for him, 4 for the monks. The original recipe begins with “Pour 20 cups of warm water into the 50 quart bowl of the Hobart mixer.”