This hearty sandwich bread is chock-full of all kinds of nutritious grains—it’s soft texture and homemade flavor is 10x better than the bakery!
Hello, Monday-after-a-nice-long-holiday-weekend. You came too soon.
So yeah, I’m guessing that today calls for carbs. The yeast-y bread kind. That’s the only way I’m willing to face a Monday.
The coffee’s nice too though, I must admit…
And 100% necessary.
On a different note, how was your weekend? Relaxing? Fast-paced? Filled with tons of amazing food? I’m guessing yes if your weekend was anything like mine. Yoicks.
In that case, I think you need a piece or 10 of Homemade Multi-Grain Sandwich Bread.
12 Days of Superfood Recipes are in full swing here now—even your lunch sandwich is getting a transformation. With pretty much the beeeeeeeest healthy-ish sandwich bread in all the land.
Normally I lean more towards the light-and-fluffy kinda sandwich bread. But other times? I want a hearty, rustic bread with TONS of multi-grain-y goodness and loads of texture.
This bread fits the bill quite nicely…
I’m seriously not gonna be able to fit into my jeans by the time that loaf sitting on my counter is gone, but whatever.
#ohsoworthit
So I’m a texture-freak. Y’all should know that by now.
Let’s talk about the grains. Which this bread is clearly jam-packed with. Hi, lover.
I literally can’t even count all the whole grain-y goodness packed into these gorgeous loaves. There’s sunflower seeds, rolled oats, chia seeds, white whole wheat flour, rye flour, PLUS a cracked wheat cereal mix that just brings the grainy-ness to over-the-top-amazing.
There’s no shortage, that’s for sure. I’m telling ‘ya—when I get this craving I go cray with the texture-y stuff in my bread.
Even though this bread is loaded with pretty much all of the above, that doesn’t mean we’re saying goodbye to that soft, fluffy texture every sandwich bread should have.
This bread has pretty much the epitome texture. Super-soft, springy and fluffy inside, plus all the grains give it an unmatchable flavor.
Real deal bread, guys. Real deal.
I’ll be completely honest and say that this bread does take a little bit of effort to throw together, but please! It’s homemade bread and it’s soooo worth it in the end.
An afternoon well spent if you ask me. 😉
Plus well, you’ll feel like a legit pro pastry chef. YES! Best feeling ever. At least in my weird, bread-crazy twisted mind.
Since this recipe makes two loaves you can eat one now and stash the other one in the freezer for later.
Like, for maybe tomorrow. That first loaf is gonna disappear pretty quickly.
I bear nothing in common with the sentence above.
My favorite way to enjoy this bread is warm thick slices slathered with ALL the butter alongside a bowl of soup. Preferably THIS soup. Geez, yes…
Oh, man….I’m telling you guys: Life doesn’t get much better than this.
This bread is what every grain-filled, texture-y carb-filled dream is made of. No liez.
Hi, Monday. I’m ready for you now. 🙂
Homemade Multi-Grain Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups cracked wheat hot cereal mix
- 2-1/2 cups boiling water
- 1 pkg 2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup rye flour
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 4-1/2 to 5 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 egg white lightly beaten
- Old-fashioned rolled oats for topping
Instructions
- Place cereal mix in the bowl of a large stand mixer. Pour boiling water over top and gently stir. Let stand at room temperature until mixture reaches 110F, about 30 minutes.
- Dissolve yeast into slightly-warm water mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes then mix in oil, honey, egg, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add rye flour, oats, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and 4-1/2 cups flour. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough pulls away from sides. If needed, add more flour by the tablespoon until dough is smooth and not at all sticky.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and gently knead until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.
- Punch risen dough down and divide in half. On a floured surface, use your hands to stretch each portion of dough into a 9x5 rectangle. Roll into a cylinder-shape along the length side and pinch edges to seal. Tuck ends underneath and transfer dough loaves to two greased 9x5 loaf pans.
- Brush loaves with egg white and sprinkle with additional rolled oats. Cover pans with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Bake loaves at 375F 35-40 minutes or until a deep golden brown on the outside. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Hungry for more bread goodness? Check out these yummies!
Super-Moist Jalapeno Cornbread — Spicy Southern Kitchen
Buttery Garlic Parmesan Rolls — Carmel Moments
Roasted Sweet Potato and Brown Butter Flatbreads — Cookie Monster Cooking
Homemade Multi-Grain Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups cracked wheat hot cereal mix
- 2-1/2 cups boiling water
- 1 pkg 2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup rye flour
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 4-1/2 to 5 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 egg white lightly beaten
- Old-fashioned rolled oats for topping
Instructions
- Place cereal mix in the bowl of a large stand mixer. Pour boiling water over top and gently stir. Let stand at room temperature until mixture reaches 110F, about 30 minutes.
- Dissolve yeast into slightly-warm water mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes then mix in oil, honey, egg, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add rye flour, oats, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and 4-1/2 cups flour. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough pulls away from sides. If needed, add more flour by the tablespoon until dough is smooth and not at all sticky.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and gently knead until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.
- Punch risen dough down and divide in half. On a floured surface, use your hands to stretch each portion of dough into a 9x5 rectangle. Roll into a cylinder-shape along the length side and pinch edges to seal. Tuck ends underneath and transfer dough loaves to two greased 9x5 loaf pans.
- Brush loaves with egg white and sprinkle with additional rolled oats. Cover pans with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Bake loaves at 375F 35-40 minutes or until a deep golden brown on the outside. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Audrey Streat says
I just saw your ultimate zucchini bread today, it looks and sounds amazing, can’t wait to try it. this is my first time on your site, it won’t be my last. I love your recipes, because you focus on healthy but don’t forget we love the yummy. Looking forward to more great finds. Thanks
Sarah says
I’m so glad that you’re loving what you see on my blog so far, Audrey! Thanks for the kind words and I hope you’ll let me know if you try any of my recipes! 🙂
wendi says
Have you ever tried this is a bread machine?
Sarah says
I haven’t, however you can certainly try it, per your machines instructions!
Alya says
Has anybody in the website actually made it?
Stephanie W says
Hey all… I’m too lazy to read through all of these comments. I made flat breads… I killed my yeast! Not a baker but can cook up a storm. I love the recipe…
Do we have a calorie per servicing count any where?
Sarah says
I don’t have the nutritional info for this recipe right now, however, you can easily find out here!
Stephanie W says
sorry, entered it there. I got an error msg
I’ll try again some -time… but thank you
Amy says
Your bread looks so yummy,I wish I could reach through the screen and try some. Time for me to get baking! Thanks for sharing.
Paula says
I want to thank you for one of the best bread recipes I’ve ever tried. I’ve made this about 4 times now, and everyone raves over it. I even have a friend who insists on buying a loaf whenever I make a batch!
Sarah says
Oh my goodness, Paula, that’s awesome! I’m SO happy to hear that this bread is a hit! Thanks for letting me know!
Debra says
Please explain white white wheat flour used. I am taking that means regular wheat baking flour.
Ann says
I made this bread yesterday and it came out dense and a bit chewy, what did I do wrong? I know that working bread too much can do that but when I first put the ingredients together it was very dry and falling apart requiring a bit more attention. Suggestions? I really want to start using this as my sandwich bread instead of the store bought stuff.
Sarah says
It sounds as though you may have added too much flour to your dough, Ann. Next time I’d suggest adding the 4-1/2 cups of flour as the recipe says and then carefully watching your dough as you add any additional flour as needed. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky when it’s finished kneading.
marguerite says
Do you add the yeast to the cereal warm water mixture in the bowl after it cools to 110 or in a separate Bowl
Marguerite says
My bread was relishes but it fell after I took plastic wrap off. Help I want sandwich size. What am I doing wrong
Sarah says
Did your bread fall once it was rising in the loaf pans? Try letting it rise in the pans without plastic wrap. Sometimes if your bread rises too fast it can touch the plastic wrap which I think is what happened with yours.
Dawn says
What is cracked wheat cereal mix? And do you have a substitute?
Sarah says
Unfortunately, there’s no sub for the cereal mix, Dawn. You can find it in the natural foods/cereal aisle of most grocery stores!
Michelle Proper says
Is the cracked wheat cereal organic?
Sarah says
It can be purchased organic, yes. 🙂
Sarah says
I am having a difficult time finding the cracked wheat cereal mix. Do you think I could use bulgur wheat as a substitute? Otherwise I found a quinoa/flax hot cereal mix. I’m super excited to try this bread and want to know what you think!
Sarah says
Your quinoa/flax cereal mix would work just fine, Sarah! Hope you love this bread! 🙂
Les says
Do you bake with a pan of water in the oven, or does the bread come out moist as-is?
Sarah says
No, I do not bake with a pan of water. It’s not necessary 🙂
Les says
Thanks Sarah! I look forward to making this!
Les says
Which cereal did u use?I see the link to Bob’s Red Mill but it listed a lot of cereals…
Sarah says
Cracked wheat hot cereal, Les. 🙂
John T says
Delicious bread! I wanted to try only 1 loaf so I cut all ingredients by 1/2 except the egg and yeast. Big mistake. Tremendous first rise and second in the pan. The loaf shrunk when baked. Couldn’t find cracked wheat so used 10 grain hot cereal instead. Tasted great though.
Lauren says
Hi there could I replace the cracked wheat with quinoa?
Sarah says
I’m unsure what the end result would be like with quinoa, but you could certainly try it! I think that would turn out good. 🙂
David Bergmann says
I replaced the cracked wheat with Bulgar and it worked well.
Heather says
Is the rye flour supposed to be light or dark rye flour?
Sarah says
Light rye flour. 🙂
Gail says
Very good bread. I used whole wheat flour instead of white whole wheat flour. Also used wheat Germ in place of Chai seeds. Everything else the same. It rose beautifully. I do find I cannot cut the bread too thin or it falls apart.
Sarah says
I’m happy to hear this bread was a winner, Gail! 🙂 Enjoy!
Gail says
Why does the bread fall apart if I cut it less than about 1/2”?
Sarah says
That’s likely due to the soft non-dense texture of this loaf. Also, are you using a sharp serrated knife to slice the bread? The type of knife you use can sometimes make a big difference.
Penny says
Looks awesome. Thank you for sharing.
What do you use for the cracked wheat cereal mix? (Name and brand please)
Sarah says
Hi Penny – I typically use Bob’s Red Mill cracked wheat hot cereal.
David Bergmann says
This came out very well but did not rise to “sandwich bread” height. Wondering if a longer 2nd rise would help??
I had trouble finding cracked wheat and substituted bulgar. Also substituted a 5 seed mix for the sunflower and chia.
Definitely making again!!
Sarah says
Hi David – A longer second rise would likely help it rise to a higher height! A good rule of thumb is that you want the loaves to be doubled in size before baking – the time for the second rise could vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. 🙂