Multigrain Bread
Source: Adapted from The Woks of Life
1 1/2 cups ready made multigrain hot cereal mix, such as Bob's Red Mill
2 3/4 cups boiling water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus more to grease the loaf pans)
1/3 cup honey
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten (optional, but this will make your bread softer)
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Add the multigrain flour to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large heat-proof mixing bowl. Pour in the boiling water, and carefully stir the flour and water with a rubber spatula until it forms a thick paste. Stir in the butter until well combined. Let the mixture cool for about 20 minutes.
Once the multigrain mixture has cooled and is just warm to the touch and not hot, stir in the honey until thoroughly combined. Stir in the yeast (and vital wheat gluten if using, in that order). Let stand for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
Add the flour and salt and knead until the dough is smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky, but should not stick to a rubber spatula.
Use the rubber spatula to clean the sides of the bowl, and form the dough into a smooth ball. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
After the proofing is done, cut the dough into two equal portions. Knead and roll each piece into a loaf shape with a smooth top.
Place in greased loaf pans and let rise until top of dough is about 1 inch above top of pans.
While dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the proofed loaves for 35 minutes, until golden brown. If you tap the bread, and it sounds hollow, it’s done.
Cool for about 5 minutes, and carefully remove the hot bread from the pans. Transfer to a cooling rack to prevent the bread from steaming inside the loaf pan.
Makes 2 loaves.