Multigrain Bread Recipe is an easy, healthy yeast bread recipe that’s full of good-for-you ingredients like chia seeds and whole wheat flour!
There are some days when nothing beats white bread. It’s just so soft and fluffy!
Other times, though, you need a bread with a little more to it. A bread with a little substance that’s still soft and moist but that doesn’t fall apart when you spread anything on it.
This Multigrain Bread recipe is the latter. It’s full of good-for-you ingredients like chia seeds, grains, whole wheat flour, and sunflower seeds.
It’s a great bread for sandwiches or for snacking. And even though there are quite a few steps, the bread still comes together easily.
I have a hard time getting my kids to eat any wheat or whole grain bread. This multigrain bread recipe, though, is one that they ask for and happily gobble up. And I love any healthy bread that my kids are happy to eat!
How to Make Multigrain Bread
Mix the hot cereal and boiling water together. Let it stand until it reaches 100F, about 1 hour.
Once it reaches temperature add it to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the butter, honey, yeast, and salt. Stir to combine. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Stir in flours and salt a little at a time. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Knead until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Let the dough rise until doubled in size.
Form the dough into two loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes. Bake.
Tips
- Hot Cereal Mix: You can use a similar hot cereal mix, like a 7 grain or a 9 grain. Also, if you have leftover hot cereal mix, try it in these multigrain pancakes.
- Mixing: You can mix this bread by hand, but you will need to add additional time to the kneading time.
- Seeds: Feel free to sub in other seeds, like pumpkin or flax, in place of the sunflower or chia seeds.
- Texture: This bread is soft but it holds together well. It can be sliced and used as a sandwich loaf.
How to Serve
This bread can be used to make sandwiches. It’s also great served warm with butter (or butter and honey or jam).
How to Store
This bread can be stored in a resealable container at room temperature for up to 4 days. The baked loaves can also be wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month.
More Bread Recipes!
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Multigrain Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups eight-grain hot cereal mix1
- 2 ½ cups boiling water
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup butter (melted)
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats
Instructions
- Place cereal mix in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100-105 degrees (F), about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, whisk flours and salt together in separate bowl; set aside.
- Once grain mixture has reached 100-105 F, add honey, butter, and yeast and stir until combined.
- Let mixture sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Add flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough starts to come together.
- Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3-4 minutes. If it does not clear sides, keep adding 2 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour and knead until it does.
- Once it comes together, continue to knead dough for 5 additional minutes.
- Add seeds, and knead until seeds are evenly dispersed throughout the dough and dough forms smooth, round ball.
- Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl; cover tightly with plastic, and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.
- Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans.
- Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and divide in half.
- Stretch first piece of dough into 9×6 inch rectangle.
- Roll dough into a cylinder, and place dough seam-side down in prepared loaf pan.
- Repeat with second piece of dough.
- Spray loaves lightly with water or vegetable oil spray.
- Sprinkle both loaves in oats.
- Cover loaves loosely with greased plastic, and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Bake until loaves register 200 degrees, 30-40 minutes.
- Transfer pans to wire rack, and let loaves cool in pan for 5 minutes.
- Remove loaves from pans, and let them cool to room temperature on wire cooling rack.
Notes
- A similar hot cereal mix, such as a 7 grain, will work. Also, if you have leftover hot cereal mix, you can use it to make multigrain pancakes.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition Information
Originally published 5/9/14. Updated with new photos and tips 1/18/19.
Adapted from Our Best Bites
Carmen says
Best multigrain wheat bread recipe ever. I made this bread this morning. The recipe was easy to follow and turned out great. So soft, hard to believe it is a wheat bread. I will definitely use this bread recipe again, I’m a believer.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked the bread! Thanks for sharing! =)
Sarah says
Love this recipe—thank you for sharing! I’ve been searching for a healthy bread recipe.
The only addition I did was add a tbsp of flax seeds, as well. The loaves came out perfectly.
Will definitely be making this frequently :)
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad! Flax sounds like a great addition. Thanks for commenting!
Rosemary says
I absolutely love this bread! I’ve tried a few different multigrain recipes but this is my go to now. My husband usually doesn’t what healthy multigrain bread but he’s asking me to make more. I’ve made it three times already.
Thank you for sharing this with us, delicious!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad that it’s been a hit! Thanks for coming back to comment! =)
Becky says
Really great recipe!!! I did end up using a little more flour, I use a mixer and add flour till the dough comes off the bowl (it may have been about 2/3 cups). I also use bread flour and a dough enhancer 2TBS. The bread is so soft, very moist, and holds together wonderfully!!! I think it would be great for sandwiches. I have a bread slicer guide to cut homemade bread so my slices are probably close to what a store bought piece would be. I had my first 2 slices just plane and it was wonderful!!! Thank you for the recipe!!
Kate says
I’m so glad that you liked it! =) The amount of flour can vary because of so many things, so putting in flour until it comes off the sides is smart. Thank you for coming back to comment!
Rosemary says
This might sound like a stupid question, but what is a dough enhancer?
Sarah says
Can I make the dough in a bread machine?
Kate says
I’m not sure! I haven’t tried to make this bread with a bread machine.
Geraldine says
Hi Kate came across your site while looking for ANOTHER bread recipe! Can I ask what you mean by hot grain cereal? I live in GB so the only hot cereal we have is a sort of porridge type morning cereal that hot milk or water is added to but it does not have any multi-grains.
I would love to try this recipe so any advice greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Geraldine
Kate says
Hi, Geraldine! Hot cereal grain mix is a mixture of grains (10 grain and 7 grain are the most common). Hot water is added to the mix to make a hot breakfast cereal similar to porridge or oatmeal. Bob’s Red Mill makes the mix that’s most widely available here. Hope that helps! =)
Beth Sanders says
This is exactly what I was looking for! In addition to everything else, I added a tbsp of quinoa with the cereal, a tbsp each of flax seeds, white and black sesame seeds with the seeds. Before baking I brushed the loaves with honey butter, sprinkled with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and oats. So very tasty!!
Look forward to trying other recipes from you. Thanks for sharing!
Kate says
Thank you! And thanks for your notes about your changes! It’s always helpful to hear what people have done differently that’s worked for them. Thanks again for your comment! =)
Pat Spinello says
Hi. I’m an experienced bread Baker and I’m curious as if the dough is supposed be a wet sticky dough or a smooth dough as most bread recipes are when kneading is done. I have made both kinds of bread and I do prefer working with a standard, high gluten bread.
If the dough is not supposed to be sticky, I would suggest adding another 1/2 to 1 cup of bread flour
Kate says
Hi! The dough should be a smooth dough once the kneading is finished. Thanks for your note about the flour! =)
Chuck Nefzger says
This makes a great bread with a few modifications. 1. To get two full-size loaves increase recipe by 50%. 2. Dump the all purpose flour and us bread flour. 3. Replace half the sunflower seeds with pumpkin seeds. 4. Incorporate the oatmeal into the dough not on top. 5. Add an extra table stone or two of honey
Kate says
Hi! Thanks for your notes! It’s always helpful to hear what has worked for other people. =) Thanks for commenting!
Jim says
Hi Kate first time trying your recipe. The flavor is outstanding. The loaves came out dense and a little dry. This is not a criticism, could be my prep. Have you experienced with adjusting liquid, yeast and or flour quantity, making for a less dense bread. Again, just an observation, it really great toasted.
Thanks for the recipe.
Kate says
Hi! No worries! I want people to feel free to ask questions. =) If you’re getting a dense/dry loaf, the first thing I would do would be to reduce the amount of flour. That will almost always take care of the problem. If you try that and don’t get better results, please let me know so that I can continue to troubleshoot with you.
Aubrey says
How well does this bread stand up for sandwiches? my current recipe falls apart on me and i have to cut it very think for it to stay together
Kate says
I usually cut this one a bit thicker, too. I don’t know that you could thinly slice it without it falling apart a bit.
Tina says
Hi Kate,
I cut the recipe in half and made a loaf of this multigrain bread. OMG, it came out so good, so delicious. I am completely blown away as a novice in baking bread.
I also made your 60 min. whole wheat dinner rolls. They came out great,too.
Thank you so much sharing your recipes. I will continue making and enjoying the bread.
Yuting says
Can I make this bread without a stand mixer?
Kate says
You can! You can mix it by hand, but you’ll need to add more time to the kneading times that are given in the recipe. Hope that helps!