Multi-Grain Bread

 

This the first of many riffs that will no doubt make an appearance here, of my basic no-knead bread.  This one has the addition of oatmeal, as well as the whole wheat I like to include in my original.  The second grain allows this bread to be tipped into the “multi” grain category because we now have two grains in it–oats and wheat (in two forms).  The steel cut oatmeal in it provides an interesting chewiness and texture.  They get soft over the long proof and just provide a lovely flavor profile to the bread.

As with most no-knead bread, you give will need a large and heavy duty dutch oven. Mine is a basic cast iron beauty that weighs a ton!  The other thing this will is time.  This requires about a full day to ferment and develop the amazing flavor and chew, so while it is very forgiving of minimal effort, minimal time is less rewarded.

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Multi-Grain No-Knead Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup of steel cut oats the little round looking miniature grape nut looking ones
  • 1 Tablespoon salt I use Morton kosher salt
  • 2 Tablespoons of honey
  • 1/4 heaping teaspoon of yeast
  • 2 cups of water warm is best, but not above 110 degrees F
  • Flour or rice flour (very rounded and super bright white for a nice contrast with the cooked loaf when done) for dusting

Instructions

  1. First, take the 2 cups of water and add the honey, stirring to dissolve it. 

  2. Next, mix the flours and oatmeal, salt and yeast together in a large bowl. Once it is thoroughly mixed, pour in the water and honey mixture and stir until a dough forms and the flour is fully incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap, or a non-airtight lid and let sit for 18-24 hours.* (see note below).

  3. At this point, your dough looks very very wet and is full of good yeast created bubbles. You want to GENEROUSLY flour a board and dump the bread on it, or flour your hands and scoop the dough up. Place it on the board, or keep in your floured hands and fold the dough over on itself a few times and make into a ball-ish shape. The dough is very wet, so it will not be a tight ball, but it should be rounded.

  4. Next, you can put the dough on a large piece of parchment (no flour needed), a pizza peel lined with a little cornmeal or flour, or a bread rising basket with flour. Whatever you choose, just make sure it is well floured, with the exception of the parchment–that doesn’t need to be floured, as you will simply lower it into your steaming hot dutch oven. Your dough now needs to rise until its about double in size. I find 1-2 hours is about right. I can usually make it closer to 1 hour if I let it rise near my preheating oven.

  5. Preheat your oven to 450 for at least 45 minutes to an hour with your covered dutch oven in the oven so its scorching hot. Oh so carefully, take your dutch oven out, and remove the lid. Next is the trick. Either lower the parchment paper like a sling with the dough directly into the dutch oven or use your hands or pizza peel to get your dough into the dutch oven. Here is the thing, it is going to look wonky. You won’t get it centered, or it will hit part of the side and stick, etc. Just scooch it down as best you can with a wooden spoon or spatula. It will look great when done. Promise. If you are rising in a bread basket for an effect of floured rings (see picture above), you will want to flip it upside down out of the basket onto a parchment sheet, or your hands and carefully lower into your pan so that the floured rings are facing up.

  6. Score your bread if you can, as it will help your bread rise better. You can buy a fancy tool, you can use a sharp floured knife, or you can use scissors to snip a cross into the top. Then into the hot oven with the lid on and bake for about 25 minutes before removing the lid and returning it to bake for about another 15-20 minutes. You are looking for a beautiful golden loaf and when you tip it out of the dutch oven and thump the bottom, it should sound hollow. I cheat sometimes when I am not sure and use my instant digital thermometer. You are looking for bread to be between 205-210 degrees F.

  7. Now all you have to do is fight off everyone (for a short time anyway) who has magically appeared due to the smell of warm baking bread. This bread needs to rest about 10 minutes, but 20 is better if you can. The crust is amazing and crackly and crunchy, and the interior is beautiful and full of chewy air holes. It is perfect!