BBD34: Breads with Grains

November's bread baking challenge (BBD34) was hosted by Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen. The theme was bread with grains, such as (a) rye, (b) barley, (c) oats, (d) buckwheat, or (f) corn. You can choose single grain or in combination.

Wanting to get an early start, I made a whole grain bread that absolutely failed in every way: the dough texture was wrong, it didn't rise, and it tasted horribly. Not an auspicious beginning! I threw it away, something I have never done before with freshly homemade bread.

It took nearly the rest of November for me to shake it off and find another recipe.


My second effort was totally opposite from the first -- a perfect loaf. Everything about this bread was wonderful, the crumb, the appearance, the flavor. It is certainly one recipe that will be remade many times.




Grain-wise, this bread contains whole wheat, cornmeal, oats, and barley, so it met the criteria for the BBD challenge. The oats and barley are lightly toasted, then ground into flour. I used my spice/coffee grinder, which worked like a charm.



Then, because of a busy cooking/baking schedule for the holiday week just passed, I used my bread machine to advantage to prepare the basic bread dough, removing it to hand shape and bake in the normal way.


This was the end result.




It is delicious toasted or plain, slathered with butter and jam, or piled high with leftover turkey as a sandwich.


The round-up of all the grain-filled breads will be posted around December 5th. Thanks to Swathi for hosting and to Zorra for creating Bread Baking Day.




Four-Grain Bread
(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Best Bread Machine Recipes)

1/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/3 cup quick-cooking barley
1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 1/2 cups bread flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon gluten flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Spread the rolled oats and barley on a shallow baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F. oven about 15 minutes, or until light brown, stirring occasionally. Cool. Place in either a blender or spice grinder and process until the mixture is the consistency of flour. Add all the ingredients to the bread machine according to the manufacturer's directions and select the appropriate cycle.

If using the manual cycle, remove dough when the beeper sounds, let rest for about 5 minutes, then shape as desired. Let rise for about 30-45 minutes, and bake at 375 degrees F. for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature reads between 190 and 200 degrees F.