Easy Multigrain Bread

Bread machine bread that earns its keep. A standard six-ingredient lineup of water, honey, salt, multigrain cereal, bread flour, and yeast, but the multigrain cereal is what makes the loaf interesting. It throws cracked wheat, oats, barley, flax and whatever else is in the mix straight into the dough so every slice has texture and bite.

The honey does double duty. It sweetens the loaf gently without tasting like dessert bread, and it feeds the yeast for a strong rise. Bread flour, not all-purpose, is the right move here. The extra protein gives the dough enough gluten muscle to support all those grain bits without going dense.

Works on the quick cycle with rapid-rise yeast or on the regular cycle with standard active dry. Either way, you load and walk away.

Pro Tips

• Add the wet ingredients first, then dry, then yeast on top. This is the standard bread machine layering and keeps the yeast away from the salt and water until mixing starts.
• Use bread flour, not all-purpose. The higher protein content holds the multigrain texture without collapsing.
• If your loaf comes out dense, the cereal may be soaking up too much water. Add 1-2 tablespoons more water on the next try.
• Cool the loaf on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Cutting hot bread squashes the crumb.

Variations

• Stir a quarter cup of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds into the dough at the mix-in beep.
• Swap honey for maple syrup for a darker, woodsy sweetness.
• Add a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten if your multigrain cereal is especially heavy on whole grains.