Settin' 'Round Bread

Settin’ ‘round bread is the overachiever of the bread machine world, a loaf that pulls nine different grains into a single slice. Rolled oats, cornmeal, bran, cracked wheat, buckwheat groats, soy flour, rye flour, and both whole wheat and all-purpose flour all stack up for a bread with serious chew, toasty aroma, and nutrient density that blows past anything store-bought.

The charming name hints at the philosophy: a bread you can settle in and eat all day long without tiring of it. Toast. Sandwiches. A hunk with butter and honey. It does everything.

The flour-and-grain layering matters. Each grain contributes something different. Oats bring softness, cornmeal adds sweetness and a slight golden crumb, bran gives fiber, cracked wheat adds bite, buckwheat contributes a nutty-earthy note, soy flour boosts protein, and rye plus whole wheat bring the backbone flavor.

The non-fat dry milk powder is the home-baker’s trick for a tender crumb in high-fiber bread. Milk proteins help whole-grain loaves rise higher and stay soft instead of dense and brick-like.

Load the machine in the order your manual recommends (typically liquids first, then dry, yeast last and separated from salt). Run on the whole wheat cycle if you have one; it gives extra kneading and a longer rise that’s exactly what heavy multi-grain doughs need.

Kitchen Tips

• Check the dough ball 5 minutes into kneading. Multi-grain doughs drink water differently each time; add a tablespoon of water if stiff, flour if wet.
• Soak the cracked wheat and buckwheat groats in hot water for 20 minutes before adding. This softens them so they don’t stay crunchy in the finished loaf.
• Use bread flour in place of all-purpose if you want extra lift. The higher gluten helps all these heavy grains rise properly.
• Let the loaf cool completely before slicing. Warm multi-grain bread slices gummy and cools over time to proper crumb structure.

Variations

• Add ¼ cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds for extra crunch and visual appeal.
• Stir in ½ cup raisins or chopped dried cranberries for a sweeter, breakfast-leaning loaf.
• Swap the honey for molasses and the turbinado for brown sugar for a darker, richer bread reminiscent of pumpernickel.