Whole Wheat Peanut Sesame

Peanut butter in bread sounds like a stunt, but it’s an old trick from old cookbooks. A quarter cup of peanut butter folded into a whole wheat bread machine loaf doesn’t make the bread taste like peanut butter sandwiches. It softens the crumb, adds a faint nutty undertone, and bumps up the protein content of an already nutritious whole wheat bread.

The sesame seeds work the same way. Stirred into the dough, they add tiny crunchy pockets and amplify the nutty character that peanut butter starts. Toast the seeds in a dry pan before adding for the best flavour; raw seeds are fine but lack depth.

Non-fat milk powder is the right call for bread machines. It’s shelf-stable, doesn’t need warming, and contributes to a better browned crust during the long whole-wheat cycle. The cycle itself runs longer than a standard white-bread cycle (around 3 to 3.5 hours) because whole wheat needs more time to rise.

Pro Tips

• Use natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt) if possible. Commercial sweetened peanut butter throws off the bread’s sugar balance.
• Stir the peanut butter into the water until smooth before adding to the bread pan. Whole gobs of peanut butter can take a long time to incorporate during machine mixing.
• Toast the sesame seeds first. A minute or two in a dry pan over medium heat brings out the oils and adds significantly more flavour.
• The whole wheat cycle is non-negotiable. Standard cycles don’t give whole wheat dough enough time to rise properly and you’ll get a brick.

Variations

• Sub almond butter or tahini for the peanut butter for a different nut-or-seed-forward flavour.
• Add a tablespoon of honey for a slightly sweeter, more breakfast-bread profile.
• Swap half the whole wheat flour for bread flour for a lighter loaf with more rise.