Homemade Multigrain Bread

Directions

In a medium bowl, add 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup warm water and ½ teaspoon yeast and mix with a wooden spoon or your hand until well combined.

Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and allow to stand overnight at room temperature.

In a large bowl, pour the boiling water over the cereal, stir until moistened.

Allow to stand at room temperature until cool.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add the remaining 2½ teaspoons of yeast with ¼ cup of lukewarm water (about 110°) and allow to stand until the yeast is activated, about 10 minutes.

Add the starter, the remaining 2 cups all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, honey and salt to the bowl.

Pour in 2 cups of warm water and mix with your hand until a soft, sticky dough forms.

Knead, pull and stretch the sticky dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. (At this stage, the dough will be very sticky, don't add more flour here, just maintain the stickiness)

Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

Knead the dough about 10 times and allow to rest for another 20 minutes.

Knead the dough another 10 times or so and let rest for another 20 minutes.

Put on the dough hooker and turn on the mixer, gradually add the cereal to the bowl, and knead until all the cereals are evenly combined and the dough is firm and smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. If the dough seems still too sticky, add more all-purpose flour as needed until a smooth and firm dough forms.

Turn the dough out of the bowl, coat the bowl well with the cooking spray.

Return the dough into the bowl, coat the surface of the dough with more cooking spray.

Cover with a damp and clean kitchen towel and allow to rise at a warm place until doubled, 30 to 50 minutes, depending on how warm your place is.

Punch down the dough, knead for a few times and let rest for another 30 minutes or longer until the dough is doubled again.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.

Divide the dough into three equal portions.

Knead each portion a few times, you can shape them into balls, place onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray if you want round loaves; you can place the dough into loaf pans coated with cooking spray; or you can shape them into baguette, then place onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

After you shape the dough or put into loaf pans, cover and let rest for another 50 to 60 minutes until doubled again.

When it's close to the baking time, place the oven rack to the lower third of the oven, and preheat to 500 degrees F.

Put the loaf pans with the sandwich loaves or baguettes on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 425° and bake for 30 to 35 minutes for the rounds loaf or loaf pans, 15 to 20 minutes to baguette, until the loaves are deep brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

If you are baking the bread in the loaf pans, let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Then remove the bread from the pan onto the wire rack, and let cool completely.

Slice and serve or put them into zip-lock bags, and freeze the slices in the freezer up to a few month.