Mastering Whole-Grain Breads in Your Bread Machine

Caraway Rye Bread Recipe:

(Makes a 2 pound loaf)

Rye bread is an ancient recipe and was especially popular in eastern Europe where rye grasses thrived. It’s a firm, dark colored loaf. The addition of caraway seeds is a standard flavoring. Caraway has a subtle, licorice taste. Be careful with the amount of caraway that you add. If you exceed the recipe amount you may find that the bread is too gritty. If you don’t like caraway seeds you can omit them from the recipe. You’ll also notice in this recipe that rye flour is used in addition to both bread flour and whole wheat flour. Here again, this is an effort to compensate for the general lack of gluten in rye flour. You can experiment with proportions if you want a “ryer” bread, but if you do you don’t want to exceed the total volume of flour, and you might want to omit the salt and add a pinch more yeast.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water (100 degrees F/38 degrees C)
• 2 tablespoons dry milk powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 3/4 cups bread flour
• 3/4 cup rye flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds
• 1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients in the bread pan in the order indicated and set to whole wheat cycle for 2.0 pound loaf and medium crust. When bread is done, cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, slice and serve.

Barley Bread Recipe:

(Makes a 2 pound loaf)

Barley is not referred to as an ancient grain like amaranth and quinoa, but it should be. Its history and tradition go back to the Sumerians and it was the staple grain for most breads in medieval Europe. Barley also has a fairly high level of gluten so it often holds its own during a bread kneading and rising cycle. However, the gluten level is still less than bread flour so we’re going to add bread flour as a primary ingredient in this recipe. You can experiment with proportions as you go, but the proportion in this recipe will give you a good result. The addition of brown sugar in this recipe not only adds color and flavor, but helps to fuel yeast growth during the rising and baking process.
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1⁄2 cups water (100 degrees F/38 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 cup barley flour
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons active dry yeast or bread machine yeast

DIRECTIONS:

Add all ingredients to the bread in the order indicated and select the whole wheat cycle, 2 pound loaf and medium crust. When done, cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, slice and serve.

Seven Grain Bread Recipe:

(Makes a 1.5 pound loaf)

This is a great tasting, rustic bread and it’s not as hard to make as it sounds. The seven grains can actually be bought at most grocery stores pre-packaged as a 7-Grain cereal. You may have to ask or hunt it down, but it’s the standard ingredient in seven grain bread recipes. If you have your own flour mill you can improvise or even make eight or nine grain breads. For this foundation recipe we’ll stick with the seven grains in the package.

The seven grains sometimes include red and white hard wheat’s, oats, white soft wheat, rye, triticale, and barley. These can vary but this is the general blend. Some people prefer this style of bread due to its nutrient density and complexity. It also has a distinctive nut-like taste, and a rustic texture.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons dry milk powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 3/4 cup 7-grain cereal
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast or bread machine yeast

DIRECTIONS:

Add ingredients to the bread pan in the order indicated and select whole wheat cycle, 1.5 pound loaf and medium crust.

Ancient Grains Bread Recipe:

(Makes a 2 pound loaf)

I’ve been experimenting with Ancient grains lately. They’re various grains from little known plants that were often a part of our distant ancestor’s diet. They include quinoa, amaranth, Kamut, flaxseed and spelt. They have a nutty, flavorful taste. More importantly, they’re packed with proteins, amino acids, thiamin, niacin, vitamins E, A and D and have both anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Better yet, they’re easy to grow and most of them are gluten-free.

Amaranth grows like a weed. It’s a tall, leafy plant on a fibrous stalk and the seeds hang down from the crown like dreadlocks. I have them planted along fences and in the back yard next to the shed.

Quinoa is similar in appearance and both amaranth and quinoa come in a variety of colors from a light, golden color to a deep burgundy. The seeds dry on the vine or stalks although you may have to battle the birds as they mature and dry out.

If you’d like to plant your own, just buy some at the store (most large grocery chains carry them in the organic, cereal or rice aisles) and sprinkle where you’d like them to grown. They grow like weeds and will spread from season to season.

Spelt is a grass and its seeds look much like wheat at the end of a stalk. Flaxseed is actually a flowering plant and the seeds are harvested from the seed buds within the flowertops. They’re a little harder to harvest than quinoa or amaranth, but they grow just as easily and spread just as fast so be careful where you plant them.

Whether you buy your ancient grains or grow them yourself, they will keep well in a sealed container for months if you keep them dry and store them in a cool, dark place like a cabinet or pantry.

This recipe calls for the direct addition of grains that have not been ground or crushed. It uses bread flour as a foundation ingredient because most ancient grains are either low in gluten or gluten free. We’ve developed recipes for gluten free bread which you can explore if you want to go that route, but for the sake of this recipe we’re going to keep the bread flour as an ingredient. You can blend as many ancient grains as you want into this recipe, just don’t exceed the total amount of ancient grains indicated in the recipe. The husks surrounding ancient grains can add a note of bitterness if over-used, but they’re a great source of fiber and contain many of the micro nutrients we mentioned.

You can also buy an ancient grains flour blend in the specialty or health food aisles in your grocery store. This recipe offers you the option of using that type of flour. It also calls for a cup of vital wheat gluten. You can skip that ingredient if you can’t find it but it helps with the general lack of gluten in the ancient grains.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) ancient grains flour (or whole ancient grains like quinoa, amaranth, and spelt).
• 2 1/4 cups (10 1/4 ounces) bread flour
• 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast or bread machine yeast

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add the ingredients to the bread pan in the order indicated in the recipe and select whole wheat cycle, 1.5 pound loaf and medium crust. When done cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, slice and serve.
2. Like always, you should watch the consistency of your dough during the early dough cycle. If it’s too dry add a tablespoon of warm water at a time to get the consistency right. If it’s too wet or has a batter-like consistency add a tablespoon of bread flour at a time to thicken it up.