Multigrain Seeded Bread (German Brown Bread)

I found this recipe online one day when I was craving a hearty multigrain/whole wheat bread. Something tasty and full of flavor but not so dense that every bite weighs you down. In the reviews, someone said it tasted like authentic German seeded bread. After making it once & having been to Germany and eaten their delicious dark bread, I agree. Thus, my name for this bread is: German Brown Bread.

Here is the original recipe, from allrecipes.com

The great thing about this recipe is there is a lot of room for improvisation. Not only with the ingredients, but also in the method. I like making bread by hand because it's fun, but this can easily be made in a bread machine. Also, I made some changes to the method listed in the recipe (mostly because it didn't make too much sense). I'm going to tell you how I did it here, to see the original, just click the link above.

Ingredients:
1 package yeast
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c white flour
1/2 t salt
2 T molasses
1 c water
1 egg white
3 T sunflower seeds
3 T pumpkin seeds
3 T sesame seeds
1/3 c rolled oats (steel cut oats also work)
1 T milk

In a small pan, mix together the water and molasses and heat until the water starts to steam. I usually stick my finger in to test the warmth, or you can use a thermometer--about 120 F. If it is too hot to hold your finger in for a few seconds, then it is too hot to start the yeast. If the water is the right temperature, pour into a large bowl and add the yeast & salt. Set aside until it's foamy, about 5-10 mins.

Meanwhile, sift your flours into a bowl & separate your egg white. You can substitute anything you like for flour here. Usually I'll put in oat flour for some of the white flour, and bran & flax for some of the wheat. When the yeast is ready, pour some of the flour into the bowl and mix. Then add the egg, then the rest of the flour. If the dough is too dry to mix with a spoon, pour out onto a floured surface and start kneading. If you need to add more flour, do that and then begin kneading.

Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Place back into the bowl, coat with vegetable oil, and cover with a towel.

Let rise 2 hours. While rising, punch down every 15-30 mins. The more you punch it down the more the dough rises.

Now is the fun part! Uncover the bread and bring it back to your workspace. Mix together the seeds & oats & sprinkle all except 2 T into the bread bowl. (The 2 T will be for sprinkling on top later). Knead the seeds into the dough until combined. Empty onto a floured surface and shape into a loaf. Place into a greased loaf pan, cover, and let rise 1 hr.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush with milk and sprinkle with remaining seeds. Bake 30 minutes. Test to see if the bread is done by turning it out of the pan and tapping on the bottom. If it sounds hollow it's done. Let cool before serving.

The tanginess from the molasses & crunch of the seeds result in a very satisfying flavor & texture combination. Mmm, great with dinner and it will be even better for breakfast tomorrow morning.