Seven Grain Cereal Bread

This bread is based on a recipe from "Natural Health" magazine. It is a very, very nice bread. It was supposed to use quick rising yeast to get the bread ready to bake in less than an hour. You know how I feel about that... so the recipe went into the lab, and has been reformed. A warning - this bread has enough fiber to keep a regiment ahhhh... well... regular. If you are not used to a very high fiber diet, be careful with this bread. These loaves were allowed to rise in a banneton, a wicker basket that is lined with a floured cloth. The basket helps the loaf achieve its distinctive shape.

This cereal has a fair amount of prep work before we actually start making the dough.  First, we cook the cereal.
Ingredients:

Volumetric Measure (Cups)	Ingredient	Grams	Baker's Percentage (4)
2 1/4 Cup	Water	510 Grams	439%
3/4 Cups	7 Grain Cereal (1)	120 Grams	100%

1. While the recipe calls for, and the name suggests, seven grain cereal, we've used 5 and 10 grain cereals on occasion.  We prefer the 7 grain.  The 5 grain is a bit too chunky and the 10 grain is too finely ground for us.  We've had good luck with Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills products.  If you are having trouble finding any of these, look for a multi-grain cereal that features whole grains, which should be cooked before serving, and which you enjoy.
2. The amounts called for may seem a bit high.  However, when the cereal is cooked, a good amount of water is cooked off.  The amounts above are an estimate of what you will need to cook to get the amount the recipe calls for below.  You may want to adjust this based on the cereal you buy and the way you cook it.

Put the water and cereal in a pot over medium heat.  Once it boils, turn it down to a simmer and continue to cook with frequent stirring until the water is absorbed.  This step causes some inconsistency in the final dough.  How much water is the cereal adding to the dough?  You may need to adjust the dough to make up for this inconsistency.

The toasted seeds.  As commented before, I like breads with crunch.  In addition to the 7 grain cereal, I like to add seeds.
Ingredients:

Volumetric Measure (Cups)	Ingredient	Grams	Baker's Percentage (4)
1/4 Cup	Sunflower Seeds	30 Grams	100%
2 TBSP	Flax Seeds	18.6 Grams	62%
2 TBSP	Sesame Seeds	18 Grams	60%
1 tsp	Poppy Seeds	5 Grams	16.67%

Toast the seeds in a hot dry skillet until fragrant, or in a 375F/190C oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Set them aside and let them cool.  When we were running the bakery we'd mix our seed mixes in 5 pound batches so we didn't have to measure each seed every day.

Final Dough Ingredients:

Volumetric Measure (Cups)	Ingredient	Grams	Baker's Percentage (4)
1 Cup	Water	240 Grams	70.4%
1 Cup	Starter	260 Grams	76.2%
2 TBSP	Light Olive Oil	28 Grams	8.2%
1 1/8 Cups	All-Purpose Flour	146 Grams	42.8%
1 1/2 Cups	Whole Wheat Flour	195 Grams	57.2%
2 tsp	Salt	18 Grams	5.3%
3 TBSP	Malted Barley Extract (1)	14 Grams	4.1%
All of it	7 Grain Cereal (cooked, from above)	All of it (We need to weight this, but it will be variable)
3/4 Cups	7 Grain Cereal (dry)	61.5 Grams	18%
1/2 Cup	Toasted Seeds (Optional)	41.6 Grams (2)	12.2%
1 TBSP	Rolled Oats	3 Grams	.9%

1. If you decide to omit the optional seeds, which I do not recommend, reduce the malted barley extract to 2 TBSP or 9 Grams.
2. The grains will more than likely lose weight as you roast them.  The weight here is probably too high.  Don't worry about it, the bread will turn out fine.

Some preparatory steps:

While some people grind the uncooked 3/4 cup of cereal in a spice or coffee grinder, I haven't found it necessary to grind the rest of the cereal, and the bread has been just fine. Then again, I REALLY like crunch in my breads!  However, if you have digestive issues triggered by seeds or grains, it may help you to grind the cereal.  For most folks, just use the cereal.

Once the seeds, if you're going to use them, and the cooked cereal are cool, continue...

If you are going to knead this dough, whether by hand or with a machine, add the water, starter, olive oil, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt malted barley extract and cooked cereal to the mixing bowl.  Knead for 5 minutes, let rest for 5 minutes, and then knead for another 5 minutes.  Try to not adjust the flour or water until the second kneading.  Sadly, the windowpane test is NOT appropriate here.  Once the dough is developed, add the uncooked cereal and the toasted seeds if you want to add them.  Knead enough to get the seeds and cereal evenly distributed through the dough.  Form the dough into a ball, place into the cleaned and oiled mixing bowl, turn the ball over, and then cover. Let the bread rise until doubled.

If you are going to use the stretch and fold technique, add all the ingredients except the oats to your tray.  Mix with your hands until all the flour is wet.  Cover and let rest for an hour.  Stretch and fold again, cover and let rest for another hour.  Stretch and fold for a third time, cover and let rest for an hour.  Try to not adjust the water of flour in the dough until the second stretch and fold.  The stretch and folds and the final rest take the place of the rise the kneaded dough gets.

Deflate the bread, knead a bit, and then shape into loaves. I like to let this bread rise in a basket to get a round loaf.  About the time you form the loaves, start preheating the oven to 400F/205C.  Make sure there is an aluminum pie pan on the bottom of the oven (you'll thank me later).

You really want the oven to wait for the dough rather than making the dough wait for the oven.  You might time how long the final rise takes, so next time you can start the preheating about an hour before the dough is ready - if you have baking tiles, it takes an oven about an hour to warm up.

Once the loaves have risen, turn them out onto a peel.  Then brush them with water and gently press the rolled oats into top of loaf.  Slash the loaves and bake at 400F for about 40 minutes.  As you put the loaves in, put a cup of water in the pie pan.  You really don't want to put water on the floor of the oven - the floor will warp and rust which becomes a problem when you want to sell the house.  (In some states it is expected the refrigerator, dish washer, stove, and range will vest to the new owners.)