Multi-Grain Crusty Artisan Bread

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I love this recipe because it comes together very quickly with very little work on my part, but tastes as though it has taken hours or effort. The combination of the different grains gives it a beautifully chewy texture and rich, robust taste. There’s no kneading involved so after mixing your ingredients, you’re free to move on to your next activity until it rises and needs to be shaped.

My kids especially love this bread when I make a pot of soup. It’s a great dunking bread! It also makes truly delicious toast, with a very nice texture when toasted up. Try it with a tofu scramble and some avocado on top for a delicious breakfast!

I bake this bread in my clay dutch oven that is made specifically for bread baking. I love this dutch oven because I can soak the top in water before baking, giving me a much crispier crust. You can also use a cast iron dutch oven, but if you would like a clay dutch oven of your own, you can find one here: Clay Dutch Oven

You can simply score the top and bake bread as, or you can try the seed topping listed. It’s really personal preference, and I tend to use both depending on my mood. You can also experiment with your own loaf topping, mixing different seeds, nut, herbs, and spices.

Multi-Grain Crusty Artisan Bread

Ingredients

1 ⅓ cups warm water

2 ¼ tsp granulated yeast

1 tsp salt

1 Tbls sugar

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour*

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup steel cut oats

2 Tbls flax seeds

For seed topping:

2 Tbls pumpkin seeds

1 Tbls flax seeds

1 Tbls sunflower seeds

1 tsp chia seeds

Instructions

Add the warm water to a bowl and sprinkle with yeast and sugar. Whisk together and then let sit for about five minutes until the yeast is foamy and activated. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together well. Note, the dough will be fairly sticky. That’s ok, it’s supposed to be. You should have a shaggy dough. If it seems too stiff, add another tablespoon of water.

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 450F with your dutch oven inside. You want the dutch oven hot when you put in your bread dough. If you are using the clay dutch oven, soak your lid for ten minutes before putting the pan into the cold oven and preheating.

Scoop your dough onto a floured piece of parchment paper and shape into a round loaf with floured hands. At this point you can score the top and mix up your seed topping. Sprinkle the mixed seeds on top of your loaf, pressing them softly into the dough so they stay in place. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

Remove your dutch oven from the hot oven, and lift the bread with parchment paper, placing them both into the dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake covered for 30 min. Remove the lid and bake for another 10-15 minutes uncovered.

Remove bread and cool on a wire rack. Allow bread to cool completely before slicing to ensure easy slicing. Loaf will be even crustier the second day. Store leftovers in a linen or plastic bag.

*Note: To make this bread completely whole grain, leave out all purpose flour and increase whole wheat flour to 2 cups and water to 1 1/2 cups.