Rustic Multigrain Bread
Bake this wholesome and hearty rustic multigrain bread loaded up with whole wheat, rye, bulgur, flax seeds, oats and sunflower seeds. It’s perfectly tender and delicious, and easy enough for all skill levels.
Who can resist a loaf of homemade bread still warm from the oven? Not me! And this rustic multigrain bread is my current obsession. I bake it all the time!
There’s so much stuff going on in this loaf, most of which is really very good for you, plus it’s delicious too! This loaf is plenty hearty, but still soft, tender and not at all too dense. I highly recommend enjoying it slathered in salted butter or jam, or as part of a sandwich.
Table of Contents
- Reasons to bake this hearty multigrain loaf
- Ingredients you'll need
- How to make this rustic multigrain bread
- Why does this bread bake in a Dutch oven?
- Recipe FAQs
- More bread recipes
- Get the recipe
Reasons to bake this hearty multigrain loaf
- It’s wholesome and nutrient-packed thanks to grains like rye, bulgur, flax and oats.
- All that heartiness doesn’t weigh it down, it’s still moist and tender.
- It’s very forgiving and meant to look a little rustic, so there’s no need to fuss about getting it perfect.
- This recipe is great for all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned bakers.
“Second time making this. I’ve never made such a soft multigrain bread before and the flavor is delicious… This is my go-to bread recipe now.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” —from reader Dale
Ingredients you’ll need
- Whole wheat flour: Provides a nutty flavor and wholesome base for the bread.
- Rye flour: The recipe using a small amount, but it packs big flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Adding this to the whole grains keeps the loaf from being too dense.
- Bulgar wheat: Provides a nice chewy texture in addition to heartiness.
- Oats: More texture, more heartiness.
- Flax seeds: They have a slight crunch to their texture, and pack a lot of nutrition.
- Sunflower seeds: Also provide crunch and nutty flavor.
- Honey: For a touch of sweetness.
- Butter: Fat adds flavor and also tenderizes the loaf.
- Yeast: You can use traditional active-dry yeast or instant/quick rise yeast.
- Salt: For flavor.
Shopping for ingredients: You should be able to find most of the grains and flours at any major grocery store in the specialty flour section, or a well-stocked bulk section. If you can’t find them locally, you can always shop online.
How to make this rustic multigrain bread
Like most yeast bread recipes, this rustic multigrain bread takes some time to make. But it’s not difficult! And it’s definitely a recipe anyone can make. Here’s a quick overview:
- Soak the wheat. Soak the bulgur wheat with warm water for 30 minutes to soften it.
- Warm wet ingredients to active yeast. Heat water, honey, and butter until warm and butter is melted.
- Mix dough. Combine yeast, whole wheat, rye flour, salt, soaked bulgur, oats, flax, sunflower seeds, and warm liquids to make a very wet dough.
- Add flour and knead. Gradually add all-purpose flour while kneading until dough is smooth, elastic, and only slightly tacky to touch.
- Let dough rise. Place dough in a large bowl, cover, and let rise 1 hour until doubled.
- Shape loaf. Punch down, knead briefly, form a ball, and place in a dutch oven lined with parchment.
- Rise again. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle oats, score top with 3 cuts, and let rise 30–45 minutes.
- Bake. Preheat oven to 425°F, but reduce it to 400°F when you put the bread in. Cover pot with the lid and bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown.
- Let cool. Remove bread from the pot and try to resist cutting into it until it has cooled completely. Then, enjoy!
Why does this bread bake in a Dutch oven?
Baking in a covered Dutch oven traps steam released by the dough, creating a humid environment that helps the bread rise fully and makes a nice crisp, shiny crust. Without this steam, moisture escapes, causing the crust to harden too quickly and the bread to become dense and squat.
This is the dutch oven I use, but here is another great affordable option. Want more info on this method? This thorough post from The Perfect Loaf is very helpful, as is this one from King Arthur Flour.
Recipe FAQs
The multigrain texture and soaked bulgur make it tricky, but if your machine has a whole wheat or multigrain setting, you can experiment!
You really should use a Dutch oven! You’ll end up with a better loaf of bread. It conducts heat very well, making it ideal for this recipe, but if you don’t have a cast iron Dutch oven any heavy, oven-safe pot with a lid will work. Even covering a regular pot with foil can help mimic these ideal baking conditions and elevate your loaf.
It should be deep golden brown with a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. You can also use a thermometer and bake to 195–205°F internal temp.
This hearty multigrain bread will keep at room temperature for several days, though I recommend enjoying it within 48 hours for the most freshness. It also freezes really well. Wrap it in 2 layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1-2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then warm uncovered in a 350°F for
More bread recipes
Get the recipe
Multigrain Bread
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (30 grams) bulgur wheat
- 1 ¼ cup (283 grams) water , divided
- 2 tablespoons (43 grams) honey
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (7 grams) active-dry yeast
- 1 ½ cup (170 grams) whole wheat flour
- ½ cup (50 grams) rye flour
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- ¼ cup (25 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup (35 grams) flaxseed
- 2 tablespoon (20 grams) raw sunflower seeds
- 1 – 1 ½ cups (120-170 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water , beaten for egg wash (optional)
- Additional rolled oats , for sprinkling (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
- Soak the bulgur wheat in ¼ cup warm water for 30 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.3 tablespoons (30 grams) bulgur wheat, 0.25 cup (56.6 grams) water
- In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1 cup water, honey, and butter. Place over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes (to about 120-130°F).1 ¼ cup (283 grams) water, 2 tablespoons (43 grams) honey, 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, whole wheat flour, rye flour, and salt. Pour in the warm water mixture and mix until combined. Add the rolled oats, flaxseed, sunflower seeds and soaked bulgur wheat and mix until combined.2 ¼ teaspoons (7 grams) active-dry yeast, 1 ½ cup (170 grams) whole wheat flour, ½ cup (50 grams) rye flour, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, ¼ cup (25 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats, ¼ cup (35 grams) flaxseed, 2 tablespoon (20 grams) raw sunflower seeds
- Add the all-purpose flour a few tablespoons at a time until the dough clears the bowl (you may not use all 1 ½ cups of the flour). Continue kneading in the mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 3-4 minutes. This dough is heavier than many bread dough, but you should be able to pull it a bit without it immediately breaking.1 – 1 ½ cups (120-170 grams) all-purpose flour
- Gather dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place. Let rise until doubled and it doesn’t bounce back when pressed, about 1 hour. Punch down dough and knead a few times until smooth. Let rest for about 5 minutes.
- Place dough in a dutch oven or large heavy pot lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with rolled oats, if desired. Use a sharp knife to slice 3 cuts into the top of the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for an additional 30-45 minutes.1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water, Additional rolled oats
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F and place oven rack in the center of the oven (or lower if necessary to fit the pot). When ready to bake, cover the dutch oven with a lid and place in the oven. Turn the oven temp down to 400°F and bake for about 45 minutes, until the top of the bread is golden brown.
- Let bread cool before slicing. It is best enjoyed the day it is baked, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
Notes
Ha! I just realized that I said “with nice, fresh barley.” I meant nice, fresh bulgur wheat! I’ve been playing with barley this week, so it’s on my mind. Don’t think it would be right for this bread, however.
Hi Annalise, I had fun with your recipe today. I haven’t baked bread for over 10 years, and I’ve never made a multigrain bread, so it was a bit of an adventure! The first problem I encountered was my bulgur wheat – it had gone rancid. I opted for wheat bran instead. I live in Europe, so it was easy (and cheap) to get fresh yeast. I used maybe 18 grams of it, dissolving it in the warm water along with the last tablespoon of honey in the jar. To top it up, I added a tablespoon of “stroop,” an apple molasses that is popular in the Netherlands. Along with my King Arthur whole wheat flour, I added fresh rye flour from the Val Dieu Abbey in Belgium and used a white flour from Germany for the kneading. Probably because I used wheat bran instead of bulgur, which didn’t absorb the water as thoroughly as bulgur would, the dough was somewhat sticky, so I kept adding flour as I kneaded it (by hand, cuz that’s the way I roll).
As for my Dutch oven, I was excited to use my new Le Creuset, which I bought at the factory open house day in France only a year or so ago (before the pandemic, of course).
Alas, after setting the dough to rise, I decided to learn more about using fresh yeast. What I learned brought on a bit of a panic – it looked like I had used too much! I made the baker’s mistake of trusting Google, converting the 7 grams of dry yeast mentioned in your recipe to what they said should be 17 grams. My research after the fact showed that I should have been using the weight of the flour to figure it out. Everything I’ve read said 1.5 to 2% of the weight of the flour. I had used 150% of what I needed by this formula! I rushed downstairs to look at the dough. It seemed to be rising appropriately, and it didn’t smell like a beer brewery, so I carried on.
In the end, the proof was in the pudding… er… in the bread, which turned out perfectly fine. The crust was softer than I expected (does the egg wash do that?) and the grain was exactly right. There was a noticeable flavor of yeast, though. I will definitely make this bread again, with less yeast next time and with nice, fresh barley.
The next time, I might choose to use my stonewear bread pan, but put it in the Dutch oven. I would prefer a traditional break shape over the round loaf for a soft break such as this.
Thank you for sharing a great recipe that survived this baker’s every crisis!
Your recipe looks wonderful! Could I make the dough for this recipe in a Bread Machine and bake in a Dutch Oven?
I would bet you can! Though I actually don’t have experience with bread machines.
Really yummy, grainy and nutty bread. Also looks so pretty! Using the dutch oven really made a difference. I usually use a bread maching and get good results but not this good!!! I had to take photos when it was done and share!
Made this last weekend and it was great. Made a mistake and grabbed my whole wheat bread flour instead of regular whole wheat flour. Realized before I added the AP flour so didn’t use as much of that. Still turned out great even with my goof. So easy. My first bread in my cast iron dutch oven. Bourbon spiked banana bread is on this weekend’s baking list.
Thanks for sharing these delicious recipes.
I am really happy with how this bread turned out. It is delicious with meals or for breakfast, and also good for sandwiches. I needed only 1 cup of the all purpose flour at the end where it says 1 – 1.5 cups. I did weigh all of my dry ingredients; that makes a big difference. I baked it in a cast iron dutch oven with the lid on for 40 minutes and it was perfect. Pretty proud of myself, and I feel like it is much healthier than just plain white bread
This is the best multigrain bread that I have ever made! I make it once a week & it is just as fresh on day 7 as it was on day one. I have made just a few changes. I add 1/2 cup of toasted pecans, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, & five different types of seeds. DELICIOUS!
This is a great recipe. I did bake it for about another 15 minutes and it came out perfect. Will definitely use this recipe again and again. Thank you.
I made this bread today. It was very easy and turned out great. Thanks.
Absolutely Delicious. This has become a staple in our household. We make this bread once a week. Thank you for the great recipe.
I’m hoping to try this bread recipe over winter break, and I’m wondering if I can add dried cranberries and pecans (and take the sunflower seeds out). Any advice on how best to do this–will I need to make other adjustments? Thanks!
Amazing! I made a loaf on a Friday and loved it so much I made another loaf on the Saturday to give to gift away. It’s absolutely the best multigrain bread I’ve ever had. It’s so moist it’s unbelievable.
Wonderful rustic bread! I adjusted for altitude per King Arthur’s website, and it turned out perfectly. I used hazelnuts instead of sunflower seeds because I didn’t have sunflower seeds, and that was a delicious modification. I baked it in a cast iron pot, increased the temp by 25 degrees because of altitude, and it was golden right at 45 min. So delicious warm with butter!
I’m so happy to hear you loved this bread! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Absolutely delicious bread! It was the perfect size for my small Dutch oven. It was perfect and this was the first time I had tried the recipe!