Seedy and cereal-ised

Rye grains (left) and buckwheat

The buckwheat grains may have turned my head but the rye didn't get a second glance. How wrong I was to dismiss something for the way it looks.

No, they certainly didn't look like much, but look at what they did for this bread. They turned it into a hearty and healthy loaf ­­– one hunky toasted slice with a spread of Marmite made me a good breakfast.

Cracklin'

I was mistaken that buckwheat was a grain cereal. Actually it's a fruit seed and is ideal for those allergic to the gluten in wheat. (A bit more on buckwheat here.)

Rye, as we're probably aware, is a type of grass. Bread made from rye flour is dense and delicious, but I'm not always successful with it. By adding just the grain to bread dough, I still get the health benefits and of course, there's the nice texture and chewiness from the grains.

I think it's important to toast the rye and buckwheat before cooking as that gives them a better flavour. A topping of seeds and rolled oats gives the bread a lovely crunch as well. I shaped this loaf in a Pullman loaf pan (right) and that's why the top is flat.

In the Malaysian climate, this bread will be good only for a day if kept outside the fridge even in an air-tight container.

I am submitting this to YeastSpotting.

MULTI-GRAIN BREAD

Makes 1 loaf

¼ cup (50g) buckwheat
¼ cup (50g) rye grain
2¼ cup (335g) bread flour
½ cup (80g) wholemeal flour
¼ cup (40g) milk powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons honey
30g butter, melted
3 teaspoons (10g) instant dry yeast
About 1 cup (250ml) warm water

Topping
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoons sesame seed
½ teaspoon blue poppy seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon rolled oats

• Toast buckwheat and rye grain separately in a dry pan over medium heat. Place both grains in a saucepan and pour in 1½ cups of water. Bring to the boil and simmer until grains are soft, 10-15 minutes. Drain and cool.
• Sift flours, milk powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer attached with a dough hook.* Mix in honey and melted butter. Add yeast and cooked grains. Turn on mixer on low and gradually add warm water to form a soft, wet dough. Cover the bowl and allow dough to rest for 10 minutes. 
• After resting time, knead on medium for 7-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. The dough will still be a little sticky; use greased hands to remove it from the bowl and form into a round ball. Grease the bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Cover and stand in a warm place until dough has doubled in size.

* Alternatively, this process can be done by hand, mixing the dry and wet ingredients with a wooden spoon, then kneading on a lightly floured surface.

• Punch down dough and knead until smooth. Form into a ball and rest for 5 minutes. Shape dough into a rectangle with the shorter side nearest to you. Fold the top third into the middle and then the bottom third over that like a letter. Pinch seams together and place dough, seam side down, into a greased 11cm by 20cm loaf pan. (Or, form the dough into your preferred shape and place on a greased baking tray.) Cover and stand in a warm place until risen. Preheat oven at 200°C 30 minutes before baking time.
• Brush dough with combined egg yolk and milk; sprinkle evenly with combined seeds and oats for topping.** Bake about 45 minutes.

** Use any seed or grain you like.

PRINTABLE RECIPE