Grovbrød (Whole Grain Bread Loaf)
This seeded bread has so much flavor, a great texture, and is the perfect bread for toast or sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 active dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
- 200 ml milk
- 100 ml water
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 200 grams whole wheat flour
- 100 grams bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 50 grams rye flour (can be replaced with any other flour you have)
- 85 grams sunflower seeds
- 40 grams flax seeds
- 50 grams oats, blitzed quickly in the food processor
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 egg for egg wash
- Extra seeds/oats for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Combine milk and water and heat up in the microwave or a saucepan until warm (not hot – you don’t want to kill the yeast!). Add the heated milk and water along with the yeast and sugar to a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and stir to dissolve. Let this sit for 5-10 minutes until it bubbles up – this tells you that your yeast is alive and well!
- Measure out your oats and blitz in a food processor until broken down, about 30 seconds.
- Add the vegetable oil to the yeast and milk/water mixture.
- Then, add in the dry ingredients - salt, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, blitzed oats, whole wheat flour, rye flour, and all purpose flour - to the same bowl. You can also pre mix this separately and then add together - if kneading by hand, this will make it easier!
- Begin to knead the dough, either by hand or using the dough hook attachment. If it's particularly sticky, you can add more all purpose flour, as much as you need for it to stop sticking to your hands, or stop sticking to the sides of the bowl of the stand mixer.
- Once the dough starts to come together, knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. The dough is definitely dense, so it may not be as elastic as other types of bread dough!
- Cover with a clean dishtowel or cling film and set aside to rise either overnight in the fridge or for 1 hour at room temperature/until doubled in size or the dough passes the poke test (when dough is poked, it leaves a slight indentation instead of springing back immediately).
- Prepare a loaf pan with a little bit of oil along the sides and a piece of parchment paper hanging across the long edge (for easy removal!)
- Once your dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a work surface and shape into a loaf. Begin by pressing the dough into a rough rectangle, the width of your loaf pan.
- Roll up the dough tightly, then pinch the seam together.
- Place the loaf seam side down, and gently roll the loaf in a circular motion on the unfloured work surface to help close it up even more.
- Place the loaf seam side down in a loaf tin.
- Cover and let rise again for 30-45 minutes (or longer, if your house is colder!), or until the dough passes the poke test again. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Once the dough has risen for a second time, egg wash the bread and top with a sprinkle of sunflower seeds, oats, flax seeds, a combination of all, or whatever other seeds you want!
- We like to score the loaf on top - we make four diagonal cuts across the top of the loaf.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes - or until baked through; check for doneness by tapping the bread and it should sound somewhat hollow (this bread is dense, so it may not sound as airy as other breads!) The color should also be golden along the top. Let cool, slice, and enjoy!
