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Four-Grain Batter Bread
This hearty four-grain batter bread delivers the comforting aroma of homemade baking without the tedious work of kneading. The soft dough comes together quickly with a wholesome blend of whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and quick-cooking oats. Because it is a batter bread, you simply mix the ingredients, let the dough rise directly in the pan, and bake. The resulting loaves have a rustic, textured crumb and a slightly nutty flavor. Serve thick slices toasted with butter for breakfast or use them to build satisfying sandwiches for lunch.
Ingredients
- 4½ to 4¾ cups all-purpose or bread flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 packages regular active or fast-acting dry yeast (4½ teaspoons)
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup wheat germ
- ½ cup quick-cooking oats
- 1 Grease bottoms and sides of 2 (8×4-inch) loaf pans with shortening or cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal.
Instructions
- 1Combine three and a half cups of the all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
- 2Warm the milk and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, then pour the warm liquid into the dry flour mixture.
- 3Blend the mixture with an electric mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, then increase the speed to medium and beat for three minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- 4Fold in the whole wheat flour, wheat germ, quick-cooking oats, and just enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to form a stiff batter, then divide the dough evenly between two greased eight-by-four-inch loaf pans.
- 5Shape the tops of the loaves gently with floured hands to create a rounded dome, and dust the surface lightly with cornmeal.
- 6Drape plastic wrap loosely over the pans and set them in a warm spot to rise for about 30 minutes, or until the batter reaches one inch below the rim of the pans.
- 7Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the loaves for 25 minutes until the tops turn a light golden brown, then transfer the bread from the pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
- 8For a sweeter variation, increase the whole wheat flour to two cups, skip the wheat germ and oats, and fold one cup of raisins into the batter along with the second addition of all-purpose flour.
- 9Remember that batter bread dough remains quite soft and sticky, so avoid the temptation to knead it by hand before transferring it to the baking pans.