Multigrain Dutch Oven Bread

Multigrain Dutch Oven Bread whole on linen

A hearty trinity of rye, whole wheat, and bread flours forms a flavorful dough while oats and seeds become aromatic mix-ins and a crunchy topping.

5.0 from 9 reviews

Multigrain Dutch Oven Bread

 
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
  • 2 cups (254 grams) bread flour
  • 1¼ cups (128 grams) dark rye flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 cup (130 grams) whole wheat flour
  • 2⁄3 cup (53 grams) old-fashioned oats
  • ¼ cup (36 grams) raw shelled sunflower seeds
  • 2 tablespoons (28 grams) brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (9 grams) kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon (9 grams) black sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon (9 grams) flax seeds
  • 2¼ teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon (2 grams) fennel seeds
  • 1¾ cups plus 2½ tablespoons (432 grams) warm water (105°F/41°C to 110°F/43°C)
  • Multi-Seed Topping (recipe follows)
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, place flours, oats, sunflower seeds, brown sugar, salt, sesame seeds, flax seeds, yeast, and fennel seeds. Add 1¾ cups plus 2½ tablespoons (432 grams) warm water, and stir by hand until fully incorporated and a sticky dough forms. (Alternatively, place flours, oats, sunflower seeds, brown sugar, salt, sesame seeds, flax seeds, yeast, and fennel seeds in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add 1¾ cups plus 2½ tablespoons [432 grams] warm water, and beat at medium speed until a sticky dough forms, about 30 seconds.)
  2. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) for 2 hours. Then, refrigerate for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight).
  3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently press dough just to level and even it out. Starting on left side and working clockwise, fold edges of dough toward center, pressing lightly. Turn dough ball over, and using both hands, cup dough, and pull it toward you. Turn dough 90 degrees, and repeat until you have a smooth, tight, sealed round.
  4. Dust a sheet of parchment paper with rye flour; place dough on parchment, seam side up. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) for 1 hour.
  5. When dough has 30 minutes left to rise, place a 6- to 7-quart Dutch oven and lid in a cold oven. Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C).
  6. Carefully remove hot Dutch oven from oven; remove lid, and quickly turn bread into Dutch oven so seam is now on bottom. Brush top of loaf with water, and sprinkle with Multi- Seed Topping. Score top of bread (being careful not to touch hot sides of Dutch oven). Cover with lid, and place back in oven.
  7. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 450°F (230°C). Bake for 25 minutes. Remove lid, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 190°F (88°C), about 15 minutes more. Immediately remove loaf from Dutch oven, and let cool completely on a wire rack.

5.0 from 9 reviews
Multi-Seed Topping
 
Makes about ¼ cup
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon (5 grams) old-fashioned oats
  • 2 teaspoons (6 grams) raw shelled sunflower seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoons (4.5 grams) black sesame seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoons (4.5 grams) flax seeds
  • 1 teaspoon (3 grams) fennel seeds
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients.

 

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26 COMMENTS

  1. I want to try your multi seed bread recipe. What is the reason you add sugar to your recipe? Can the bread be made without sugar as I am not a fan of sweet tasting bread.

    • Hey Sibylle,

      The two tablespoons of brown sugar should not make this bread very sweet at all. It merely rounds out the flavor of the many nutty multigrain and gives it a touch of molasses. However, you can reduce the two tablespoons to one if you are concerned about it tasting overly sweet.

  2. How come this recipe has so much water and yeast? I tried it with the listed measurements and I ended up with a sticky mass of flour, so wet I had to throw everything away.

    • Hi Rob,

      Oh dear, I am sorry you threw your bread mixture away! Since this is a no-knead bread, there is a higher proportion of water to flour than traditional bread dough. The dough will also go through a slow rise (where it develops all the flavor). It is a little harder to work with when it comes to shaping, but the extra steam from the water will make a very lovely loaf. If the dough seems very unruly, then you can add flour a tablespoon at a time until you get a dough that you are able to work with– but you don’t want to make it too dry.

  3. This was my first ever mutligrain loaf and it turned out beautifully!! Only changes I made were to leave out the sunflower seeds (couldn’t find any at my store) and sub the tbsp fennel for a tbsp of wheat berries. Hearty and really delicious!

  4. There’s a problem with the dark rye flour – 11/4?
    Also, what substitution would work well if you didn’t have dark rye flour? Measurement for that substitution flour?
    Thanks

    • Hi Connie,

      Sorry for the inconvenience! It appears that the formatting didn’t transfer over properly for this recipe, and the dark rye flour should read “one and one fourth) rather than “eleven fourths.” I went through and reformatted the fractions. To substitute flour for rye flour, I would recommend using the same weight. Since a cup of bread flour weights about 125 grams, you would only need one cup instead of the 1 1/4 cup that is called for rye. If your dough is too sticky after kneading, you can add flour a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the appropriate consistency. I hope this helps and happy baking!

  5. I’m interested in making this because of the different grains, but someone in my family can’t eat any of the seeds. May I simply leave them out or do I need to substitute something in because of the volume they take up in the recipe?

  6. Sandi I am so excited to try this loaf I’ve been hunting down a hearty, no-knead, wheat/rye/white combo loaf for a while now! Since I work/commute, baking a loaf of bread mid week deems difficult timing wise sometimes. You mention refrigerating dough overnight after the first rise… Can I get away with a full 24 hours in the fridge or is that too long? Appreciate your bread wisdom!

    • Hi Nico,

      Thank you for your question!

      We haven’t tested this recipe with a 24 hour refrigeration, but I think it should work for you. At one point during the first couple of hours you may need to punch down the dough to keep it from over-expanding. It’ll also be incredibly important that your dough is completely sealed and covered in a container with plenty of room for the dough to expand. If you do end up trying a 24 hour refrigeration, please let us know how it goes!

      Happy Baking!

      • So tasty Olivia! Thanks for writing back with advise! I think at step 4 since I refrigerated dough for 12ish hours, I should have let that second rise go for a bit longer than an hour to get the inner temp of the bread to room temp before tossing it in the oven? It came out a little moist, with a definite crust, but it may be my propane oven I’m learning to baking in? Will definitely try this again to dial in all the bread variables! Chef’s kiss!

  7. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe, as I have been looking for one for a good, easy, toothsome, seeded loaf of bread. Can you please tell me the reason for the refrigeration of the dough? I’ve made many other no-knead Dutch oven bread recipes, and none of them have ever required it. The dough is always left to rise at room temperature for 12 hours. Just curious if there is a difference in the results of the two methods?

    • Hi Michelle,

      Thank you for your question!

      The process of refrigerating for the second rise is also known as retarding bread dough. Refrigeration slows down the final rise of bread-making, helping to prevent over-proofing, adding flavor, and ultimately helping to create a more richly colored crust as well. The flavor of many breads improves if you slow down fermentation, and some breads even require refrigeration in the proofing stage. You’ll have to let us know if you see and taste the difference!

      Happy baking!

  8. Great bread! I added 1 gm (2 pinches) of course sea salt to the seed topping. Served it to guests and received lots of compliments. Freezes well also.

  9. This is a super yummy recipe. I added 1/2 pumpkin seeds and bumped up the sunflower seeds to 1/2 cup. I found the fennel a bit strong so decreased to 1/2 tsp. This has become our go to bread. It’s super important to bake at the recommend temperature. I monitored interior oven temperature with a digital thermometer and was surprised how much the oven temp dropped when the door was opened.

  10. Doctor said I need to lower my triglycerides, so I have been looking for a healthy bread recipe that doesn’t taste (and chew) like cardboard and this one is it. Whole family likes it. Used pepitas instead of sunflower seeds and chia seeds instead of flax seeds because they were what I had. Used a little extra water because of the chia seeds. Everything turned out great. This is going to be my go to recipe.

  11. Thank you! I love this recipe! It is great as posted. I have made a few modifications over the many times I have made it. My family is not a fan of too much fennel (I love it, but oh well), so I cut that in half. I have also made it without fennel and substituted dried rosemary. My favorite is a little fennel and a little rosemary.
    The biggest 2 changes I have made are half the rye, substituting bread flour. Using my sourdough starter instead of yeast, and pulling the dough every 30 mins for the first two hours like you would a sourdough to humidify the flour. You can see how the mushy mess becomes more elastic. And I do the first rise for 4 hours (starter matures slower).

  12. I’ve made this bread twice and each time it came out flatter than expected. I did the 2 hour rise at 75 degrees and then in the fridge for two hours and another hour rise before baking. Any suggestions ?

    • Hi Lynn,

      Oddly enough, it could be that your dutch oven is a bit large and the dough is relaxing into it a bit too much. You could also try shaping the round tighter to build more tension on the surface. Be on the lookout for qualifiers and visual cues that the bread is proofed; it could be over-proofed after shaping. Happy baking!

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