Whole Grain Seeded Bread

A soft, easy  whole grain seeded bread recipe using whole wheat flour and a mix of seeds, oats and whole grains! You will love this soft, healthy sandwich bread! 

True Story: I made Steph’s multigrain bread recipe one time and fell in love! 

It has a soft, tender texture and was as delicious plain as it was on sandwiches, toast or covered with butter. This whole grain seeded bread is my love poem to that soft multigrain bread but with tons of whole grains, seeds and oats mixed in! 

To be totally honest, making that multigrain bread set me off on a bit of a sandwich bread recipe creation obsession! 

It prompted me to develop a white sandwich bread recipe, a whole wheat oatmeal bread recipe, a French bread recipe (for dinner and sandwiches), and then a sourdough sandwich bread recipe.  I am trying to temper my obsession as my freezers (yes, plural) fill up! 

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Seed Mix: I used equal parts pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and quinoa. I don’t love the flavor of sesame seeds, so I didn’t add them to the seed mix for the bread, but you absolutely can add 2-4 tablespoons without adjusting anything else in the recipe. 
• All-Purpose Flour & Whole Wheat Flour: This bread uses a mixture of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour for flavor, health and texture. I would not recommend changing the ratio too drastically because you will need to adjust the water. If you want to dive into 100% whole wheat try adding the seed mix to my whole wheat bread recipe or whole wheat sourdough bread recipe instead.
• Honey: I love the classic combination of honey, oats and whole wheat, but you could also use molasses, maple syrup, granulated sugar, or brown sugar. You could also omit all sweeteners.
• Unsalted Butter: The butter adds flavor as well as fat, which is part of what keeps this sandwich bread so delightfully soft!
• Instant Yeast: I use instant yeast for a quick rise and to streamline the mixing process. The gluten in this dough is developed in the mixer, unlike in my no knead dutch oven bread or no knead sourdough bread, so you do not need a slow, consistent rise like that of active dry yeast. 
• If you only have active dry yeast, whisk together the yeast and remaining warm water (not the portion set aside for the seed soaking), and allow to bloom 5-10 minutes, or until foamy, before mixing the dough.
• Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: Use old-fashioned rolled oats rather than quick oats for the most added flavor and texture just like in giant oatmeal raisin cookies.
• Egg White: I have found through experimentation that well beaten egg white is the best way to get the seeds and oats to stick to the crust of the bread and stay there through slicing and eating! 
• Seed Mix for Coating: I added rolled oats and sesame seeds to the seed mix for the coating, mainly for aesthetics. 

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations 

• Add additional flavorings or mix-ins. Add cinnamon or pumpkin spice mix to the dry ingredients or gently knead raisins, dried cranberries, or other dried fruit and nuts to the bread dough after development. 
• Make into multigrain rolls: I do have an oatmeal dinner rolls recipe but you can certainly divide this dough and shape it into 16 seeded rolls instead of 2 loaves, or make a combination. This recipe will make wonderfully, hearty rolls. 
• Use whatever seeds and whole grains you like and have on hand! I developed this recipe to my preferences, and I encourage you to do the same. In addition to the 4 that I have in my seed mix, you can use black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, hemp seeds, poppy seeds, whole buckwheat, or millet. You can also add chia seeds, but I would not add them to the soaker, rather with the flours during mixing.  

Professional Tips for Making Seeded Sandwich Bread

• Soaking softens the grains and makes them more pleasant to eat and easier to slice.   
• Brushing the loaf in beaten egg white made the seeds actually stick to the outside of the loaf. When testing the multigrain bread, I used the cooking spray as called for to adhere the oats to the outside but they just fell right off before and after baking. The egg white worked like a charm: they actually stuck when slicing and serving. 
• A set of stretch and folds after 45 minutes of bulk proofing helps to mix in the seeds easier and more evenly. There is no need to redistribute the yeast’s food or build gluten; It is just easier to mix them in once the dough has relaxed and aerated a bit.

How to Make Whole Grain Seeded Bread

Use these instructions to make soft, tender, hearty seeded sandwich bread! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: In a small bowl or glass container, combine desired seeds for seed mix. Mix the topping seeds separately and do not soak those. Add ½ cup water to the seed mixture for the bread, stir, cover and allow to sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes to overnight. Mine soaked for about 2 hours. (photo 1)

Step 2: Combine dough ingredients. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add flours, instant yeast, honey, melted butter, remaining 2 cups warm water (110-115F), oats and salt to combine.(photo 2)

Step 3: Stir on low speed to combine. Mix on medium speed for 6-8 minutes until smooth dough forms. The oats and whole wheat flour do make it a bit more challenging to pull a windowpane, but you are looking for an elastic dough that will pull a window pane before tearing around the oats. (photo 3)

Step 4: Reduce speed to low and add all the contents of the soaker (seeds and water). Mix until the seeds have completely incorporated and dispersed throughout the dough. I usually stop the mixer every few minutes and cut up the dough with my bowl scraper. This exposes new surfaces and helps the seeds incorporate in spite of the additional water and the slime created by the flaxseeds.(photo 4) 

Step 5: Let dough rise. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until doubled. (photo 5)

I added a set of stretch and folds after 45 minutes of the bulk proofing just to mix in the seeds a bit better. I didn’t unnecessarily degas the dough; there is no need for redistribution of food or strengthening gluten. It is just easier to mix the seeds in once the dough has relaxed and aerated a bit.

Step 6: Spray two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide the dough in half. Preshape each into a round boule by folding all 4 corners to the center (photo 6), flipping it over and tightening it into a ball. It is just a preshape so you don’t need to overthink it. A few pulls towards you using both hands to pull and rotate will do it. Set them aside and cover gently with plastic or overturned bowls. Allow to bench rest 10 minutes. 

Step 7: Final shape into a loaf. Gently stretch the dough into a small rectangle and fold both of the short sides into the center (photo 7). Using your left hand, grab the dough and roll it around your thumb, sealing it about 2/3 from the bottom using the heel of your right hand. Work your way across the whole log from right to left, rolling and sealing as you go (photo 8). Repeat one more time across the whole surface, this time closing the dough roll into a log and sealing the bottom with the heel of your hand (photo 9). This will create a tight log that will not slouch on the work surface. 

Step 8: Sprinkle topping seed mixture on clean surface or in parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush loaves in beaten egg white and then roll in seed mixture to coat (photo 10) . Transfer each loaf to prepared loaf pans, seam side-down. 

Water might work in a pinch and would be better than cooking spray.

Step 9: Proof in pans. Cover pans loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour until nearly doubled. (photo 11)

Step 10: Bake. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake loaves 35 to 40 minutes until deep golden brown and baked through (an instant read thermometer inserted in center of each loaf should read 185 degrees F).

Step 11: Cool in pans 5 minutes (photo 12). Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this hearty homemade bread recipe. Check out our other delicious sandwich bread recipes or venture into all of our yeast bread recipes!