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Delicious Harvest Grains Bread Recipe (Whole Grain)

Enjoy the wholesome goodness of our Harvest Grain Bread Recipe. Whole grains and seeds add flavor and nutrition to this simple bread. Each bite is warm and hearty, and, the nutty aroma that will transport you to a rustic countryside bakery. It’s the perfect addition to any meal.

Harvest Grains Bread | Hostess At Heart

If you’re looking for an easy homemade bread that’s easy enough to make for everyday sandwiches and you can feel good about feeding to your family, you’re going to love our Harvest Grains Bread recipe.

This wholesome wholegrain recipe tastes like homemade bread should taste, not the typical flavor described as cardboard that you get in bread labeled “healthy” in the grocery store.

Best of all, this bread recipe is simple enough for the beginner baker or the baker who doesn’t want to spend all day in the kitchen for a loaf of homemade bread.

What are the Harvest Grains Bread Ingredients?

This recipe is adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe that I adapted to use my own 8-ingredient organic whole grain and seed blend. If you don’t want to, King Arthur Flour Company has it available on their website.

  • Whole Grain and Seed Blend
  • Bread Flour – Unbleached bread flour. You can use bleached bread flour.
  • Whole Wheat Flour – When buying whole wheat flour look at the ingredients on the package. They should read “whole wheat flour” and not contain any artificial preservatives, artificial colors, or additives. 
  • Whole-Grain Bread Improver – This is a product that King Arthur Flour carries and states that loaves will rise higher, and have better texture. I use it and haven’t made this bread without it. I wouldn’t be afraid to make this recipe without it, however.
  • Instant Yeast – Make sure your yeast is fresh. I store mine in the refrigerator and if I haven’t used it in a while, I’ll replace it instead of using it. 
  • Sugar – White granulated sugar
  • Nonfat Dry Milk – This ingredient has many benefits that I’ll explain. It can be found in most grocery stores. I look for the dry milk package that has individual packets which is convenient if you’re not using it frequently.
  • Salt – You can use any salt. I prefer fine sea salt because it dissolves well and blends easily with the other ingredients.
  • Butter – Salted or unsalted doesn’t make a difference in this whole grain bread recipe.

What you need to make this recipe.

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The glory of this simple recipe is that you need very few items to make it.

Loaf Pan – This harvest loaf recipe makes a larger loaf so I recommend a 9×5-sized pan.

Mixing Bowl – I use these mixing bowls daily in my kitchen. In addition to mixing, we keep leftovers in them and use them for our make-and-take dishes since they come with lids.

Harvest Grains Bread | Hostess At Heart

How Do You Make Harvest Grains Bread?

Please note, that the printable recipe card has ingredient quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.

This is actually a very simple bread to make with a minimal number of steps. Let’s break it down.

  1. Combine all of the ingredients together. Mix until the dough comes together. I used a large bowl. You could use an electric stand mixer but it’s not necessary.
  2. Knead the bread for 10 minutes. It should become soft and not sticky.
  3. Put the dough into a greased bowl and let it rise. 
  4. Shape and put the dough into a loaf pan. Let it rise a second time.
  5. Bake.

Note: I brush softened butter over the top of the loaf as soon as it’s turned out of the pan. I like the slightly softened crust when you do this, but it’s not necessary.

Harvest Bread Recipe FAQ’s

Can I substitute bread flour with all-purpose flour?

Yes, you can usually substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour in most recipes, including bread recipes like Harvest Grain Bread. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour which gives the bread more structure allowing a better rise and giving bread a chewy texture. The difference in protein content might result in a slightly softer or less chewy texture in the finished bread.

Harvest Grains Bread | Hostess At Heart

What does nonfat dry milk do in a bread recipe?

Nonfat dry milk does a number of things including, but not limited to:

  1.  Conditions the dough making it easier to shape and handle. 
  2. Nonfat milk improves the texture by strengthening the dough leading to better volume and a softer, more tender crumb. 
  3. The lactose aids in browning the bread while baking. The beauty of browned bread is the flavor it adds as well as the appealing color.
  4. Milk proteins can help retain moisture in the bread helping to extend its shelf life.

What grains and seeds can I use for this recipe?

While you can make up your own whole grain bread blend such we did, or buy it, you don’t have to. The following recommendations are just suggestions. Use what you can find or the flavors you want for your harvest loaf bread. Aim for about 1/2 cup. Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, rye flakes, barley flakes, chia seeds, wheat flakes, flaxseed, poppyseed, and oats will all add their own unique nutty flavor and will add texture.

What is the best way to store and preserve this bread?

First of all, make sure the bread is completely cooled before storing it. If the bread is warm it will create condensation in the container which will make the bread mushy.

It’s best to store harvest wheat bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Bread may be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw slices in the toaster. Thaw a partial or whole loaf by setting it out on the counter (still in it’s container) until it reaches room temperature.

Harvest Grains Bread | Hostess At Heart

Bread with a soft and tender crumb like this recipe for harvest bread, our Honey Whole Grain bread or No-knead English Muffin Bread recipes are perfect for everyday sandwiches. We love rustic artisan bread with a crusty exterior such as this No-Knead Bread with a great bowl of soup.

We LOVE baking bread! You can find all of our bread recipes here!

If you like this recipe, here are a few more I think you’ll love.

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.

Angled view of a slice of wheat bread with the cut loaf in the rear. Hostess At Heart

Harvest Grains Bread

Author: Hostess At Heart
A warm and hearty bread filled with healthy whole grains and seeds. This bread recipe makes a large loaf that is perfect for sandwiches all week long.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Keyword: Harvest Grains Bread, Homemade bread, Whole Wheat Bread
Servings: 18

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Combine all of the ingredients together and mix until a craggy dough forms. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and satiny. Transfer the dough to a large lightly greased bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for one hour.
  • Grease a 9×5 inch bread pan. Shape dough into a loaf and cover lightly with a greased piece of and allow to rise until dough has risen 1 inch above bread pan.  1 to 1-1/2 hours.
  • Remove the plastic wrap and bake in a preheated 350 °F oven for 35 minutes or until interior registers 190 °F. Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.  KAF also sell a whole grain bread blend if you don’t want to make your own.

Nutrition

Calories: 107kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 222mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 100IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 0.3mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

Don’t have time to make it now? Pin it for later!

Closeup view of a slice of seeded bread - Hostess At Heart

Let’s take a look at the other Fall Flavors being shared today

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to [email protected].

This recipe was originally published on October 13, 2015, and has been updated with additional tips. Very small changes were made to the recipe.
Recipe Rating




Kathleen

Tuesday 19th of September 2023

This is in the oven now, the whole house smells amazing, my husband keeps coming out and asking if it's ready!

Julie Menghini

Thursday 21st of September 2023

That's the best smell! I hope you enjoyed it!

Debi

Tuesday 19th of September 2023

I love all the grains that are in this bread. So yummy and so perfect.

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 19th of September 2023

We do too. So much fiber and flavor. Thank you for stopping by!

Tina

Sunday 16th of July 2023

Made this today and it was wonderful. Slightly warm with a slather of butter. Delicious! Can’t wait to try it toasted as well. I had to give you 5 stars because my husband absolutely loved it and never made the comment, “ Don’t know how you can eat sticks and stones.” Now he knows how.

Julie Menghini

Monday 17th of July 2023

Thank you, Tina! I love this recipe too and appreciate you took the time to leave such a sweet comment. My hubby loves homemade bread too!

MNThompson

Friday 13th of November 2020

I have tried this and it was delicious!!! I'm wondering if it would make good hamburger buns - have you ever tried?

Julie Menghini

Friday 13th of November 2020

Thank you! This is my favorite hamburger buns recipe using dry yeast https://hostessatheart.com/brioche-bun-recipe/.

Mike

Tuesday 26th of May 2020

A great tasting bread. I use it for sandwiches at lunch. Better than anything coming out of the store.

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