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A hearty loaf with seeds and oats, this whole grain seeded bread will surely become a new favorite. It’s a beginner-friendly bread recipe with fresh-milled flour that is perfect for toast, sandwiches, and more!
Since diving into the world of whole grain, fresh-milled flour recipes, I’ve had so much fun making bread.
I made a simple whole grain bread loaf, whole grain dinner rolls, and an artisan whole grain loaf, just to name a few.
As we headed into fall, I was craving a hearty seeded bread loaf to make into sandwiches and serve on the side of soups and stews.
This whole grain seeded bread recipe turned out so beautifully, and my whole family raves about it! A lovely, soft whole grain bread with seeds mixed in and oats on top, this loaf has a complex flavor, unique textures, and is wonderfully filling.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Hearty loaf: Between the fresh-milled whole grains, the variety of seeds, and the rolled oats, this bread is hearty and satiating. It’s easy to get your daily dose of whole grains with this loaf in the bread box.
- Versatile: This bread is useful for a wide array of meals. Serve it toasted with jam for breakfast, make it into a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, or make some garlic bread for your pasta dinner (bonus points if you make whole wheat noodles too!).
- Beginner-friendly: I know how intimidating fresh-milled flour can be when you’re first starting. This recipe keeps it straightforward for beginners, so you can feel empowered to make more whole grain recipes.
- Cost-effective: I used to buy seeded whole grain bread from the grocery store, and it adds up fast! Making my own has saved so much money, and I have fun doing it.
Key Ingredients
- Water and milk: Gently warmed to help bloom the yeast.
- Yeast: This recipe is for active dry yeast (not instant yeast). Make sure it’s fresh and gets nice and foamy when proofing it.
- Whole grain flour: I used freshly milled hard white wheat berries for this recipe, but you can use your favorite bread grains.
- Honey: We’ll add just enough honey to give it a well-rounded flavor, like regular sandwich bread. It’s not a very sweet final loaf (for that, try my whole wheat sweet bread).
- Butter: Make sure it’s nice and soft to incorporate into the dough.
- Olive oil: Any neutral liquid oil will work.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice is a natural dough enhancer that improves the gluten structure and final texture of the bread.
- Seeds: You can add any seeds you prefer, such as sunflower seeds, sesame, pumpkin, or flax. Use a combination for lots of variety.
- Rolled oats: We will sprinkle the loaf with rolled oats right before baking for a fun texture and flavor on the crust.
How to Make Whole Grain Seeded Bread
Step 1. Proof the yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, milk, and yeast. Stir gently and let it sit for 10 minutes, until foamy.
Step 2. Mix the dough: Add the flour, honey, butter, oil, lemon juice, salt, and your chosen seeds. Mix with a spatula until it all comes together.
Step 3. Knead: Using a dough hook attachment (or by hand), knead the dough on low speed for 6–8 minutes. It will feel sticky at first, but should start pulling away from the bowl as it comes together.
Step 4. First rise: Shape the dough into a loose ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Step 5. Shape the loaf: Punch down the dough, then shape it into a rectangle slightly smaller than your loaf pan. Tuck the seams underneath and place it in a prepared cast iron loaf pan (for one large loaf) or divide into two smaller stainless steel pans.
Step 6. Add oats on top: Lightly brush the top of the dough with water or an egg wash, then press rolled oats onto the surface. Cover and let rise again for 45 minutes, or until the dough reaches the top of the pan.
Step 7. Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake on a lower rack for 40–45 minutes for a large loaf, or 35–40 minutes for smaller loaves. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 15–20 minutes.
Step 8. Cool: Remove from the oven and let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Tips for Success
- New to milling your own grains? Learn everything you need to know in my tutorial on how to mill your own flour!
- I used hard white wheat berries for my flour in this recipe and milled them with my Mockmill on the lowest setting. I have made this with different whole grains, and the results were very similar.
- Make sure your milk and water mixture is warmed to about 110°F. Too cold, and the yeast won’t bloom, while hot milk can kill the yeast.
- If your bread goes stale before you can use it all up, this seeded loaf makes a delicious and hearty French toast casserole.
Storage
Bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days, or a little longer in the fridge. Keep in mind that homemade bread won’t last as long as store-bought bread because it is made without preservatives.
Homemade bread also freezes very well. I like to make a few loaves at a time and freeze some for later. Once the bread has cooled, I slice it and pack it into freezer bags.
Frozen bread can be kept for at least 6 months as long as it’s kept well-sealed. You can also freeze the loaf whole, but I personally like having individual slices ready to thaw.
Recipe FAQs
It’s possible your bread is just rising more slowly because of cool temperatures, so give it a little longer and make sure that’s not the issue. If your bread isn’t rising at all, this is usually because your milk got too hot and killed the yeast, or the yeast is old. Always make sure to keep your milk and water lukewarm when blooming yeast, and use fresh yeast that is within date for best results.
You can always do the toothpick test or use an instant thermometer. The internal temperature of the bread should be 200°F.
More Whole Grain Recipes
- Whole Grain Pumpkin Roll
- English Muffins with Whole Grain Flour
- Whole Grain Brioche Bread
- Whole Wheat Blueberry Bread
If you tried this whole grain seeded bread or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Whole Grain Seeded Bread
Equipment
- 1 large bread pan (or 2 smaller pans)
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water about 110°F
- ⅓ cup warm whole milk about 110°F
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
- 3 ⅓ cups whole grain flour reserve ¼ cup for kneading
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt
- ¼ cup seeds of choice sunflower, sesame, or flax all work well. I used sunflower in this recipe
- Rolled oats for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Proof the yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, milk, and yeast. Stir gently and let it sit for 10 minutes, until foamy.
- Mix the dough: Add the flour, honey, butter, oil, lemon juice, salt, and your chosen seeds. Mix with a spatula until it all comes together.
- Knead: Using a dough hook attachment (or by hand), knead the dough on low speed for 6–8 minutes. It will feel sticky at first but should start pulling away from the bowl as it comes together.
- First rise: Shape the dough into a loose ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Shape the loaf: Punch down the dough, then shape it into a rectangle slightly smaller than your loaf pan. Tuck the seams underneath and place it in a prepared cast iron loaf pan (for one large loaf) or divide into two smaller stainless steel pans.
- Add oats on top: Lightly brush the top of the dough with water or an egg wash, then press rolled oats onto the surface. Cover and let rise again for 45 minutes, or until the dough reaches the top of the pan.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake on a lower rack for 40–45 minutes for a large loaf, or 35–40 minutes for smaller loaves. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 15–20 minutes.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Video
Notes
- *Watch the video above where I show you exactly how to make this recipe, from start to finish, including milling the grains!
- New to milling your own grains? Learn everything you need to know in my tutorial on how to mill your own flour!
- I used hard white wheat berries for my flour in this recipe and milled them with my Mockmill on the lowest setting. I have made this with different whole grains, and the results were very similar.
- Make sure your milk and water mixture is warmed to about 110°F. Too cold, and the yeast won’t bloom, while hot milk can kill the yeast.
- If your bread goes stale before you can use it all up, this seeded loaf makes a delicious and hearty French toast casserole.
I made this bread and let me tell you, it was amazing! I saw another you tuber that used potatoe water for their bread so I tried that with this recipe and used all purpose flour and it was by far the best bread recipe I have ever made! I’m not sure if it’s the lemon juice or the potatoe water that was the game changer, but wow! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Oh that is such a great idea! I am so happy to hear it turned out so well! Thanks for trying it and for the review!
looks amazing! thanks for the recipe.
You are so welcome! Let me know how it turns out for you!
I love how fluffy this looks! I can’t wait to make it!
Oh, thank you so much!