Easy Homemade 7 Grain Bread
Prep time: 
Serves: 2 Loaves
 
You may think that making fresh homemade bread is a hard task, but here’s the truth: it’s not. In fact, it’s really one of the easiest recipes ever! Not only does making your own bread save you money, it also tastes better compared to the store bought kind.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups warm water (around 105°F (40°C))
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 packets of active dry yeast or cubes
  • 4 cups organic all-purpose flour
  • 4½ cups organic 7 grain flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt (if the 7 grain flour has salt included in it’s ingredients, if not increase the amount to 2 teaspoons).
  • ½ cup flax seeds
  • ½ cup poppy seeds
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. Warm two cups water and pour it in a ceramic bowl, avoid a metal bowl.
  2. Add the sugar and yeast, stir together until combined; let sit for 10 minutes. When the yeast rises slightly and forms bubbles on top, it is ready.
  3. In the meantime, add the flours, salt, flax and poppy seeds to a large ceramic bowl. Stir until combined.
  4. Warm two additional cups water and set aside. Form a well in the flour and when the yeast is ready, pour it slowly into the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing together with your hands. Add olive oil. Continue adding extra warm water as needed until you have formed dough and it does not stick to your hands. (If you've added too much water, simply add more flour until you reach the right consistency.)
  5. Preheat the oven to 125°F (50°C). (Need during the winter, if it is summer or the house is warm you can skip this step).
  6. Knead the dough for 10 minutes.
  7. Shut off the oven. Put the dough back in the ceramic dish, make a cross cross on top with a knife, cover with a damp dish towel and place it in the oven. Let the dough rise for 2 hours, it will double in size so make sure to put the bowl on the lowest rack.
  8. Take the dough out of the oven, knead it for 5 minutes and then separate it into two balls. Form each ball into a oblong loaf.
  9. Brush a pan or silpat with olive oil then set the loaves on top. Make 4 slices with a sharp knife on top of each loaf and replace them back in the oven for another 30 minutes to rise.
  10. After the bread has risen for a second time, remove it from the oven and preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C) then stick the pan inside. After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 355°F (180°C) and continue to bake for one hour. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
  11. Store the loaves of bread in a closed plastic bag in the fridge. They will last up to 5 days. You can also freeze the bread.
Notes
There is only about 20 minutes of hands on work. The reason why it takes 4 hours is because the dough needs to use for 2½ hours and bake for 1 hour.
Recipe by Italicana Kitchen at https://italicanakitchen.com/easy-homemade-7-grain-bread/