Welcome to Lovely Bell Bakes! Today, I’m excited to share a wholesome recipe for the Ultimate Ancient Multigrain Bread. This bread combines freshly milled spelt, kamut, rye, einkorn, and barley for maximum flavor and nutrition. Using the yudane technique, this bread is incredibly soft and stays fresh longer. Simple to make and rich in taste, this bread is perfect for any meal. Let’s get baking!

Want to see the recipe in action? Check out the recipe video here.

Why Choose Ancient Grains?

Incorporating these ancient grains into your diet can offer numerous health benefits, including improved digestion, better heart health, and enhanced nutrient intake. Unlike modern refined grains, ancient grains are often less processed, retaining more of their natural nutrients and flavors. Baking with fresh milled flour from these grains ensures you get the most out of their nutritional profile, making your homemade bread not only delicious but also highly nutritious.

By choosing ancient grains for your baking, you’re embracing a tradition of wholesome, nutrient-rich ingredients that have been cherished for centuries. Let’s celebrate these incredible grains and enjoy the health benefits they bring to our daily lives!

Benefits of Ancient Grains

Ancient grains are a powerhouse of nutrition and flavor and incorporating them into your baking can elevate your bread to new levels of wholesomeness. Here’s why each grain in my Ultimate Ancient Multigrain Bread recipe is beneficial:

Spelt

Spelt is an ancient wheat variety known for its nutty flavor and high nutritional value. It’s rich in dietary fiber, which aids in digestion and helps maintain a healthy gut. Spelt also contains essential minerals like iron, magnesium, and zinc, contributing to overall wellness.

Kamut

Kamut, also known as Khorasan wheat, is prized for its buttery flavor and high protein content. It’s a great source of selenium, an antioxidant that supports immune function and thyroid health. Kamut also provides essential fatty acids, which are important for brain health.

Rye

Rye is a nutrient-dense grain that offers a distinct, hearty flavor. It’s particularly high in fiber, which can help regulate blood sugar levels and promote a feeling of fullness. Rye is also packed with vitamins and minerals, including manganese, phosphorus, and B vitamins.

Einkorn

Einkorn is one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheat, known for its slightly sweet and nutty taste. It’s lower in gluten than modern wheat varieties, making it easier to digest for some people. Einkorn is rich in lutein, an antioxidant that supports eye health, and provides a good balance of protein, fiber, and essential fatty acids.

Barley

Barley is a versatile grain with a chewy texture and a mild flavor. It’s an excellent source of beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber that can help lower cholesterol levels and improve heart health. Barley is also rich in vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins, which support overall metabolic function.

What is Yudane and How Does it Improve Bread?

Yudane is a traditional Japanese technique used in bread making that involves scalding a portion of the flour with boiling water. This process gelatinizes the starches in the flour, which helps to retain moisture, resulting in a softer and more tender crumb. By incorporating yudane into the dough, the bread stays fresher for longer and has a slightly chewy texture with improved flavor. This technique also enhances the overall structure of the bread, making it perfect for achieving a lofty, well-risen loaf like “The Ultimate Ancient Multigrain Bread.

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Loaf pans

Wheat berries

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Baker’s scale

Vitamin C (optional)

Sunflower lecithin (optional)

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Ingredients

Spelt
Kamut
Rye
Einkorn
Barley
Egg (optional)
Water
Salt
Yeast
Oil
Honey
Sunflower lecithin (optional) a natural emulsifier that helps blend fats and water in bread dough, resulting in a smoother, more cohesive mixture. It enhances the dough’s elasticity and improves its handling properties, making it easier to knead and shape. By incorporating sunflower lecithin, the bread’s crumb becomes softer and more tender, and it can also help extend the bread’s shelf life by retaining moisture.
Vitamin C (optional) strengthens the gluten network, which helps the dough rise higher and improves its texture. By enhancing the elasticity and strength of the dough, vitamin C results in a lighter, fluffier loaf with a better crumb structure.
Boiling water This is to make the yudane.

Instructions for the ultimate ancient multigrain bread

Mill grains

Start by milling the grains. While the grains are milling, boil your water. To your mixer bowl add the water (not boiled water), egg (if using), oil, honey, vitamin C (if using), and sunflower lecithin (if using) to the bowl.

Make yudane and mix

Once the grains are milled, put 17g of the fresh milled flour in a bowl. Pour 34g of boiling water over the flour. Mix immediately into a thick paste being sure to incorporate all of the flour. This paste is your yudane. Add the yudane paste and the rest of the freshly milled flour to the mixer bowl with the wet ingredients. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until all ingredients are just incorporated. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Cover the bowl with a lid or a damp cloth to prevent the dough from drying out. This rest period helps hydrate the flour and improves the dough’s texture.

Add Salt and Yeast, Knead

After resting, add the salt and yeast to the dough. Knead until the dough is well combined and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. This could take anywhere from 3-15 minutes depending on your mixer. Knead the dough until it reaches the windowpane stage. This means that when you stretch a small piece of dough, it should form a thin, translucent membrane without tearing. This indicates proper gluten development.

Here is what windowpane looks like.

First Rise and Shape

Once the dough is kneaded, transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. The dough will feel loose and stretchy, thats normal. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it rise until it has doubled in size. This will take about 20-40 minutes, depending on the room temperature. After the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate it with an oiled hand and shape it into a loaf. Place the shaped dough into a greased loaf pan.

Second Rise and Bake

Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it rise again until it has doubled in size. This second rise should take about 20-40 minutes. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Once the dough has risen, remove the cover and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 200°F.

Cool

Remove the bread from the oven then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy your homemade Ancient Grain Multigrain Bread!

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The Ultimate Ancient Multigrain Bread

The Ultimate Ancient Multigrain Bread combines spelt, Kamut, rye, einkorn, and barley, all freshly milled for maximum flavor and nutrition.

4.50 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

resting time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, bread, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 1 loaf

Equipment

• 1 9×5 or 9×4 loaf pan

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 300 g spelt
• 75 g kamut
• 40 g rye
• 40 g einkorn
• 40 g barley
• 346 g water
• 10 g salt
• 9 g Instant yeast
• 35 g oil
• 30 g honey
• 9 g sunflower lecithin optional
• 1/8 tsp Vitamin C powder optional
• 34 g boiling water It must be boiling!

Egg Version

• 300 g spelt
• 75 g kamut
• 40 g rye
• 40 g einkorn
• 40 g barley
• 1 Egg 50g
• 300 g water
• 10 g salt
• 9 g instant yeast
• 35 g oil
• 30 g honey
• 1/8 tsp vitamin C powder optional
• 34 g boiling water It must be boiling!

Instructions

 

Mill grains

• Start by milling the grains. While the grains are milling, boil your water. To your mixer bowl add the water (not boiled water), egg (if using), oil, honey, vitamin C (if using), and sunflower lecithin (if using) to the bowl.

Make yudane and mix

• Once the grains are milled, put 17g of the fresh milled flour in a bowl. Pour 34g of boiling water over the flour. Mix immediately into a thick paste being sure to incorporate all of the flour. This paste is your yudane. Add the yudane paste and the rest of the freshly milled flour to the mixer bowl with the wet ingredients. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until all ingredients are just incorporated. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Cover the bowl with a lid or a damp cloth to prevent the dough from drying out. This rest period helps hydrate the flour and improves the dough’s texture.

Add Salt and Yeast, Knead

• After resting, add the salt and yeast to the dough. Knead until the dough is well combined and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. This could take anywhere from 3-15 minutes depending on your mixer. Knead the dough until it reaches the windowpane stage. This means that when you stretch a small piece of dough, it should form a thin, translucent membrane without tearing. This indicates proper gluten development.

First Rise and Shape

• Once the dough is kneaded, transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. The dough will feel loose and stretchy, thats normal. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it rise until it has doubled in size. This will take about 20-40 minutes, depending on the room temperature. After the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate it with an oiled hand and shape it into a loaf. Place the shaped dough into a greased loaf pan.

Second Rise and Bake

• Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it rise again until it has doubled in size. This second rise should take about 20-40 minutes. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Once the dough has risen, remove the cover and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 200°F.

Cool

• Remove the bread from the oven then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
• Enjoy your homemade Ancient Grain Multigrain Bread!

Video

Keyword ancient grain, barley, bread, einkorn, kamut, multigrain, rye, sandwich, soft, spelt

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