Sunflower Oat Wheat Bread

This hearty Sunflower Oat Wheat Bread is a treat to bake and serve. The nutty combination of bread and whole wheat flours along with rolled oats and toasted sunflower seeds makes it absolutely irresistible.  Serve it warm fresh from the oven alongside soups or stews or make the ultimate pimento cheese sandwich and thick-cut toast to go with your oven eggs.  It’s utterly impossible to eat only one piece making it one of those simple indulgent pleasures that makes life so sweet.

I know, when a recipe calls for yeast you keep searching right? I totally understand, yeast can be a finicky character. Intimidating at the very least and incredibly scary to most people.  I used to be the exact same way.  One day some years ago, long before I started developing recipes professionally, I decided that I would conquer the yeast bread fear. And, you know what?  Once you gain confidence working with yeast there’s a whole other baking world that opens up to you.  I’m here to tell you that it IS possible for you to master bread making.

When reading through bread recipes you’ll see terms like “let the yeast bloom” or “proof.”  This means allowing the yeast to grown in a warm water or milk medium, and that’s what gives the rise to bread.  Ideally, the liquid temperature should be kept between 105-110°F which provides the optimal environment for yeast to bloom.  This sunflower oat wheat bread is a tad different in that the yeast is initially added to part of the dry ingredients and doesn’t bloom separately in warm liquid. So, in this case it’s best to go with the higher end of the recommended temperature for the scalded milk as it begins to cool immediately upon being mixed with the starter ingredients and therefore less likely to “kill” the yeast.

Make this bread and give it to teachers, neighbors and friends as gifts or enjoy slathered with sweet cream butter and jam. Once you gain confidence making bread from scratch don’t stop with this recipe checkout a couple of my MOST popular bread recipes to date, my easy no knead yeast rolls and honey yeast rolls.  Homemade bread is sure to impress your loved ones and show them the cooking love.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

You may also like:  Potato Bread, Homemade White Bread, Homemade Artisan Style Bread, Chocolate Chip Brioche, Dollywood Cinnamon Bread and English Muffin Bread.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Loaf Pan
• Electric Hand Mixer
• Cooling Rack
• Rectangular Food Storage

Adapted from and Original Recipe Credit : National Sunflower Association 

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Sunflower Oat Wheat Bread

Servings: 2 loaves

Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups bread flour plus extra as needed
• 2 1/4 cups whole milk scalded then cooled to 110°F
• 2 packages 1/4 oz each active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats uncooked
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup roasted salted sunflower kernels May substitute raw

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, heat the milk until it begins to foam around the edges. Remove from the heat and cool to 110°F.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine bread flour, yeast, and sugar. Mix the dry ingredients together just until the yeast is fully distributed.
• On low speed gradually add the scalded milk. Beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let rise until double, about 30 minutes.
• Using a knife, release some of the air from the dough mixture, then on low speed add the whole-wheat flour, oats, sunflower kernels, sunflower oil, honey, and salt. Mix well.
• Using the dough hook, or by hand on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes.
• Punch the dough down to release air and shape into 2 loaves. Place in (2) greased metal 8 x 4 x 2-inch loaf pans. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F Uncover and bake for 25-35 minutes or until THE bread makes a hollow sound when tapped in the middle.
• Check at 20 minutes and cover with aluminum foil to prevent over browning, if needed.
• Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Notes

This recipe can be used in a bread machine as well. Simply follow bread machine directions for adding wet and dry ingredients and bake as directed above.