Chapter 6: Healthful, Whole-Grain, Multigrain, and Gluten-Free Breads

This chapter celebrates a wide variety of grains and seeds, all of which can enhance the flavor, texture, visual interest, and nutritional value of bread. For the fine flavor that is the hallmark of good homemade bread, always be sure seeds, whole grains, and whole-grain flours are impeccably fresh. The high fat content of nuts and of the germ portion of grains makes them stale rapidly, so use what you buy promptly, or refrigerate or freeze (wrapped airtight) to preserve good flavor.

Whole-grain breads are well suited to the Kneadlessly Simple method. Bits of grain and seeds added during the long first rise have plenty of time to soften, plus the extended soaking encourages chemical processes that make them more digestible. The bubbling action of the "micro-kneading" is also advantageous because it gently jiggles rather than manhandles the dough. Regular kneading causes the coarse grain particles to cut some of the gluten strands, which reduces their ability to trap gas and puff the bread.

Nevertheless, because whole grains contain bits of bran and germ, which are heavier than the starchy parts of kernels, breads calling for large proportions of whole grains often rise more slowly and come out more compact than those made entirely with all white wheat flour. White bread flour has extra gluten that can help lift the extra weight, so it is often called for in these recipes instead of all-purpose white flour. To further lighten the whole-grain load, some recipes call for a slightly higher proportion of yeast than most of the recipes in the book.