Affiliate disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Hearty and delicious, this multigrain sourdough bread is made with 7-grain cereal and has a delicious depth of flavor that you are going to love. This artisan-style multigrain loaf is my favorite for sandwiches or to make a grilled cheese. This recipe tastes delicious AND gives you important nutrients from the seven-grain hot cereal used in the dough. I think this one will be a new favorite!
Save this for later!
We'll email this post to you so it doesn't get lost in your open tabs 😉
Why You’ll Love Multigrain Sourdough Bread
- Artisan Style Loaf: This multigrain sourdough recipe follows a similar schedule to my sourdough bread recipe, making it a great multigrain alternative to a traditional sourdough loaf.
- Multigrain: – Use your favorite multigrain hot cereal for a healthy and delicious bake or try my Oatmeal Sourdough Loaf that uses oatmeal instead of a hot cereal.
- Flavor and Texture: Multigrain Sourdough Bread has a rich, hearty and slightly sweet flavor that you will love – or try my Einkorn Sourdough Bread, another amazing whole grain option.
Sourdough Baker’s Timeline
A sample baking schedule helps me when baking with sourdough. Sourdough takes much longer to rise than commercial yeast bread. This schedule helps me plan my bake.
A few notes: This schedule assumes the dough temperature is 78-80°F throughout the process. If you’d like to make the bread all on the same day, skip the cold fermentation and let the dough rise for a few hours in a banneton or bowl before baking.
| Day 1 | Levain/Mixing/Bulk Fermentation/Shaping/Cold Fermentation |
| 8:00 AM –11:30 AM | Mix Levain. Let sit at 78°F for about 3-4 hours until doubled/bubbly and ripe. |
| 10:30 AM | Mix Multigrain Cereal with boiling water |
| 11:30 AM | Mix Dough |
| 12:00 PM 12:30 PM 1:00 PM 1:30 PM | Stretch and Fold #1 Stretch and Fold #2 Stretch and Fold #3 Stretch and Fold #4 |
| 3:30 PM | Bench Rest |
| 4:00 PM | Shape dough Begin cold fermentation |
| Day 2 | |
| 9:00 AM | Preheat Dutch oven |
| 9:30 AM | Score and Bake |
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Starter – Use an active/ripe sourdough starter (doubled in size/bubbly/mild sour aroma) to mix the levain. Ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter can be used in place of levain if desired.
- Bread Flour – I almost always use a 12.5% protein bread flour for any bread that I am kneading. The higher protein content and properly activating the gluten result in a lighter, springy baked good.
- Whole Wheat Flour – You can use your favorite whole wheat flour in this recipe or substitute it for white bread flour if you prefer.
- Multigrain Cereal – This is the 7-grain cereal I like to use in my multigrain loaf. It includes: wheat, rye, oats, triticale, barley, brown rice, and oat bran.
- Boiling Water – This recipe mixes multigrain cereal with boiling water to thicken prior to mixing the dough.
- Brown Sugar – A little bit of brown sugar sweetens this loaf of multigrain sourdough bread.
- Salt – Salt enhances the flavor, don’t leave it out!
How to Make Multigrain Sourdough Bread
Mix the Levain
1:1:1 Levain (ready in 3-4 hours/same day): This recipe calls for a levain mixed the same day you mix the dough. It should take 3-4 hours until it’s ready to be mixed with the dough, if you keep the levain temperature at 78-80°F. Levain is ready when it has doubled in size, has lots of bubbles, a slightly sour aroma and is just about to start going down from its peak height. Also note, you can manipulate the timing of your levain so it works best with your schedule. Mix together:
- 35 grams of ripe/mature starter
- 35 grams of warm water
- 35 grams of bread flour
If you prefer to mix the levain the night before, you can mix a 1:10:10 levain that is ready in 10-12 hours or overnight. Mix together:
- 5 grams of ripe/mature sourdough starter
- 55 grams water
- 55 grams bread flour
Note: If you have a ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter that is fed equal parts flour and water – it can be substituted for the levain in this recipe.
Mix Dough and Begin Bulk Fermentation
About 30 minutes to an hour before your levain is ripe, active, and ready to use, mix together the multigrain cereal and boiling water. Stir together and set aside to thicken and cool. You may need to stir the mixture every 5-10 minutes to release the steam and encourage it to cool.
I use the Bob’s Red Mill 7 grain hot cereal for this loaf. If you use something different, it’s possible it may absorb more or less water when you go to mix your dough. If the dough feels overly dry when mixing it together, add a little more water. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour.
Mix multigrain sourdough bread dough in a large bowl. Use a dough whisk or your hands to combine ripe levain, multigrain cereal (cooled), water, brown sugar, salt, bread flour and whole wheat flour until a wet and sticky dough forms and the ingredients are fully combined. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Amy’s Tip: If you prefer to use a stand mixer, you can use the tips in my Sourdough in a Stand Mixer recipe instead of mixing the dough by hand.
Perform Stretch and Folds and Rest
In making artisan style bread, we don’t use traditional kneading methods, instead we use a series of gentle folds to help strengthen the gluten strands in the dough. This dough usually gets about 3-4 sets of stretch and folds over a 2 hour period, if the dough is kept right around 78-80°F.
Stretch and Fold: To “stretch and fold,” wet your hand (so it doesn’t stick to the dough). Reach down to the bottom of the bowl of dough and pull the dough up and over the top of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Turn another quarter turn and repeat. Perform one more quarter turn with stretching and folding the dough. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Repeat every 30 minutes for a total of 3-4 times.
You should notice the dough feeling more cohesive and strong during this stretch and fold and not needing very much folding to come together. If your dough still feels loose, add in another couple stretch and folds to help strengthen and tighten the gluten strands.
Cover the dough and let rise for 1.5-2 more hours. You’ll know the dough is ready to shape when the dough is puffed up, jiggles when you shake the bowl and has scattered bubbles visible on the sides and top.
Pre-Shape and Shape Dough
To pre-shape the dough, tip the bowl upside down, allowing the dough to fall onto a clean counter surface. Be gentle to preserve any air bubbles in the dough. Wet your hands and the bench knife if needed and push the bench knife under the dough on one side and your free hand on the other side to tuck the dough under itself. The goal is to introduce some tension into the dough. Repeat this process, going around in a circle until you have a ball of dough.
Let the dough rest uncovered for about 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough will flatten a little as it sits. This allows the gluten in the dough to relax and prepares the dough to be shaped.
Prepare a bowl or banneton. Place a kitchen towel or hair net in the bowl and liberally flour as needed. Sprinkle a little flour or multigrain cereal (for a rustic look) on top of the dough. Using a bench knife, lift the dough up off the counter and place it on top of the countertop – floured side down. This ensures that the flour is staying mainly on the outside of the dough. Going around in a circle, pull the dough sideways towards you and then fold up to the top of the round. Move 90 degrees and repeat the same process pulling the dough sideways and then folding up to the top. As you continue this process around the dough, increase the tension as you pull. Gather the bread into a circle and place into a lined bowl.
Cold Fermentation (Refrigeration)
After shaping your multigrain sourdough loaf and placing it in the prepared bowl, cover the dough with the tea towel/shower cap/plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 14-20 hours. Alternatively, you can let the dough rise for about 3-4 hours until puffed up and risen and bake the same day.
Score and Bake
Prepare to bake your multigrain sourdough bread by preheating the oven. Put a Dutch oven (top and all) into the oven and preheat to 500°F for 30 minutes. Be careful not to burn yourself! Once preheated for 30 minutes, pull the multigrain loaf out of the refrigerator. Remove the covering. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Flip the dough over so it is now sitting on the parchment paper.
Score your multigrain sourdough bread by using a very sharp knife or bread lame to score the dough. Take the bread lame and score on one side of the dough, at a shallow angle about 30º and 1 inch deep.
Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the 500°F oven. Take the lid off and place your bread into the Dutch oven (including parchment paper – this helps with the transfer). Put the lid on and put back in the oven. Lower the temperature to 450°F and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, take the lid off the Dutch oven and continue baking for 20 minutes until the bread is a crackly deep brown. Remove the Dutch oven and let bread cool. Enjoy!
Amy’s Recipe Tip
Multigrain sourdough bread can also be baked in a loaf pan for sandwich-style slices. Shape the dough and place it into a loaf pan instead of a banneton. Bake according to the guide – how to bake sourdough in a loaf pan.
Substitutions
- Whole Grain Cereal: I use this 7 grain hot cereal, substitute it with any favorite hot cereal blend and see the recipe notes.
- Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour gives extra flavor to this loaf, however, you can substitute bread flour for the whole wheat if desired.
- Brown Sugar: I like the very slight sweetness the brown sugar adds to this loaf. It’s just enough to bring out the flavors of the multigrain cereal. If you prefer no sugar, leave it out.
How to Store Leftovers
I like to let my loaf cool completely. Then slice, stick in an airtight bag and freeze. You can also freeze the whole loaf and then let it thaw or warm back up in the oven for a few minutes before enjoying.
If you liked this, you’ll also like…
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I would add about 1/4 cup seeds into the dough during the second set of stretch and folds.
Yes. To do this, prepare a shallow baking dish with seeds in an even layer. Shape the loaf and before placing it into the banneton, lift the loaf up and gently roll the top of the loaf in the seeds. Place the shaped dough in the banneton.
No. You can substitute a ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter for the levain in this recipe if desired.
Multigrain Sourdough Bread
Save this for later!
We’ll email this post to you so it doesn’t get lost in your open tabs 😉
Ingredients
Mix Levain (1:1:1 ratio, ready in 3-4 hours at 78-80ºF)
- 35 grams sourdough starter, ripe, bubbly, active, about 2 Tablespoons
- 35 grams all-purpose or bread flour, about 1/4 cup
- 35 grams water, about 2 Tablespoons
Multigrain Sourdough Bread
- 110 grams 7 grain multigrain cereal, see recipe notes, about 2/3 cup
- 240 grams boiling water, about 1 cup
- 100 grams levain, scant 1/2 cup
- 220 grams water, about 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
- 20 grams brown sugar, about 2 Tablespoons
- 10 grams salt, about 1.5 teaspoons
- 440 grams bread flour, about 3 cups and 2 Tablespoons
- 60 grams whole wheat flour, scant 1/2 cup
Instructions
Mix Levain (1:1:1 ratio, ready in 3-4 hours at 78-80ºF)
- Mix together ripe/active sourdough starter with all-purpose or bread flour and water. Cover loosely and let sit 3-4 hours at 78-80°F until doubled, bubbly & peaked.Note: If you have a ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter that is fed equal parts flour and water – it can be substituted for the levain in this recipe.
Multigrain Sourdough Loaf (Dough temperature 78-80ºF – if your dough is colder, this process will take longer. If it's warmer, it will move faster)
- Mix Multigrain Cereal: About 30 minutes to an hour before the levain is ripe and active, mix together the multigrain cereal and boiling water. Stir together and set aside to thicken and cool. You may need to stir the mixture every 5-10 minutes to release the steam and encourage it to cool.
- Mix Dough: To a large bowl, mix together ripe levain, multigrain cereal, water, brown sugar, salt, bread flour and whole wheat flour until a wet and sticky dough forms and the ingredients are fully combined. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Folds: After the dough has rested, you will perform a series of “stretch and folds” over the next 1 1/2 hours. The goal is to strengthen the dough through a gentle kneading process. To “stretch and fold,” wet your hand (so it doesn’t stick to the dough). Reach around the dough down to the bottom of the bowl, pull the dough up and over and place it on top of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Turn another quarter turn and repeat. Perform one more quarter turn, stretching and folding the dough. Cover and set aside. Take note of how the dough feels through this process. It will go from feeling a little shaggy to smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl and wait about 30 minutes in between stretch and folds.
- Stretch and fold #1: 30 minutes into bulk fermentationStretch and fold #2: 30 minutes later, the dough will spread out. Stretch and fold again.Stretch and fold #3: 30 minutes later, stretch and fold again.Stretch and fold #4: 30 minutes later, stretch and fold again. You should notice the dough feeling more cohesive and strong during this stretch and fold and not needing very much folding to come together. If your dough still feels loose, add in another couple stretch and folds to help strengthen and tighten the gluten strands.
- Rest: Cover the dough and let rise for 1.5-2 more hours. You’ll know the dough is ready to shape when the dough is puffed up, jiggles when you shake the bowl and has scattered bubbles visible on the sides and top.
- Pre-shape: Tip the bowl upside down, allowing the dough to fall onto a clean counter surface. Be gentle to avoid degassing the dough as much as possible. Wet your hands and the bench knife if needed and push the bench knife under the dough on one side and your free hand on the other side to tuck the dough under itself. The goal is to introduce some tension into the dough. Repeat this process, going around in a circle until you have a ball of dough.
- Bench Rest: Let the dough rest uncovered for about 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough will flatten a little as it sits. This allows the gluten in the dough to relax and prepares the dough to be shaped.
- Shaping: Prepare a bowl or banneton. Place a kitchen towel or hair net in the bowl and liberally flour as needed. Sprinkle a little flour or multigrain cereal (for a rustic look) on top of the dough. Using a bench knife, lift the dough up off the counter and place it on top of the countertop – floured side down. This ensures that the flour is staying mainly on the outside of the dough. Going around in a circle, pull the dough sideways towards you and then fold up to the top of the round. Move 90 degrees and repeat the same process pulling the dough sideways and then folding up to the top. As you continue this process around the dough, increase the tension as you pull. Gather the bread into a circle and place into a lined bowl.Note: It is possible to shape the dough without any extra flour. The dough can stick to the kitchen towel but doesn't stick to the hair nets if cold proofed.
- Cold Fermentation: Cover the dough with the tea towel/shower cap/plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 14-20 hours. If you want to bake the same day, you can let the dough rise for about 3-4 hours until puffed up and risen. Then bake according to recipe directions.
- Preheat the oven: Put a Dutch oven (top and all) into the oven and preheat to 500°F for 30 minutes. You are working with very high temperatures, so make sure you have some good hot pads. Once preheated for 30 minutes, pull the loaf out of the refrigerator. Remove the covering. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Flip the dough over so it is now sitting on the parchment paper. Take off the bowl/banneton and the kitchen towel.
- Scoring: Use a very sharp knife or bread lame to score the dough. Take the bread lame and score on one side of the dough, at a shallow angle about 30º and 1 inch deep. Score straight from the refrigerator on the cold dough for best results.
- Baking: Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the 500°F oven. Take the lid off and place your bread into the Dutch oven (including parchment paper – this helps with the transfer). Put the lid on and put back in the oven. Lower the temperature to 450°F and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, take the lid off the Dutch oven and continue baking for 20 minutes until the bread is a crackly deep brown. Remove the Dutch oven and let bread cool. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I bake this bread and the oat bread on a cookie sheet?
Yes, but you would need to build steam in your oven. You can find more details on doing an open bake in this guide to baking sourdough bread. Happy Baking!
Ive been making sourdough for a few months. This is my favorite recipe so far. I shape a loaf in a banaton and baked in on a pizza stone in a steamy oven.
Thanks for the review! I’m glad it’s a winning recipe for you. Enjoy!
Do you ever substitute fresh milled flour when baking sourdough? I’m trying to find a good tutorial for accomplishing that. Thanks for any help or suggestions you can make!
Amy often uses freshly milled flour. She usually prefers a mix of freshly milled and bread flour because that gives the best combination of texture and health benefits.
How will adding gluten affect this recipe? I will be using bread pans to make sandwich loaves and want a good amount of spring to occur. Also, since I have diastatic malt in my kitchen, do you think it will enhance the flavor in a meaningful way?
I appreciate your insights, as I hope to start this bread next week.
Do you mean vital wheat gluten? This recipe doesn’t need extra vital wheat gluten if you are using bread flour. It also doesn’t call for diastatic malt. You can try adding it as an experiment, but I don’t think it it necessary (although I haven’t tried it with this recipe). Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for your reply. I made the bread using my years-old sourdough starter (instead of the levain). I did not add gluten nor diastatic malt. I made the loaf according to your recipe and added a layer of sesame seeds on the top using an egg wash.
The bread is sitting on my cooling rack, and it has an amazing aroma. Once it is cool enough to taste, I will let you know. I left it in the oven a little longer than the suggested time to bring the internal temperature up to about 205°F. It is a rich and amazing golden brown, and had wonderful spring. I can’t wait to try this bread.
Thanks for sharing! I hope it tastes as good as it smells!