Like many people, I’ve been making bread these past few months. Not so much sourdough; tending a sourdough starter is like raising another child, and I feel like I have enough humans and livestock to care for as it is. As well, sourdough is a bit too fly-by-the-seat-of-your pants for me. I’m more of a commercial yeast girl; you know what you’re getting, and results are much reliable. I understand the urge to be self-sufficient in the yeast department, however, given the shortages in baking goods that we all contended with early in the pandemic. But having procured and stored 1 lb packages of both SAF Red and SAF Gold yeast in the respective freezers in Cape Cod and Canada, I can bake with happy abandon.
The one thing I can’t get in Canada, however, is King Arthur Bakery’s Harvest Grains Blend because they, like many other retailers, don’t ship to The Frozen North. I originally bought the grain mix to make their Savory Granola, which was delicious, sprinkled on salads. I made a batch while we were in the Cape and gave the rest of it to a neighbour before departing; they’ve happily munched on it ever since. No-Knead Bread Harvest Grains Bread has become our breakfast staple.
Though I brought a bag of Harvest Grains Blend back with us, I soon found that I was down to a scant half cup. What to do? The King Arthur website revealed the blend comprises four grains (whole oat berries, millet, rye flakes, and wheat flakes) and four seeds (flax, poppy, sesame, and sunflower). I was able to procure most of the components from a combination of Amazon.ca and our local grocer. Wheat flakes were not to be found, so I ended up with wheat berries instead.
The only problem is the vast quantities of the component grains. Amazon would only ship 2 x 1 kg bags of several of them. So one of each type is in the freezer in their original packaging.
I set about figuring out the proportions through a less than scientific process: mix, eyeball and hope for the best.
Here is what I ended up with for proportions.
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Harvest Grains
Use this blend of whole oat berries, millet, rye flakes, and wheat berries combined with flax, poppy, sesame, and sunflower seeds to add crunch and flavour to your baked goods. Substitute up to 1/4 of the proportion of all-purpose flour.
Adapted from King Arthur Bakery’s Harvest Grain Blend.
Ingredients
- 793 g (1 lb, 8 oz) Whole Grain Hulled Millet
- 793 g (1 lb, 8 oz) Hard Red Spring Wheat Berries
- 1 kg Oat Groats
- 1 kg Rye Flakes
- 300 g poppy seeds
- 300 g sesame seeds
- 300 g flax seeds
- 300 g sunflower seeds
Instructions
Mix all ingredients together. Makes enormous quantities! Store in the freezer if you won’t use it within a month.
I’ll let you know how my homemade version compares when I bake the next batch of bread and replenish my Savory Granola. For those of you who like a bit of crunch on your salad, it’s a virtuous substitute for croutons. It’s delicious on Roasted Beet and Squash Salad with Gorgonzola Cheese, the recipe for which I have posted separately.
Thanks to all who have entered the Giveaway for Entertablement – The Four Seasons. Your comments on your favourite blogs have been fascinating. Tons of fodder for future posts! My little brain is whirling with ideas. Thank you, thank you!
Moxie asked me to tell her well-wishers that she’s feeling much better, thank you. A bit thin, still, but she’s drinking on her own. Mum is still jamming high-calorie, pate-smooth cat food into her mouth a few times a day. It is being received with doleful looks, let me tell you.
Have a wonderful rest of the weekend, everyone.
Do you have a favorite bread recipe using this grain mixture. Maybe with sourdough, as well??
Hi Robin,
The King Arthur Bakery website has all kinds of great recipes for that grain mixture. Here are a couple of my favourites:
This one is a no-knead version that uses commercial yeast. Just mix it up the night before, let it rise and pop it into the oven next day: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/no-knead-harvest-grains-bread-recipe
I made this one this week with sourdough. It rose spectacularly! https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/multigrain-sourdough-boule-recipe
Best,
Helen
Thanks, we’ll give it a go!
Good day! My question is, if the grains are raw, should I roast or toast ’em? Thanl you!
Hi Joe,
No need to do either. You soak them in boiling water and then let them cool before adding that to the dough (if you’re making bread). If you’re using them on their own (as in sprinkling over salad) go ahead and toast both the seeds and the flakes.
Best,
HK
Thank you for the information! Should I soak the flakes as well? Thanks again
Hi Joe – I just updated the reply from yesterday. If you’re making bread, soak everything in boiling water. If you’re using the mix on its own – sprinkling it over things, for example, I’d toast both the seeds and the flakes. The recipes on the King Arthur site tend to be specific about how you need to prepare the grains for the application in question.
Several of the grains are common homebrew ingredients, particularly the wheat flakes and rye flakes. Also, since they are typically purchased in large quantities for brewing, they are relatively cheap per pound (~$2.00/lb). Most local homebrew shops will have them in stock, too.
Thanks, Matt! I appreciate that.
Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe. I subbed Chia seeds for poppy since that was on hand. It was a great texture in the bread as well.
★★★★★
You’re most welcome, Sharon! I make it regularly—it’s our go-to bread.
Will the oat groats softened during the resting period (fermentation)?
I suspect the oat groats (and the wheat berries for that matter) will need to be baked before they will be sufficiently soft to eat.
Also, can you convert 1 kg to grams or volumes?
Hi,
1 kg is 1000 g. I didn’t take note of the volumes of each when I was blending the mixture, so sorry, don’t have the volume conversions.