This light and fluffy multigrain bread recipe has become my go‑to everyday sandwich loaf. Made with multigrain cereal and a crunchy seed topping, it bakes up soft enough for sandwiches and toast, but still delivers all the hearty flavour and goodness of whole grains. If you’re looking for a reliable, homemade multigrain sandwich bread you can make on repeat, this simple multigrain bread is a great place to start!
Multigrain bread recipe: at a glance
- This easy multigrain bread recipe is ready in about 2 1/2 hours, including rising time (fast-rising, so it’s ideal for weekly baking!)
- Uses pantry-friendly multigrain cereal mix and other simple ingredients for great flavour and texture.
- Makes a soft, sliceable light multigrain sandwich loaf perfect for toast and everyday slicing.
- Readers have successfully used different multigrain cereals, swapped in whole wheat flour, and added dried fruit or nuts, so you can easily tailor this loaf to your taste
- This detailed multigrain bread recipe includes all my best tips, step‑by‑step photos, and an overnight rise option.
Why this multigrain recipe works
- It starts with a soaked multigrain cereal for flavour and moisture, so the loaf stays soft.
- It uses just enough flour and a relatively quick rise for a light, fluffy crumb.
- Includes clear timing and internal temperature cues so you avoid dense or gummy loaves.
- Flexible base dough you can adapt with seeds, nuts, or dried fruit without extra adjustments.
What readers are saying …
Hundreds of readers have made this loaf, with many calling it their new “everyday bread” for breakfast and sandwiches.
“I have been searching for an earthy loaf of multigrain bread for a very long time. I love to bake and have been doing so for over 40 years. I’ve made many loaves of bread by many authors and cookbooks. Nothing wowed me till I made this loaf. The directions and video were perfect and easy to follow. This was THE BEST homemade loaf of bread!! My husband loved it and said it was better than our fancy favorite bakery.” – Cheryl
“Love this recipe! This is my go to for multigrain bread. Also gave it to a friend in Newfoundland, Canada and it’s her favourite also. Bread from the store/supermarket is a thing of the past. Thank you.” – Madeline
- Multigrain bread recipe: at a glance
- Why this multigrain recipe works
- What readers are saying …
- Ingredients and substitutions
- Homemade multigrain cereal mix
- How to make this multigrain bread recipe: at a glance
- How to make multigrain bread: step-by-step photos
- How to make multigrain bread: video
- Recipe tips!
- Multigrain bread recipe FAQ
- Troubleshooting this multigrain bread recipe
- Overnight refrigerator rise option
- Storing and freezing multigrain bread
- Get the Recipe: Light and Fluffy Multigrain Bread
- More bread recipes to love!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Cereal mix – This loaf uses a multigrain cereal mix, which is generally used to make a hot cereal when combined with hot water or milk. Using a multigrain cereal mix in this multigrain bread recipe is the easiest way to pack a variety of whole grains into every slice. These mixes are 100% whole grains, with no added sweeteners, so steer away from the commercial flavoured oatmeal mixes, etc.
This multigrain bread recipe works with most unsweetened multigrain hot cereals you’ll find in the grocery store.
Here are some suggestions based on your location …
In Canada: Look at Bulk Barn for 7‑grain or 12‑grain cereal. Grocery store options include Bob’s Red Mill 7‑grain, 8‑grain, 10‑grain, or 12‑grain cereals, Rogers porridge mixes, Quaker Super Grains Hot Cereal or Red River Cereal.
US and beyond: I believe Bob’s Red Mill 7, 8, 10 or 12-grain cereal is widely available and suspect the Quaker Super Grains may be as well. Beyond that, my best advice is to browse the hot cereal/oatmeal section at the grocery store or the natural foods section and see what you can find. If you really can’t find something, see below for a homemade multigrain cereal mix.
All-purpose flour – for the lightest loaf, use all-purpose flour. I prefer unbleached all-purpose flour. You can also use bread flour if you like, though you may need a little less than specified. If you want to add some whole-wheat flour to the loaf, you can replace up to 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, though your loaf will not be as light and fluffy as the original with this change.
Vegetable oil – Using oil in yeast breads helps create the soft and light texture. It is also good for anyone wanting a vegan yeast bread. That said, you can certainly replace the oil with an equal amount of melted and cooled butter.
Homemade multigrain cereal mix
If you can’t find a pre-mixed multigrain cereal mix, you can mix up your own with a combination of any of the following whole grains: rolled oats, quick oats, steel-cut oats, quinoa, flaxseed meal, flaxseed, sesame seeds, oat flakes, rye flakes, barley flakes, cracked wheat, wheat bran, oat bran, millet, buckwheat.
How to make this multigrain bread recipe: at a glance
To make multigrain bread, soak multigrain cereal, mix it with yeast, oil, flour, honey, salt and seeds to form a soft dough, let it rise, shape it into a loaf, proof again, then top with seeds and bake until golden.
- Soak the multigrain hot cereal in boiling water until cooled to lukewarm.
- Stir in the yeast and oil, then add flour, honey, salt and seeds to form a soft dough.
- Knead until smooth, then cover and let rise until doubled.
- Gently deflate, shape into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan.
- Let rise again, then brush with egg wash, sprinkle with seeds and bake until golden and cooked through.
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing for sandwiches and toast.
How to make multigrain bread: step-by-step photos
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this bread. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Start by soaking the multi-grain cereal mix in boiling water for about 20 minutes, or until it cools to just lukewarm. Since this dough can start with any number of multigrain cereal mixes, it may absorb the water differently. You may find you have less water in the bowl than shown here after it sits for 20 minutes. That’s ok :)
Be sure your cereal mix has cooled to just lukewarm before adding the yeast, or you could kill the yeast before you get started. Test with an instant-read thermometer if you have one and make sure it’s about 105F. Otherwise, test with your finger. It should be lukewarm and not feel hot at all. Add the yeast and stir to combine. If using Active Dry Yeast, let stand 5-10 minutes before proceeding.
Step 2: Add the oil, honey and salt. If you’d like to add-in some extra seeds at this point, go ahead. I added sesame seeds, poppy seeds and ground flax seed here. This is optional.
Step 3: Begin adding the flour to the bowl, kneading in as you go. Thee secret to a light and fluffy loaf is to not add too much flour! In the photo above, you’ll see that the dough with the 4 cups of flour added is loose and wet. Yours may be a little less loose, depending on the cereal mix that you used, but it should be very moist at this point. That’s what we want. You may be tempted to add more flour, but resist the urge to add it at this stage.
Step 4: Remove the dough to a floured work surface and add a bit more flour, as needed, only if the dough is sticking to your hands or the work surface. Form the dough into a ball.
Step 5: Set the dough into a greased bowl or large measuring cup. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set to rise until doubled in size. This bread is a FAST RISER! Don’t wander far and keep a good eye on it. This 1st rise shown here was only about 40 minutes. Be sure you just allow the dough to rise until doubled and no more.
Step 6: Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll the dough out into a rectangle, then roll up jelly-roll style. Pinch the season together. Grease a loaf pan (or pans, depending on what size loaves you are making). Sprinkle some seeds into the pan, if you like.
Step 7: Set the rolled dough into the prepared baking pan. Spray some plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the pan (greased side down). Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 25-30 minutes, but may be less! In a 9×5-inch pan, it should crest the pan by about 1 1/2-inches in the centre.
Step 8: When the loaf has risen, brush the top of the load with the egg wash and sprinkle with seed mix. This bread tends to brown quickly, so have a sheet of aluminum foil handy and be sure to cover the top loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil after about 18-20 minutes of baking to keep the top from over-browning. Baking the loaf in the lower third of the oven (one rack position down from the centre) helps to slow the browning a bit.
The early browning can also make the loaf look done before it is. A large 9×5-inch loaf like this will need a total of 40-45 minutes in the oven to bake through. An instant read thermometer is invaluable here to test the loaf for doneness. Bake until the internal temperature is 195-205F (I aim for about 200F).
How to make multigrain bread: video
Recipe tips!
- For the lightest, fluffiest loaf – avoid adding too much flour. After you’ve added the 4 cups of all-purpose flour, the dough will seem quite loose and wet. Avoid adding more flour in the bowl or mixer, but instead, transfer it to the counter and add a bit more flour there, if needed.
- The seed topping is optional – While I love the seed topping on this bread, you can easily skip it if you prefer. Leave it plain, do the egg wash only for a shiny finish, or do an egg wash and some rolled oats on top instead.
- Make as two smaller loaves – You can make this bread as one large 9×5-inch loaf or as two shorter, smaller 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaves. Note that baking time will be less for the 8×4 loaves. Refer to the Recipe Card below for some guidance.
- Avoid overbrowning – If you go the 9×5 loaf route, be warned that it does take time to bake through but will look quite done before it actually is. I cover the loaf with foil after about 20 minutes and then continue to bake the full 45 minutes. If you have an instant-read thermometer, you can take out the guesswork. You’ll want your loaf to be at least 195F internal temperature before you take it out. I aim for about 200F.
Multigrain bread recipe FAQ
I don’t have a bread machine to test this, but I suspect it would work just fine, with the following caveats. First, this recipe makes a big loaf, so I think the larger 2lb bread machine would probably be needed. Secondly, you would need to soak the cereal and grains outside of the bread machine, let them cool, then proceed to add the soaked grains to the bread machine with the other ingredients.
This bread can be vegan if made with brown sugar (instead of honey) and by using water to brush the top instead of the egg wash.
Yes, you can, but be careful with doubling this recipe as the dough is quite bulky and doubling may put too big a strain on a stand mixer.
This multigrain bread recipe can be used to make great soft multigrain rolls for sandwiches or burgers. Divide the dough into 8 to 16 evenly sized pieces, depending on the size of rolls or buns you want. Form the dough pieces into smooth balls, and rise and bake on a baking sheet. I would reduce the oven temperature to 400F and watch closely. Depending on the size of the rolls, they will probably bake in 10-20 minutes. Bake to an internal temperature of 200F.
Replacing all of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour will result in quite a dense loaf (without other changes). You can easily swap out 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with 1 cup of whole-wheat flour, with only small changes to the finished loaf. The loaf will be slightly denser, but still soft enough for sandwiches. If you’d like to add even more whole-wheat flour, you can experiment with increasingly more and more whole-wheat flour, but at some point, you’ll start moving away from the “light and fluffy” texture.
I have not tried it myself, but readers report that a 2.2 lb (13.6″×5.4″×4.7) Pullman loaf pan worked nicely (with the lid on).
Troubleshooting this multigrain bread recipe
If your loaf is dense, you likely used too much flour or replaced too much of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Over‑proofing can also create a dense loaf, as it has over-risen and collapsed. Only rise until just doubled.
If the top of your loaf is too dark, bake lower in the oven and/or tent with foil earlier. You can also reduce the heat to 400°F and extend the bake slightly.
If the bread is gummy inside, it probably needed more bake time. Aim for an internal temperature of about 200°F. A gummy loaf can also result if you slice into a hot loaf. Be sure to let the bread cool fully before slicing.
Overnight refrigerator rise option
You can prepare the bread through to shaping and placing in the loaf pan, then immediately cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 12 hours. In the morning, simply remove from the fridge and allow to rise on the counter for about 1 hour before baking or until it has risen sufficiently as shown above.
Storing and freezing multigrain bread
You can store this bread for several days at room temperature, stored in an airtight container.
This bread will also freeze well, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months.
You can also freeze the shaped loaf right after placing it in the loaf pan (before the 2nd rise). I like to freeze in the loaf pan, then once solid, wrap the frozen dough log tightly and store only the dough in the freezer up to 3 months. When ready to bake, remove the frozen dough log, unwrap, place in a greased loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap and thaw at room temperature for 4-5 hours, or until thawed and risen. Bake as usual.
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Get the Recipe: Light and Fluffy Multigrain Bread
Ingredients
Basic Multigrain Bread Dough:
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) multi-grain cereal, such as 7, 10 or 12-grain cereal *see Note 1 below
- 2 cups (454 ml) boiling water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 g) active dry or instant yeast, (not rapid or quick rise yeast)
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil, or other neutral tasting cooking oil, or melted and cooled butter
- 1 Tablespoon (15 g) honey, or light or dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) fine sea salt
- 4 cups (480 g) unbleached all-purpose flour , spooned and levelled *see Note 2 below
OPTIONAL Add-ins *See Note 3 below
- 1/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds, chopped
- 1/4 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts etc), chopped
- 2 Tablespoons mixed small seeds, poppy, sesame and/or flax seeds
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg, mixed with 1 Tbsp water (or alternately, just water, for a vegan loaf, though seeds may not stick as well).
Topping Seed Mixture:
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) flax seeds
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) poppy seeds
- Raw pumpkin and or sunflower seeds, optional
Instructions
- Place multigrain cereal in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a kneading hook. Pour boiling water over, then let stand until mixture cools to between 105°F. and 115°F. for active dry yeast or to about 120F for Instant yeast, about 20 minutes. *Don't rush it. If your mixture is too hot, it may kill your yeast. A thermometer is handy here to make sure of the temperature before adding the yeast.
- Sprinkle yeast over cereal mixture. If using Active Dry Yeast, allow to stand for 5-10 minutes before proceeding. Add 1 cup of the flour, the oil, honey (or brown sugar) and salt and stir until smooth. Gradually mix in the remaining flour, incorporating any of the optional add-ins during the mixing. Once all the flour is added, you'll have a moist dough that may also seem a bit loose. Resist the urge to add more flour at this point. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes. The grains will absorb more of the moisture during the rest period.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic, adding more flour, as needed, if it's sticking to your hands or the work surface.
- Oil a large bowl or measuring cup. Add the dough to the bowl, then flip over the ball of dough so the oiled side is up. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm spot until doubled in size. **Don't wander far. This bread is a quick riser and may double in as little as 35-40 minutes. It may take longer. The important thing is to make sure it rises only until doubled, no matter how long that is.
- Prepare the Seed Mixture by stirring together all the seeds in a small bowl. Set aside.
- When dough has doubled in size, remove to a work surface and gently deflate dough by pressing down the dough.
- Grease one 9×5-inch loaf pan or two 8×4-inch loaf pans. Sprinkle a bit of the seed mixture into the pan (or divide between two pans), if you like. For 8×4-inch loaves, divide the dough into two equal-sized pieces. For a 9×5-inch loaf, leave as one piece. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 10 inches wide and 18 inches long for a 9×5 loaf, or 9×16-inch rectangles each of the two 8×4 loaves. Roll up jelly rolls style, starting with the short side, then pinch seams together. Place rolls seam side down into prepared loaf pan(s).
- Cover the loaves with a clean kitchen towel or greased/sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 25- 30 minutes.
- When the dough is nearing risen, preheat oven to 425F. (regular bake/non-convection), with rack positioned just below centre (a little lower rack position, one down from centre, will help to keep the top of the bread from browning as quickly).
- Before baking, brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash and sprinkle the top with the remaining seed mixture. Use the palm of your hand to press the seeds into the top of the loaf slightly to help them stick.
- Bake in preheated 425F oven for 18-20 minutes, then cover the top loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. Bake a further 20-25 minutes for a 9×5 loaf or 10-15 minutes for 8×4 loaves, or until golden and crusty and have an internal temperature of 195-205F when tested with an instant-read thermometer. *Bread will look done, even when it isn't cooked through. The large 9×5 loaf will need the full 40-45 minutes in the oven to be cooked through.
- Remove from oven. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and immediately remove to a cooling rack to cool. Allow to cool completely (or almost completely) before slicing to avoid a gummy bread.
- Store bread well wrapped at room temperature for a couple of days, or freeze for longer storage. This bread will freeze well for up to 2-3 months or more.
Notes
Watch how to make it
More bread recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
This bread is amazing! Very easy recipe and didn’t take long to make compared to other yeast breads I have made. I made my own cereal mix, and the bread was vegan because I didn’t have eggs or honey on hand. Very moist and soft inside, nice and crunchy outside. I also used 1 cup whole wheat flour for a cup of white, and it worked wonderfully. I plan to keep making this, and to share it with friends!
So glad you enjoyed it, Christy :) Thanks so much!
I bake a lot of bread and rarely make the same recipe twice, but this one will definitely be repeated. It’s amazing! The crumb is incredibly soft, moist, and fluffy and the bread is great toasted or plain. I added sunflower and flax seeds to the dough to flavour it. Instead of the egg wash and seeds I spritzed the loaf with water when it went into the oven and left the top plain. The oven spring was the best I’ve ever seen. I made one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf and two buns and the baked loaf domed twice as high as the sides of the pan. I substituted 227 grams of sourdough discard for some of the flour and water, which gives a slightly tangy flavour. The dough was too sticky to knead by hand after the 15 minute rest, but could be kneaded with the dough hook without having to add additional flour. It’s a very soft, slack, moist dough. Both rises were over an hour. The buns baked in 14 minutes and the bread reached 205° in 32 minutes. The top didn’t need to be tented with foil. Fantastic!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sadie! Thanks so much :)
I’ve tried half a dozen sandwich loaf recipes over the past few weeks, and this one is the winner! Yummy and fluffy as promised. Thank you for a great recipe and very clear instructions.
So glad to hear, Ren :) Thanks so much!
Very thorough explanation of bread and flour very well done. I use a combination of bread flour and all purpose 3_1 to make it nice and fluffy. Thank you
Thanks so much, David :)
This recipe was perfect and the bread was soft and light. It sliced very well. I made two 8 x 4 loaves, and they were the perfect size – I baked the 20 minutes, switched them and baked another 10 minutes.
Glad you enjoyed it, Liz :) Thanks so much!
Can this be adapted to sourdough?
Sure :)
I have tried so many multigrain bread recipes, mist are too dense for my liking. But this one? Fabulous!!!!!! I used Cascadian Ancient Grains cereal, so good! Thank you so much!
So glad to hear, Sandi :) Thanks so much!
Can I make this in the bread maker instead?
Hi Roberta, yes, EXCEPT, you’ll need to soak the grains outside of the bread maker first. Also, make sure your breadmaker can handle a 1 1/2 lb. loaf, as this makes a lot of dough.
Hello Jennifer, this is the best bread recipe I’ve ever made, it’s delicious, easy to make and rises nicely. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe., Regards, Maria
Hi Maria and so glad you enjoyed it :) Thanks so much!
Hello Jennifer,
This is my new favorite bread recipe. I used a mix of cooked quinoa, millet, & buckwheat, and a combined 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds and flaxseed meal. My initial mix was very dry so I added at least an extra cup of water, 1/4 cup at a time, with each flour addition. Thank you for including the ratios of add ins, it’s easy to go overboard. The flavor of this bread is so good! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
So glad you are enjoying it, Barb! Thanks so much :)
I love this bread and make it about once a week. But I have a question. I knead it in a stand mixer. It is always wet and sticky and I can never form it into a ball. After the first rise I can form it into loaves no problem. It rises in the loaf pans fine and bakes fine and it is our favorite! What am I doing wrong?
Hi Jill and glad you are enjoying the bread. I don’t think you are doing anything wrong, if it is all good in the end. The first part of mixing can be variable, as the oats absorb the liquid. I wouldn’t worry too much. I find mine is sticky in the bowl, but if I put it on the counter with a touch of flour, it becomes kneadable. But again, don’t worry if yours doesn’t. Better that than adding too much flour, I think.
I’m doing a gluten challenge to prepare for a Celiac Disease test, so I decided to try your bread because it sounded really delicious. It was! I used Bob’s Red Mill 10-grain cereal. Easy to make, made the house smell amazing, and just tastes incredible. I’m going to keep making it unless my doctor tells me to stop! lol
Lol! So glad you enjoyed it, Heather :) I hope there is more bread in your future. Thanks so much!
The multigrain bread is AWESOME! This is our family’s new bread. It is easy to make, tastes so good either toasted or as a sandwich bread. Most of all, it doesn’t bother my tummy. I usually have issues after eating bread, but have absolutely no issues with this recipe. Thank you for bringing this recipes into our lives.
So glad to hear, Mary! Thanks so much :)
I replaced two cups of flour with spelt. After rolling it out, I sprinkled chocolate chip, dried cranberry , sliced almond and another tbsp of brown sugar before rolling it in log shape. For savory I added jeera seed, ajwain seed and thyme. They both turned out great. I was afraid that it won’t rise much. But it did very well. Thank you for such wonderful recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much :)
Why does it say not to use rapid rise yeast? I just noticed that for the first time. I make this bread all the time and always use quick rise yeast. It’s my favorite bread.
Hi Jill, Quick or Rapid-Rise yeast is not the best yeast to use for a classic two-rise bread recipe. It is designed to work fast and quickly and reduces the rising time. Not only does it cause confusion on rising times (since I am using regular yeast and those are the suggested rising times in the recipe), it doesn’t allow the time for the bread to develop the depth of flavour that from the longer rising times. While it may “work”, you may find that using a regular Instant yeast (or dry Active) and the longer rising times will give your bread even better results.
My mistake. At home I have been using regular instant yeast. I’m out of town and brought quick rise. I’m glad I asked because I will try reducing the first rise since my yeast is not the same and I will see how it comes out. Thank you for your advice. This is absolutely my favorite bread and I make it at least once a week
Enjoy! I think they recommend just a 10-minute first rise for quick-rise yeast, then shape, then a standard last rise.