High fiber breads

Mebbe you could try the addition of psylium husks together with wheat bran?
Oh! and not forgetting some soluble fibers from oat bran ;)

i'm not sure about this, because i haven't tried it, but maybe you could get better results by adding some vital wheat gluten and other additives like a dough softener?

Tim is correct in his suggestion to add vital wheat gluten and the dough enhancer. I regularly use the VWG in my pizza dough to increase the gluten ratio and obtain a more flexible, stretchable dough. You can find these two products in gourmet food stores and health/natural food stores or perhaps a Whole Foods Market.

This weekend I made a grain-filled sourdough bread by the addition of 5/8 cup of Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Cereal to a grain bread recipe that called for 1 cup sourdough starter, white flour and whole wheat flour. It rose very nicely and is quite light.

Here is the recipe:

Dee's Grainy Sourdough Bread

2 1/4 t. instant yeast
2 t. sugar
1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups hot water
2-3 t. salt (I prefer the larger amount)
2 TB honey
2 TB molasses
1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup flax seed
1/8 cup millet
1/8 cup cracked wheat
1/8 cup buckwheat
1/8 cup oat groats
or
5/8 cup 7, 8, 9, or 10 grain cereal such as Bob's Red Mill
1 cup sourdough starter
3 cups whole wheat flour
3-5 cups bread flour (3-4 was plenty the two times I've made this recipe)
1 egg
1 TB water
poppy or sesame seeds (I leave out the egg wash and seeds)

Proof the yeast. Put the next 10 ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Let sit to cool. When cool, stir in the starter and whole wheat flour. Beat well.

Add the bread flour a cup at a time until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl. Knead for 10 minutes on a floured board. (I mixed and kneaded 5-8 minutes in my Kitchen Aid mixer.) Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled. Punch down and form into 3 balls. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Form into oblong free-form loaves and place on greased cookie sheets or parchment paper covered sheets. Brush with egg and sprinkle with seeds. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-0 minutes.

Source: Diane Henderson on the Breadnet.net

I made four balls and put two balls each in a loaf pan to get nice high, light loaves for everyday eating.

In the above recipe, you would add the proofed yeast/water to the cooled grain mixture just before you start to add the flours.

Sorry about that.

I agree with the above comments on VWG. The loaf (50-50 whole wheat and white flour) I make for everyday eating includes it and now I put it in all my breads, even though the recipe doesn't say to. Also, to lighten the texture of dense breads, it is recommended to start it off with a sponge.

The current (March/April 2006)issue of Cook's Illustrated has a very good multigrain sandwich loaf. I made it over the weekend and it was a big hit--even with my whole-wheataphobic husband. It, too, relies on the addition of cooked multigrain cereal (easy to find at the supermarket), but isn't a sourdough. Sturdy enough to slice thinly for sandwiches, and it makes great toast (I'm having some now--forgive me for typing with my mouth full).

Next time I make it, I'm going to add a good dollop of malt syrup, but even just the way it is, it's well worth adding to one's collection.

Nancy

Gardenmamma,
Fiber!! Another good question. The following article contains an excellent discussion of the subject of adding fiber to bread:
http://bakingmanagement.bakery-net.com/article/6161
...it's written by a pro (and for pros) but the information is adaptable for home bakers. Note that toward the end of the "what's healthful" section he talks about adding "bean flour, stone ground whole wheat flour, untreated high-gluten wheat flour, soy flour, sorghum flour, wheat bran, oat groats and ground flaxseed" to bread.

FLAX:
It seems that the highest fiber additive is flaxseed but the problem with flaxseed is that it gives a dry -possibly raspy- feel to the bread. My wife didn't like the loaf I made with flaxseed but perhaps I need to refine my methods. Note that the article mentions that Paul Stitt -the bakery professional- solved this problem with a specially coated flaxseed (perhaps not available to home bakers). For home bakers perhaps flax can be used only in smaller quantities.

BEAN FLOUR:
This is a good possibility as beans are a high source of fiber (see bobsredmill.com). I bought some garbanzo bean flour last night that I'm going to try adding to bread; it has a fiber content of 5grams in 1/4cup (30gm) and I would expect the taste to be mild. This level is almost twice the fiber level in even the higher fiber wheat flours.

BRAN:
We all know the taste of bran muffins. The problem with bran -if I'm not mistaken- is that it also adds a dry problematic taste/texture which would be objectionable in some breads or which might require the addition of other ingredients (such as too much sugar) to offset the problems introduced by the bran.

OATS:
This is another good possibility; I haven't fully explored it though just yet.

Don't forget that good King Arthur flours (such as "White Whole Wheat" or bread flour) already have almost 3grams of flour in 1/4cup (30gm) so it's important to be careful about the flour your bread is based on.

Good luck,
Patrick

One reason that bread made with extra bran may not rise as well is because the larger bran pieces actually cut the gluten strands. You might want to try running the bran through your blender or spice/coffee grinder before adding to the dough.

Nancy

You're never going to get as high a rise with whole grains, but so what?

A more dense, chewy bread is just fine. I think that grain breads that are too light lack substance, but then again, I like the "toothfeel" of a real grain bread.