Health Grain Bread

This is the kind of bread that makes you feel good just slicing it. Bran flakes, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, grated carrots, and raisins all packed into one bread machine loaf. It’s dense with texture and naturally sweet from honey and applesauce, no oil or excess fat needed.

Applesauce pulls double duty here, adding moisture and a faint fruity sweetness while keeping the fat content low. Combined with skim milk powder, it creates a soft crumb that stays fresh longer than most lean breads.

The mix of bread flour and whole wheat gives the loaf enough gluten strength to rise well despite all those heavy add-ins. Bran flakes and wheat germ weigh dough down, so that bread flour backbone is what keeps this from turning into a doorstop.

Pro Tips

• Add raisins and sunflower seeds at the mix-in beep if your machine has one. Adding them at the start can over-process them into mush.
• Grate carrots finely. Chunky carrot pieces create wet pockets that don’t bake through evenly.
• The dough will look shaggy at first with all those mix-ins. Give it the full knead cycle before judging texture.
• Store this bread tightly wrapped. The carrots and applesauce keep it moist for 3-4 days.

Variations

• Nut version: Swap sunflower seeds for chopped walnuts or pecans for a richer, more buttery crunch.
• Cranberry: Replace raisins with dried cranberries for a tart twist.
• Oat topped: Brush the top with water and press rolled oats into the crust before the final rise for a bakery look.