There are just so many different ways to make multi-grain breads, and several different bread-making methods to consider. The neat thing about bread is that it isn't just one thing... I'd also have to ecco rhome410 about milling your own grains/seeds/beans if you are this interested in the healthy aspect of it. It's THE only way to get the most available nutrition. It will also save you a lot of money - especially if you make all your breads - which I do. The price of grains is typically much lower than purchasing the flours. Breadmaking is full of little "rules", along with all the exceptions to the "rules". Knowing the rules will help you troubleshoot the old question, "WHAT HAPPENED?". In fact, "Artisan Bread in 5-Minutes a Day" is a complete contradiction to generally held bread science. A general rule: Adding anything sharp (DRY multi-grain cereal blends, nuts, seeds, flakes I mill at home, etc.) at the BEGINNING of mixing/kneading can result in the gluten strands being cut by the these things. As rhome410 said, she uses a sponge method (soaks a portion of the liquid/flour/yeast, so the dry chopped grains soak up hydration during the sponge. Other recipes will have you add hot water to these grain mixtures to soften them. There are ALWAYS options in the world of bread. I like the added "crunch", so I generally add them late in the kneading. Home-milled flakes are just smashed grains, and they are thicker than commercial old-fashioned oatmeal. Commercial oatmeal is tempered with steam to soften the grain, then it's run through the roller mill. When you make your own flakes you don't temper the grain - you mill it dry. I have a bread recipe that uses steel-cut oats. I'll try to find and post it. You can also make the steel-cut oats into oatmeal and make the recipe I've linked below for Cooked Oatmeal Scones. When making breads by hand I add the gluten-containing flour to the liquids FIRST, and beat the dickens out of that mixture to develop the gluten while the mixture is still in the bowl (adding flour a little at a time and mixing it thoroughly with a Danish Dough Whisk). Then I'll add any non- or low-gluten flour. They don't require the work that gluten-development in wheat flour does. Non- or low-gluten flours just needs to be incorporated. Adding oatmeal is great. If the recipe has you add it early in the process, it will be pulvarized and well-incorporated by the time the loaf is done. You'll have little evidence of it, unless you add some to the top of the loaf just before you bake it. If you add too much oatmeal or oat flour, the bread will be moist, doughy and crumbly. You can also make your own oat flour by running oatmeal through a blender or food processor until it's flour. I make oat flour by milling oat groats. I wouldn't add any more than 20% oat flour to a bread recipe or you'll compromise the texture and crumb. Different grain flours contribute different textures to breads. Dough that has rye flour in it is characteristicly sticky. People tend to continue to add flour to overcome the stickiness and often add too much and end up with a dry dough and a "brick" for a loaf of rye bread. I use rye for all kinds of things, not just breads. It's an under-used flour in my books. It works well in baked goods that don't need a lot of gluten development - like quick breads and cookies. I suspect the "When Pigs Fly" - seven grain and pumpkin seed bread is made mainly with bleached or unbleached bread flour (possibly whole wheat flour) with a portion being either 7-Grain flour, or 7-Grain chopped grain mixture. It comes both ways. Pumpkin seeds can be whole/chopped/pulvarized. I tend to mill sesame seeds (flax as well) I add to breads. (I add flaxmeal to EVERYTHING!) You don't get any of the nutrition unless they are cracked - either masticating or milling them. It's just easier to mill them to assure they are easy to digest. Bob's Red Mill has a 10-grain flour available. You have to be careful using these multi-grain/seed/bean flour combinations because they include non-gluten and low-gluten ingredients. You need a major portion of the flour to contain gluten (flour derived from wheat) and only a small percentage to be from non- or low-gluten flours, or the bread won't rise like you are accustomed to when you make white bread. I don't add WHOLE grains in the form of a wheat berry or an oat groat. They are added either by being milled into flour, coarsely chopped, flakes or sprouts. I like to add whole amaranth seeds to quick breads as an easy addition. They look like golden poppy seeds and add a lot of great nutrition and crunch. I also add amaranth flour to breads. I mill it in a seed mill. This particular mill does those tiny seeds and oily seeds like poppy seeds, sesame seeds, flax, teeny-tiny Tef and amaranth, etc. I can easily substitute 1/2 c. of the flour in the recipe with 1/2 a cup of amaranth flour without too much trouble or changes in the bread texture. That's another way to get multi-grain breads. I use quinoa in cooking, not baking. Quinoa is coated with saponin and you have to wash it very well before using it or it's bitter-tasting. So if you want to mill it into flour you have to wash it and then dry it before you mill it. Not worth the bother in my books. You chance messing your mill up if the grain isn't completely dry when you mill it. Lots of cooked cereals, like cooked quinoa, can be added to bread recipes. I'd also suggest following recipes that include multiple grain mixtures or grain flours in them, before striking out on your own and making your own substitutions. I'd suggest as much studying as you do baking. You can probably get these books at your local library, or have them get them through Inter-Library Loan. - The first 100 pages of "CookWise" by Shirley O. Corriher. That covers a lot of what you need to know about making bread in general. - "The Splendid Grain" by Rebecca Wood. It explains grains and how they are used. For instance, you can make your own rice flour in a coffee/spice mill, but which rice is best for baking? Short- and medium-grain rice are best for baking. Long-grain rice is best for dredging or thickening. Short- and medium-grain rice flour can be used for dredging/thickening, as well as baking. -"The Pleasure of Whole-Grain Breads" - by Beth Hensperger Other little-known rules, like adding ascorbic acid powder to recipes for yeast bread that contain whole wheat flour or wheat germ. Ascorbic acid powder counteracts the negative effects of Glutathione (found in the wheat germ), which breaks the gluten bonds - which accounts for so many short-squatty loaves of 100% whole wheat bread. Ascorbic acid (1/8-t. per loaf) helps prevent gluten bonds from breaking down, helps sustain the leavening during baking (more oven spring), and helps promote yeast growth. I've been studying bread science, milling, and grains for years, and am still learning all the time. Welcome to the club... -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: COOKED Oatmeal Scones

Most of this information came from the Internet or books by Rita Bingham ("Country Beans" & "Natural Meals in Minutes"). In the "Country Beans" book you will find many recipes using bean flour. - Creamy Cabbage Soup uses white bean flour. - 3-Minute "Cream of Chicken" Sooup - white bean flour - "Instant Pea Soup" - flour from green or yellow split peas - Rita's Lentil Soup - lentil flour Basic Bean Information: 1 c. whole, dried, pinto beans = approximately 1 1/8 c. bean flour 1 c. water + 1/2 c. bean flour = 1 c. "instant" mashed beans (thick mixture) 2 c. water + 3/4 c. bean flour = 2-1/2 c. "fluffy" mashed beans The thick mixture can be used in place of cooked, mashed beans in patties, loaves, casseroles, desserts, and other food products calling for mashed beans. You can substitute pinto beans with black beans milled into black bean flour. General Recipe: Bring 2 c. water to a boil. Whisk in 1 c. bean flour. Cook and stir for 1 minute, until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan and cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. This produces a fairly stiff bean mixture that is similar to commercial canned refried beans. Season to taste with your favorite seasonings including: salt cumin chili powder garlic bouillon meat or vegetable soup base powdered seasoning mixes For fluffy bean mixture: This type of bean mixture is lighter and has a creamier texture which works well for dips, burrito and sandwich fillings. Bring 2-1/2 c. water to boil, then whisk in 3/4 c. bean flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add Picante sauce to the "instant" refried beans. "INSTANT" REFRIED BEAN MIX (source: Country Beans) 1-1/2 c. pinto or black bean flour 1-1/2 t. chili powder 1/8 t. garlic powder (optional) 1/2 t. cumin 1-1/2 t. salt 1 t. instant minced onions (optional Mix and store in airtight container. To prepare, whisk 3/4 c. above mixture into 2-1/2 c. boiling water. Cook, while stirring, over medium heat for 1 minute, until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook 4 minutes. Bean Flour Storage: Store bean flour in an air tight container, preferably in the refrigerator or freezer. Bean flour keeps 6 months. Other Uses: To cook bean flour soups in a microwave - whisk bean flour into seasoned hot water in a large microwavable bowl. Cook at full power for 1 minute, or until mixture boils. Stir well, then cook an additional 2 minutes. Bean flour soup in a pan - whisk navy bean flour into seasoned boiling water to make an almost instant soup or thickener in only 3 minutes. Bean flour combined with wheat flour = complete protein. Bean flour can be used in a recipe calling for flour by replacing up to 25% of the wheat flour with any variety of bean flour. Baby lima or small white beans are the mildest in flavor and the lightest in color and work well to increase the protein in baked goods if you need another use for bean flour. -Grainlady

As in all things related to bread - it's not so much about right or wrong, it's about choices. If a person makes poor-quality dough, I promise the oven type won't improve it.... I seriously doubt if anyone tested 20 loaves of bread, they could say with any certainty whether it was baked in an electric or gas oven. After years of judging foods at fairs, the oven type has never been a judging standard. There are too many variables to "bread" to use the sweep of a "broad brush" - such as oven types - especially when it comes to modern day home ovens. Having owned all kinds of ovens over the years, demonstrated breads and taught bread classes using high-end professional ovens in a new, state-of-the-art kitchen gallery where hubby works; and my ever favorite Sharp Convection/Microwave (20-minute baking time and NO preheating), as well as my Solar Ovens, I've always managed to make breads of all kinds without any problem - gas or electric - high-end or builder-grade. You mention moisture during bread baking, you can add your own moisture - whatever type of oven you use. I often add moisture to the oven for the final proofing when I use it as a proofing box. I also have a cast iron skillet I add boiling water to for a shot of steam (I use Christopher Kimball's method from "The Cook's Bible). But added moisture (as in high amount of hot steam) during baking isn't correct for all types of breads. Moisture is also expelled from the bread during baking, contibuting to the moisture in the oven. I like to use my covered stone bakers, which holds in moisture for crispy crusts, but I don't want my sandwich breads and enriched breads to be baked in them because I don't necessarily want a crispy crust. Beyond ovens, consider some of these things that also influence the finished loaf. -Using milk instead of water will produce a softer crust. -Baking breads at a lower temperature (325°-350°F) creates a thicker, chewier crust. -Baking breads at 375°-425°F (or higher) produces a thinner, crisper crust. -Egg, butter, or saltwater washes influence bread crusts. Those variables don't depend on the oven type, just the ingredients and temperature. I'm just not an oven "snob". I don't consider oven types a big deal one way or the other when I look at the big picture. To each their own.... And this is the general experience from a person who bakes ALL their breads and baked goods. Not someone who uses their high-end oven twice a year to heat a frozen pizza, but paid $6,000 for it to "look good". Hubby is a VP of a cabinet manufacturing company (34-years) and they handle the "best" when it comes to ovens and other kitchen appliances. Their demonstration gallery is breath-taking. I could have my choice of "the best". We could certainly afford it. But from experience, the oven type is very low on my list of considerations when making good bread. -Grainlady

Here goes. These are the tips and ideas that DIDN'T come with the set of pastry rings (LOL). 1. Put down a sheet of plastic wrap. I purchased a box of EXTRA WIDE Reynolds Plastic Wrap (50% wider than regular plastic wrap) just for this purpose. If you don't have, or can't find, the Extra Wide Plastic Wrap, just use two lengths of regular plastic wrap and overlap the pieces to form one large sheet - larger than the size of the ring you are using. 2. Place the "puck" of pastry on the center of the plastic wrap and cover with another sheet (or 2 overlaping sheets) of plastic wrap. 3. Place the plastic ring over the top of all the sheets of plastic. The pastry is now sandwiched between the plastic wrap. This keeps your plastic ring clean. 4. Use a LONG, non-tapering, rolling pin (see link below) for easy use and best results, but a regular pin will work. Roll out the dough until the ring is filled. Once you roll the pastry so it is touching the ring on two opposite sides, it should stabalize the ring enough to let your finish without any problems. If the plastic wrap bunches or gets caught in the dough, just lift up the plastic wrap off the top of the dough, smooth it out, top with the ring again and continue rolling. Run the palm of your hand over the entire crust when you are done rolling it to make sure it's level all around. Benefits of this method... It's amazing really, but it seems you can't over-work the pastry. You don't add any bench flour, so that doesn't contribute gluten, and you won't get a tough finished product. That dreaded clean-up is a snap. More hints: a. Still in the plastic wrap, transfer the rolled out pastry to a cookie sheet (a really thin sheet without any lip or edges works best) and chill for 20 minutes to firm it up after rolling it out. b. After chilling, leave the pastry on the cookie sheet and CAREFULLY peel off the top sheet/s of plastic wrap. Center the pie plate on the pastry. c. Flip the cookie sheet and pie plate. Remove the cookie sheet. d. Press the pastry into the pie pan while the plastic wrap is still on the pastry. This is very beneficial because it will prevent you from stretching the pastry, which leads to it shrinking during baking. When satisfied with it's positioning, remove the plastic wrap. If the plastic wrap is sticking to the pastry, stick the pan/pastry back in the refrigerator, it's gotten to warm. e. If you have a really warm kitchen or very warm hands, an old tip is to dip your hands in ice water and dry them to cool them off, while forming the dough in the pan to keep your hands cool. You can also chill the pie pan before using it. f. When you are satisfied with the fit, remove the plastic wrap and flute the edge. Lay the plastic wrap back on the pastry and refrigerate it until ready to fill. If it's a double crust pie, roll out both crusts, leave one flat in the refrigerator. Fit the bottom one into the pie pan, leaving the plastic wrap intact and leave it in the refrigerator until ready to fill. Remove the plastic wrap and fill. Top with the second well-chilled crust (you have removed one side of the plastic wrap - flip it on the pie and then remove the second sheet of plastic wrap. Okay, this sounds rather complex, but it's not really, and you get a perfect crust every time. A friend who uses these always takes the blue ribbons at the fair every time she enters a pie. They are especially great when you have to make a LOT of pies - for the simple fact you don't have to mess with bench flour everywhere. You may get frustrated when you first use this method - your plastic wrap may bunch, or your ring will move slightly, but hang in there, it all works out and you WILL have a perfectly round crust. I used to hate to roll out pastry because of all the mess, but I LOVE using this method. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Vic Firth Bakery Rolling Pin