We are part of Whole Grain Day, which aims to remind all of us to eat whole grains every day, all year round. Long-fermented sourdough bread baked with a high content of whole grain flour provides a wonderful grain flavor, a satisfying feeling of fullness, and at the same time the benefits of whole grains’ content of fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
When you use whole grains, and especially whole grain flour in baking, you utilize the entire kernel. This means that in addition to the part called the endosperm - which is the grain’s primary storage of starch and protein - you also include the smaller components known as the germ and the bran.
The germ contains the essential building blocks for a new plant, particularly fats and proteins, while the outer layer of the grain, the bran, holds a large portion of the grain’s minerals and vitamins.
Whole grain flour has an excellent flavor potential, and when you combine whole grains with both sourdough and long fermentation, you increase the body’s ability to absorb the grain’s nutrients.
Let the recipes below inspire you to increase your own and your family’s daily intake of dietary fiber to 90 g, which can help protect against lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity, and help keep blood sugar levels stable throughout the day.
Even if you can’t clearly see whole kernels in a loaf of bread, it can still be baked with a high proportion of whole grain flour. Not all kernels are what we call whole grains - this applies, for example, to seeds and nuts such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flaxseeds. There is therefore not a one-to-one relationship between the presence of kernels and the amount of whole grain in a bread, even if it tastes great.
The color of the bread can also be misleading. Malt is often added to the dough, which makes the bread darker. So even if the bread is dark, it may contain a significant amount of refined flour and coloring, but not whole grain.
We’re happy to claim that one of the most satisfying and sensory ways to ensure a daily intake of whole grains is by baking your own bread. A whole grain dough can be varied endlessly, and if you bake in a tin, there’s plenty of opportunity to go all in and bake exclusively with whole grain flour.
When buying whole grain flour, it should be fresh, as the bran and germ slowly begin to turn rancid as soon as the grain is milled. Visit Meyers Bakery, where we continuously mill our whole grain flour.
Doughs with a high content of whole grain flour behave differently from wheat doughs without whole grain. The coarse germ and bran particles “cut” through the gluten network, so you need to put more effort into kneading to achieve a dough that rises properly.
The coarser the flour, the more liquid needs to be incorporated into the dough during kneading to ensure a moist crumb and prevent the bread from becoming too dry. That’s why it works well to bake whole grain bread in a tin, as the wetter dough would otherwise spread too much. While a whole grain loaf will never have the same airy crumb as one made with refined flour, nothing beats the rich, full grain aroma of freshly milled whole grain flour.
In our baking universe, you can find many great recipes, tips and tricks, as well as ask our bakers for advice and learn more about bread and Nordic grains.
In the book “Meyers Bageskole”, there are two in-depth chapters on whole grain bread and rye bread, where you can learn about kneading methods, base doughs, and much more.
In the basic recipe for a whole grain bread, we use exclusively whole wheat flour, where all the germ and bran components are preserved, giving you the pure, full grain aroma along with all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals found in the flour. The bread becomes a cross between a light rye bread and a moist Øland wheat bread.
Recipe
Oats are probably best known in their rolled form as oatmeal. Oatmeal is a whole grain product, as the entire oat kernel is used to make the flakes and therefore contains all the nutrients of the oat. Danes are among the nationalities with the highest consumption of oatmeal. On average, we eat about 6 kg of oatmeal per year.
RecipesOats have been cultivated since the Bronze Age and thrive in cool, humid climates. Norwegian researchers have shown that oats grown in our regions develop a higher concentration of key nutrients than when cultivated in warmer conditions. Like einkorn, emmer, and spelt, oat grains are difficult to hull before milling, which has made oat flour more expensive than wheat flour.
Oats stand out, among other things, for their fat content, which is more than double that of rye, wheat, and barley. Like barley, they have a very high content of dietary fiber and a cholesterol-lowering effect, and they also contain even more essential amino acids. For this reason, oat flour can go rancid easily, so it should not be stored for too long before use.
Oats are probably best known in their rolled form as oatmeal, and they work very well in crackers and cookies.
When you use oats for baking bread, the result is a loaf with a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. However, oats do not contain gluten-forming proteins, so you need to mix in at least 50% wheat flour to achieve a light and airy bread.
Oats are the youngest of the four Danish cereal grains. They have been cultivated in the Nordic region since the Bronze Age and thrive in cool, humid climates. Oats are notable for their fat content, which is more than double that of rye, wheat, and barley. Like barley, they have a very high dietary fiber content and a cholesterol-lowering effect, and they also contain more essential amino acids.
Here at meyers.dk, we have a variety of recipes using oats—for example, moist oat crackers, a classic oatmeal with exciting toppings, or this warm oat and buckwheat porridge with mushrooms and steamed kale.
Recipe
You can also try a delicious, light winter dish consisting of roasted parsnips with a prune salsa and crunchy oat crumble.
OpskriftOnce you’ve baked your whole grain bread, the ideal way to store it is at room temperature on the kitchen counter. To preserve the crispy crust, it’s important to let the bread breathe. This is best done by wrapping it in baking paper or wax paper.
If you already know that you won’t eat the whole loaf within 1–2 days, you can store a portion of it in a freezer bag in the refrigerator to keep it fresh a bit longer. When you’re ready to use the bread, reheat it in an oven at 200°C.
Good whole grain flour
Good flour is the foundation of good bread. In our range of organic flours, we also offer whole grain varieties, so you can bake hearty and moist whole grain breads at home. Our flour comes exclusively from organic grain grown in the Nordic region, primarily in Denmark.
Whole grain flour is well suited for mixing with lighter types of flour, where, for example, Øland wheat contributes its delicate flavor and excellent baking properties. Stone-ground flour takes longer to absorb liquid than finely milled wheat flour.
You can find our range of flours in Coop stores across the country and in our bakeries.
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