You can make your own super healthy, nutrition packed bread from scratch with this Copycat Dave's Killer Bread recipe for the home bread baker!
Here's a reboot from the archives, friends! I originally made this recipe almost 3 years ago when I was pregnant with M. I made it quite a few times, but then a lot of you told me you were having difficulties with the recipe. So, I went back to it and played with it and adjusted it and made (and ate) a lot of loaves until I got it right.
Now is it an exact copy of Dave's? No. But is it a pretty delicious, nutritious close enough to make the at home Copycat Dave's Killer Bread to make the home bread maker happy? Yup, I'm pretty sure it is.
Ingredients Needed
My deep love for all things gluten is pretty evident by all of the bread we make (and eat) in this house. From our Vietnamese Baguette, Dan's Como Bread, No Knead Rosemary Garlic Bread, No Knead NY Deli Rye, and the latest, Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread, suffice to say we love homemade bread in this house. But we also want to ensure that we're still getting all the same nutrition that I was obsessed with while preggo with both the girls. I'm still nursing our littlest babe and I am a firm believer that what I eat 100% matters to as by way of my milk, I'm setting down fundamental building blocks to good nutrition to this tiny human. Therefore, I want all the nutritional bang for the buck I can get in my food.There's no denying how nutritious Dave's Killer Bread is. The 21 Whole Grains and Seeds is one of my (and M's) favorites. So naturally, I wanted to figure out how to make it from scratch!From scratch, but still packing as much of nutritional punch as possible.
Enter: Oats. Pumpkin Seeds. Ground flax seed. Black sesame seeds. White sesame seeds. Sunflower seeds. Quinoa. Wheat germ. Chia seeds.
Whole wheat flour. Kamut flour. Amaranth flour. And finally, spelt flour. Ok ok, if you're keeping track, that's only 14 whole grains and seeds. But it gets to a point where if the ingredient list becomes so insane you're going to be spending way more $ on the copycat than the the original.
Now I'm a pretty self proclaimed lazy baker. Hence all of my no knead breads. This bread though, this bread takes some work. Once you've activated your yeast, added your flours and then all of the seeds, you're going to have a super sticky dough. Which is good. It's what you want. It's what you need. Because of the seeds that will suck out a lot of moisture from the dough, in order to get a nice soft crumb (center) of your loaf, you need two things: good hydration and a well kneaded dough.
Knead it until it passes the "windowpane" test. This is when you know the gluten in the dough is well developed enough. Essentially, take a small ball of dough and then slowly spread your fingers apart while holding it, stretching it out until it's like a windowpane that you can see light through, but that it doesn't rip. If it rips, that means that the gluten hasn't been worked enough and you have more kneading to do.
Now with this bread, because it's mostly made up of whole wheat flour, which has less gluten than a standard white bread flour, you will need to work it longer to activate it. Again, your arms will be tired. You'll want to just call it good. But don't! You'll end up with a super dense loaf!
Instead, if you put in the work, you'll get a loaf that has a lovely, soft, chewy center. Not quite as airy as Dave's, but again, a pretty darn good Copycat Dave's Killer Bread.
Then, thanks to Calorie Count I can see exactly how nutritional my copycat is! Sliced nice and thin (I got about 15 thin slices from a loaf), and no, it's not as nutritious Dave's 21 Whole Grains and Seeds, but for a homemade bread, this Copycat Dave's Killer Bread is pretty darn nutritious and delicious.
Enjoy, friends! I hope you all have much more luck with this Copycat Dave's Killer Bread recipe - as always, let me know! I love hearing from you!
Copycat Dave's Killer Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cups warm water
- 3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup amaranth flour
- 1/4 cup spelt flour
- 1/4 cup kamut flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 2 teaspoons dry unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon quinoa
- 1 tablespoon wheat germ
- 2 teaspoons dry unsalted sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons old fashioned rolled oats
Instructions
- Add yeast to the stand mixer bowl and add warm water. Let sit for 3-5 minutes until yeast is activated and foamy.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix your flours and salt together. In a separate bowl, mix together all of the seeds, quinoa, wheat germ, and oats.
- Add honey and molasses and mix. Let sit another minute.
- Slowly add the flours and salt and using the dough hook, mix on medium until a very sticky dough forms. Add seeds and mix again until all are incorporated.
- Remove dough from mixer and on a lightly floured surface (preferably not a wood one, best case granite or marble), begin kneading. The dough will be VERY sticky - that's good! Resist the urge to add a lot more flour and knead for at least 15 minutes until dough begins to soften and come together.
- To know when the dough has been kneaded enough and gluten has been activated, conduct "windowpane" test. Take a small ball of dough and hold with your forefingers and thumbs. Hold it up to a light and slowly stretch the dough - if it immediately rips, it needs to be kneaded more. You want it to stretch nice and thin so that you can see through it like a windowpane but it doesn't rip. This will take at least 15 minutes of solid kneading. Don't give up!
- Once it passes the windowpane test, add to a lightly oiled large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until it doubles in size - approximately an hour.
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease a 9 X 5 loaf pan.
- When proofed, punch down and remove from bowl. Flatten to a large rectangle and fold in sides then roll into a log. Place in loaf pan, seam side down.
- Cover with plastic to let rise again. For best results, use a plastic bag to allow room for the dough to rise over the top of the pan. Put pan in bag and tie top then move the tied ends under the loaf pan.
- Let rise until almost doubled - about 30-45 minutes.
- Bake in center rack of oven for 35 - 45 minutes, until top is golden brown and when bottom of loaf it tapped, it sounds hollow.
- Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing and enjoy!
I wanted to share my experience trying this in the bread maker since several people in the comments have asked!
The first time I tried to make this in the bread machine it was a disaster... however, I think there was a problem with the yeast because it just didn't rise. Since I've done several loafs and here's what I can share:
If your bread machine is like mine and prefers wet ingredients before dry, I actually found a better loaf with putting the molasses/honey/salt in first, then all the flours/wheat germ/flax seed. On top of that I put the 2 cups of warm water and yeast. I put my bread machine on the whole wheat setting, 2lb loaf, light crust. My machine has the option to add mix ins, so when that alarm goes off is when I add in all the seeds. I've found that adding an addition 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour helps a lot, and that before the 2nd rise I need to go in and scrape all the dough off the sides because, as the recipe states, it is a VERY sticky dough.
Finally, after rising and when it is about to bake (for my machine it is when the alarm sounds to remove the paddle), I take the bread out and knead it by hand for an additional 10ish minutes. I just found that even though I don't get the window pane effect that OP has, it helps with the texture.
This bread is by far the healthiest and most delicious bread I've made in my machine. My boyfriend actually prefers it over Dave's Killer Bread so that's a big win!!
Also, if there are any fellow finance nerds in here like me, I wanted to justify the cost of all these ancient grains to my boyfriend. In doing so I made a spreadsheet that calculated the cost per ounce of all the ingredients to see how much one loaf costs. For my local store, I save $1 a loaf compared to Dave's Killer Bread so that's great!
I hope this help <3
Bonny!!! You are AMAZING! This is truly incredible thank you for sharing! AND for sharing your calculations - I LOVE IT. By the way, what kind of bread machine do you have?
Of course, anything for some fellow carb lovers haha. Thank YOU for the amazing recipe!
I have the Cuisinart Convection Breadmaker.
Suggestion for using the standing mixer... I tried a few times, including following the online recommendation of 10 minutes at a 2 speed. Then I watched the bakers on the British Baking Show do it! Followed their lead and voila.
A few minutes into mixing at a 2 with the bread hook, add the seeds. Once incorporated and distributed, crank it up to a 10 for 10 minutes.
Baked it for 37 minutes and perfection!
Hi Jennifer- After using the stand mixer for 10 minutes you didn't have to knead the dough?
Super excited my husbsnd buys this bread all the time. Have you ever made in the a bread machine? I love your story. I grew up following recipes and Call me to do or trying to mimic what she did but she never had the amount of anything so I had to guess but eventually kind of figured it out but this was late in life
Did you try it in a bread maker?
I don’t have a stand mixer. Can we make it in a cusinart 14 cup food processor with dough blade ? I don’t want to mix it with hands for long time. Thankyou.
Hi! Hmm I haven't tried this yet, but I think that could work! Let me know if you try it!
I've never rated a recipe or left a comment on a blog before, but I had to comment on this! I made this bread last night and it is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Rhonda!! Thank you SO much for leaving the comment!! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!!
This makes a fabulous bread. Just made my first batch (two loaves, why not?) and here are some comments. You may not want to try this unless you've got a good stand mixer. As someone else commented, the Kitchen Aid with a dough hook did the kneading for me and it came out fine. Don't panic when the top crust begins looking slightly burnt 20 minutes into baking time. I pulled the two loaves out and checked their internal temperature; they hadn't gotten anywhere near the 200 degrees I look for with yeast breads, so I put them back in for the full 30 minutes. The top crust is indeed crusty but the inside is softly chewy, just the way you want a hearty bread to taste. Not sure why but the dough, even after kneading and the first rising, was more like batter. There was no patting/shaping/folding. I just spooned it into the pans and went for the second rise. With the number of ingredients here, I found it helpful to measure out everything in advance, especially if you're doubling the recipe: yeast in one bowl, honey and molasses in a second, flours and salt in a third, seeds in a fourth bowl. It would be easy to get confused without some upfront prep work.
I wrapped the second loaf up tight in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and I'm hoping it freezes well.
My husband has declared this "The best bread I've had in years" so I guess I'm committed now.
Wow Mandy GREAT tips - thanks so much for the feedback!! SO glad you and your husband enjoyed it! 😀
Copycat Dave's Killer Bread is AWESOME! It tastes just like the real thing. The methods were well explained, and I would have never guessed the dough would be workable without adding extra flour. But, I resisted the urge, and the result was fabulous! I am a fan. Thanks so much for developing this amazing recipe.
By the way, I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with dough hook to do all the kneading. I double-checked the manual, which said to let it work for 10 or more minutes on a speed of 2. No hand kneading, just hand shaped the loaf. Success!
Wow thank you SO much for the feedback, Bonnie!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!!
Can this bread be made in a bread machine?
Hi An, I wish I had a good answer for you - I've never used a bread machine before. But please let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
could i sub one of the other flours like spelt for kamut? i don’t know if i’ll be able to find that in a grocery store.
Of course!
This no-knead bread is full of dried fruits, seeds and nuts. Good and good for you! Try it toasted and topped with Apricot Cream Cheese ( recipe below) for breakfast, or spread it with peanut butter for lunch.
Great recipe, healthy as well as delicious,
Incredibly glad to see this post, (and to find your site!) but here's a challenge....have you tried to tweak this and make the Good Seed bread? It's amazingly delish!
Hi Terry! I haven't yet! It'll be next on the list though!!
Am I blind? I don't see an actual recipe. No quantities of ingredients? I'm on Chrome, if it matters.
No - you're not! Sorry Heidi - I'm tweaking the recipe currently to make it a little more user friendly! Stay tuned!
Just finished baking. It never seemed to rise very much and is extremely hard and dense. Any ideas would be appreciated. I used acti e instant yeast.
Hmm if it didn't rise to start with then I see why it's hard, but I'm not sure why it didn't rise. I'm going to work on this recipe again this weekend to see what's going on
Sort of bummed...just finished baking, but my loaves are like rock. Not sure what I did wrong... any suggestions?
Oh no! Hmmm did you get a good rise?
Have you ever used a bread machine for this bread recipe?
Killer Dave's Bread Lover!
I haven't! I've never actually used a bread machine so I'm not sure how it would work at all... but if you try it, please let me know!
This just didn’t work. To be fair, I live at an altitude of 9000 ft. I usually do well with baking bread, however, this recipe didn’t have enough moisture (I added more). The dough was too dense, and had a slightly bitter taste when completed. I usually have problems with bread rising too much at this altitude....this hardly rose at all, even with a lovely foamy initial yeast mix. Suggestions?
Hmmm, I'm so sorry to hear that Lisa. Baking at altitude, that's something I've never been good at. I used to live at 8,000 feet in Colorado but never really baked. Sometimes with all of the additional ingredients I've heard it's tough to get it to rise, but I haven't had that problem. I'm going to make this again a few different ways to tweak it and will get back to you!
Has any one tried to alter this recipe for a bread machine? Any advice would be appreciated!
Hi Jessica! I've never tried this recipe with a bread machine and haven't used a bread machine myself so I don't have many words of advice, unfortunately. However, King Arthur Flour has a great article about converting recipes to a bread machine! I hope this helps! https://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2018/04/30/how-to-convert-recipes-to-a-bread-machine/
If you make it, let me know how it turns out!!
I tried just 1/2 the recipe. The bread rose and fell so turned out too dense and kinda doughy (under-cooked). This has happened to me before when adding seeds to a bread machine. I'm new to baking so the article really helps! Thank you!
Hi Tracy! Question. Which type of yeast do you use in this recipe? It doesn't specify and that might be why I failed. I used active dry yeast. Do you use instant?
Hi Jessica- good question! I use the same, active dry. But with a bread machine maybe using instant would work better? I'm glad that article helped and please keep me updated, I'm curious how it will work in a bread machine!
I can't wait to make this recipe!
I just made this bread. I have a question - I don't see in the in the instructions when to add the salt. I added the 1 tablespoon salt when I started kneading. The bread is delicious, easy to make, and baked up beautifully, but it is a bit too salty. Can you please clarify this instruction? Thank you!
Hi Janet! Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know about the salt! Eek! It's best to add it with the flours so that it gets mixed well with other dry ingredients. Once the dough is already created it may not distribute the salt well and that's why you may have gotten salty pockets. But also- I had another typo! Oh my I must have been very tired when I wrote this. It's actually only 1/2 tablespoon of salt! Give it another try and let me know what you think - although I'm sure you'll find it much less salty! Enjoy!!
So much goodness and nutrients in one loaf! This bread is perfection!
The bread looks just perfect. I especially love how the toasted slice looks. Cant wait to try this 🙂
What a fantastic looking bread... I need to start baking more bread!! YUM!
Thanks, Ramona!
Sounds warm and delicious. My husband will love this! I'm always looking for new bread recipes to try for him.
Thanks, Tina! It's definitely a hearty one, great for the winter!
I've been wanting to make more of my own bread and this one sounds like a fantastic place to start! It looks so beautiful and wow, all those different grains! Also, yes, preggo brain is real... So is new mommy brain, just so you're prepared 😉
Hahaha thanks, Kathryn! That's what everyone tells me - it never goes away 😉
Wow! I love the combination of seeds, flours and flavors in this dish...I'm sure it makes for a delicious loaf!
Thanks Sarah! Delicious and nutritious!
This looks fab, I'm not really much of a baker but I like bread like this quite substantial and full of flavour, nice job!
Thanks, Brian!