It’s all well and good to produce a loaf of bread that’s packed with seeds, grains and nutrition. But if it resembles a brick, where’s the joy?

Happily, it is possible to bring forth from your oven, and without much trouble, a soft yet substantial loaf with various whole grains. It may not be totally without sin, as a portion of soft, white flour and a sweetener help stave off those aforementioned bricklike tendencies.

But you can at least rest assured that you’re consuming a fair amount of good stuff along with the bad.

Bernice Anderson says more people need to know the value of whole-grain bread. She buys one made with oat bran, flaxseed and honey at a bakery, and although she admits to spreading it with a lot of almond butter and cinnamon, she is certain she’s doing her body a favor.

Anderson said a simple recipe could help others achieve the same ends.

First, the sell job: Whole-wheat grains contain the outer layer, core and germ that bear most of wheat’s fiber and minerals. These are milled away and lost in the processing of all-purpose white flour. Oat bran is the outer casing of the oat grain, high in fiber and protein. Flax has all that and the added benefits of antioxidants and so-called "good" fats. One of the latest wonder foods, flax is being studied for its potential in battling certain diseases.

Now, the recipe: I found a basic one that suited my very basic bread-making skills. It was acceptable but somewhat bricklike. So I experimented with variables such as regular flour versus bread flour (regular worked better), more or less honey (more), ground or whole flaxseed (ground) and a balance of whole-wheat to white flour (50-50).

On that last point, increasing the proportion of wheat to white flour bolsters the nutritional benefits but makes the bread more dense, less soft. This is not necessarily a bad thing; tastes vary. Baking a couple of loaves at different proportions will lead you to your own equilibrium.

WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD WITH OAT BRAN AND FLAXSEED

» 1 cup whole-wheat flour
» 1 cup all-purpose flour
» 1/2 cup oat bran
» 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
» 1 teaspoon salt
» 1 packet rapid-rise dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
» 1/4 cup honey
» 1-1/4 cups water

Combine flours, oat bran, flax, salt and yeast in mixing bowl (see note).

Combine honey and water; heat in microwave to 120-130 degrees. Stir to dissolve honey.

Gradually add honey-water to flour mixture, stirring to incorporate. Dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead, sprinkling with more flour (wheat or white; wheat will make a denser loaf) until dough is smooth and no longer sticky (this will take 1/4 to 1/2 cup additional flour). Wipe out mixing bowl and coat with thin layer of vegetable oil. Shape dough into ball, place in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour.

Punch down dough, then knead 4-6 times and reshape into ball. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet and let rest 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Make 4 shallow slashes in top of loaf in crosshatch pattern. Bake 30-35 minutes.

Makes about 12 1/2-inch slices.

Approximate nutritional information, per slice: 130 calories, 2.5 g fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 4 g protein

Note: If using active dry yeast instead of rapid-rise, combine with the warm water (110 degrees in this case) and honey, and let sit about 5 minutes, until foamy (if liquid does not foam, your yeast is too old). It is important to use warm liquid with any type of yeast to activate it, but it should not be so hot that it kills the yeast.

Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S. Write "By Request," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu, HI 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.