Multi-Grain (Machine) Bread - Take 2

Homemade Multi-Grain Bread - Take 2

So my first attempt at using my bread machine turned out pretty good. It wasn't great 'to die for' bread but it had a lot going for it. It had 3 different whole grains, it had a nice and crunchy crust, and was soft inside. The downside - it had 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance (a vegan butter replacement) and it was pretty dense - almost the consistency of a dense banana bread. So this morning, I decided to make a few changes that would help reduce the density and replace the fat with a more healthy alternative. 

Prep Time: 10 min + ~4 hours in a bread machine

Ingredients (8 servings/slices): 

1. 1 cup almond milk
2. 2/3 cup water
3. 2 tbsp Natural (No Sugar) Apple Sauce (replaces Earth Balance)
4. 2 tbsp Agave syrup (I removed this because I figured Apple Sauce would add some sweetness)
5. 2 tsp Salt (I removed this because I added Roasted Salted Sunflower Seeds)
6. 3 cups Whole Wheat flour 
7. 3/4 cup All Purpose flour
8. 1/4 cup Ground Flax Seed Meal (replaced 3/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats) 
9. 1/4 cup Roasted Salted Sunflower Seeds (replaced 3/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats)
10. 2 tbsp Chia Seeds (I doubled this from Take 1, as I added less than 3/4 cup seeds) 
11. 2.25 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Directions: 

Place all ingredients in the order they are listed into the baking pan of your bread machine.  I used the menu selection on my machine for whole wheat bread. 

Allow the baking cycle to complete, remove the bread from the pan onto a baking rack and allow to stand for 20-30 minutes. Let the awesome yeasty aroma penetrate the senses of every living being :) !! Once they're all begging for you to cut some slices ... slice away!! 

My Assessment: Its still not there yet! Even though Joules, the old dog is begging for a slice (and she got a little piece!) it was still too dense in my opinion. So its back to the drawing board for me. Also, next time I will add back the agave as replacing both the salt and the sweet with only roasted seeds and 2 tablespoons of applesauce made it rather bland. This was definitely a better version than yesterday's attempt.  

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 198
Total Fat 10/9 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Carbohydrates 22 g; Fiber 4 g; Sugars 1.3 g; Protein 5.8 g