If you happen to own an old bread machine, and it's covered with dust, you aren't alone. Many people think of bread as a guilty pleasure these days.

But the truth is that when it's made with healthful, whole ingredients, bread can once again be a delicious staple.

Maybe you haven't made homemade bread in a long time, because most recipes use ingredients you try to avoid, such as white flour, butter, milk and eggs. If that sounds familiar, I have good news.

This recipe is a snap with only six ingredients. It's 100 percent whole grain, hearty and nutritious, dairy free, and fat-free too.

Five-Grain Bread makes a nicely shaped two-pound loaf every time, and bakes in about three and one half hours. Since the bread machine does all the heavy lifting, all you do is measure and pour the ingredients into the pan. The machine precisely manages the mixing, kneading, rising and baking.

I use the Whole Wheat cycle and the Light Crust setting, but follow the instructions for your machine for baking whole grain bread. Typically, the Whole Wheat or Whole Grain setting provides the dough with extended kneading and rising cycles, which help contribute to a lighter, taller loaf.

One unusual ingredient in this recipe is 5-grain cereal. I use Bob's Red Mill 5-Grain Rolled Cereal, which can be found in the specialty flour section at Kroger, The Produce Station, Whole Foods, or Arbor Farms. If you don’t see 5-grain, use 7- or 10-grain cereal, which should work just as well.

Although this wholesome loaf is delicious anytime, if your machine happens to have a timer, try using that feature to bake bread automatically overnight. The enticing aroma of this bread baking will surely lure you out of bed first thing in the morning.

So go ahead and add Dry Active Yeast to your grocery list. Then reach way back into that corner of your shelf and grab the bread machine, because now you can enjoy fresh, healthy, homemade bread as often as you like.

Five-Grain Bread

(Adapted from "The McDougall Newsletter", Volume 11, Issue 8)

13 1/2 ounces water

3 1/2 cups of white whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons 5-grain cereal

2 tablespoons molasses

1 1/2 teaspoons of Active Dry Yeast

Automatic Bread Machine Instructions

Place all ingredients into pan in the order specified by the bread machine manufacturer.

Select the machine's Whole Wheat Bread cycle, Light Crust setting, and 2-Pound Loaf size. Press Start (or use Delay Timer program).

After baking cycle ends, immediately remove bread from the pan. Serve warm.

Vicki Brett-Gach is an artist, writer, wife, mom, and enthusiastic vegan, and loves to help family and friends discover that you do not have to be vegan to enjoy delicious vegan food. Vicki understands the challenges a new vegan can face, and welcomes your questions and comments at a2vegankitchen@gmail.com.