Oatmeal Loaf

We were out of bread today, and I wanted to attempt a slightly healthier version of our normal soft loaves. I decided to adapt this recipe.

I failed my Girl Scout preparedness training when in gathering ingredients I realized I was missing rolled oats. I made a substitution of Gerber baby oatmeal....but it's just not the same. I suspect the bread would have had a less gooey consistency if I'd used rolled oats as the original recipe called for.

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (less than 110 degrees F)

1 package active dry yeast

3 Tablespoons unsulphered molasses

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour

1 cup rolled oats (or Gerber baby oatmeal if you're feeling adventurous/crazy/unprepared)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted & cooled

1 Tablespoon salt

2 Tablespoons oil

Equipment:

stand mixer with dough hook

tablespoon

measuring cup

wooden spoon

1-2 9x5x3 greased loaf pans (splitting in half makes 2 very small loaves, but baking as one makes an enormous loaf)

Directions:

• Gently stir the warm water, molasses, and yeast into the KitchenAid bowl - allowing the yeast to proof until foamy (about 5 minutes)

• Mix the flour(s), oats, and butter into the yeast water with a wooden spoon. Cover with a towel and let sit for 30 minutes.

•  Add salt, attach the bowl & dough hook to the mixer. Mix at medium speed (6 out of 10 worked best for me) until the dough no longer sticks to the sides. At this point the dough (though sticky) should stick to itself more than anything else - including you!

•  Grab the ball of dough and knead it a few times by hand. Grease the bowl with the oil, replace the dough and flip it around to make sure the entire surface is slightly coated. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise for an hour. I keep my house pretty chilly in the winter so I often have trouble with my dough not rising enough. I've found if I turn the oven on for a minute or two and pop the dough into the oven with the door cracked, it helps to keep the drafts out. If you try this trick, you'll want to make sure the oven doesn't get too warm (over 110 degress F) or it'll deactivate the yeast. After this hour the dough should be doubled in size. Mine did not rise that much, but it was full of soft yeast bubbles.

•  The original recipe gives some pretty complicated kneading instructions. I simply punched it down and folded it over a few times before splitting into two pieces. I shaped my dough hunks (is it wrong that I just pictured a good-looking rich man?) into loaf sizes and placed into the greased pans.

•  Let the dough rise in the pan for another hour or so. I did my oven trick again here too. You really shouldn't need this unless your house is drafty / cold.

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and bake 30 minutes for 2 small loaves or 40 minutes for the large single loaf. Turn half-way through. When it is cooked the crust should be a rich brown and it should sound hollow when you tap it

• Officially you're supposed to remove from the oven and let cool for at least 2 hours. I did remove from the oven but I only waited until the bread didn't blister me before cutting into it. The smell of baking bread is just ....mmmmmm. 

My bread didn't turn out to sandwich height because I split it, but we don't eat many sandwiches anyway. It's a slightly chewy consistency while still being a soft, tender bread. I think it will be great for toast in the morning or sopping up leftover gravy/soup. It's a bit addictive really!

Cost:

Molasses	$0.28
Wheat Flour	$0.51
White Flour	$0.29
Butter	$0.33
Oats	$0.26
	$1.66