Country-Style Oatmeal Bread

Carol sent me a photo of the bread and I hoped she would share it on the blog. It looked so good and know there are quite a few people who love making bread. 

 Carol loves to share and I thank her for adding another one of fabulous recipes.

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” – James Beard



                                                  Country-Style Oatmeal Bread

I'm back in bread making mode and having a blast trying all kinds of new-to-me recipes.  I had forgotten just how much I missed making my own bread.

I had run across this recipe while strolling through the Taste of Home Recipe Board archives. We love oatmeal bread, this looked simple enough and used ingredients I already had on hand.  

I stayed pretty true to the original recipe. I did use milk for part of the warm water called for. My Mom (and her Mom) always told me that adding milk to a bread recipe gives it a nice crumb and keeps it soft. I used 1 1/4 c. warm water to dissolve the yeast, then added 1 1/4 c. milk to the flour mixture.

Since all I had was old fashioned rolled oats, that's what I used. I usually choose old fashioned oats over quick oats in bread-I like the "chew" they give.  I had to add a little more flour than called for in the original recipe. It was pretty warm and a touch humid here when I made this, so that's most likely why. The temperature in your kitchen has a lot to do with how much flour that dough is going to need.

Once the dough had risen and been punched down, I got out my kitchen scale and weighed it before dividing it in half.  That gives me a better chance of getting 2 loaves close to the same size rather than "eyeballing" it.

I like a soft top crust on bread, so I gave each loaf a light brush of melted butter over top right when they came out of the oven.

This is one VERY easy bread to mix, form and bake-and is it ever DELICIOUS. It's light, the crumb is soft but the oatmeal gives it a slight "chew". I sliced both loaves and froze the slices in packages of 4 slices each so that I can take just enough out for sandwiches or toast. We're really enjoying it.

If you love making bread and are an oatmeal bread fan, I highly recommend giving this a try-you won't be disappointed. Foodguy shared some wonderful recipes as a member of the Taste of Home community.  Sadly, he passed away a few years ago, so I'm giving a wave to heaven and sending up a big thank you to him for sharing this wonderful recipe.


Carol



COUNTRY-STYLE OATMEAL BREAD 

(Source: slightly adapted from recipe shared by foodguy on the Taste of Home Cook's Corner board-original recipe found HERE)

1 1/4 c. warm water (105-110 degrees) 
2 Tbsp. active dry yeast 
1/8 tsp. granulated sugar 
1 1/4 c. warm milk (105-110 degrees) 
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened 
6 Tbsp. light brown sugar 
2 tsp. salt 
4-5 c. bread flour 
2 c. rolled oats 
1-1 1/4 Tbsp. melted butter for brushing over tops of loaves

Dissolve the yeast and 1/8 tsp. granulated sugar in the warm water. Set aside and let the mixture get "foamy". This takes about 10 minutes. 

In a large mixing bowl. whisk together 2 c. of the flour, the brown sugar and salt.  Add the yeast mixture, the milk and softened butter.  Beat on medium speed of an electric mixer for about 2 minutes.  Add the rolled oats and 1 c. flour and beat until well mixed.  Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead, adding just enough of the remaining flour called for in the recipe, until the dough smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning the dough to grease the top. Cover and set aside in a warm place until the dough has doubled in bulk, about 40-45 minutes.

Grease (2) 8x4-inch loaf pans.

Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Form each half into a loaf. Place the loaves in the prepared pans. Cover lightly and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20-25 minutes.

When the dough has almost doubled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Uncover the loaves and bake @ 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped.


Immediately brush the top of each loaf lightly with melted butter. Remove from the pans and set them on a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 2 loaves.

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