Delicious Oatmeal Bread

Oatmeal bread. Ever had it? No? Then you just HAVE to give it a try. It's -hands down- one of my favourite breads of all time. It's sweet, it's savoury, simply the best of both worlds. The rolled oats do really give it a lovely texture and that special taste.


I remember when I first (at least consciously) had oatmeal bread - which wasn't too long ago, actually. Maybe 2 or 3 years. When you first bite into it it does "only" taste like a plain old piece of bread, but the more you chew it, the more flavour it develops and then this hint of sweetness kicks in - not too sweet, just enough to make the bread perfect for pairing with not only jam, or peanut butter, but also any savoury toppings.


It's such an uncomplicated method. I guarantee you, ANYONE can have a go at it and end up with the most delicious, homebaked loaf of oatmeal bread. I know, baking bread does often appear to be rather intimidating at first, but in fact it shouldn't be. You can easily bake your own!


This recipe makes 1 decent sized loaf. You can store it -well covered- for about 1 week. Also if you find yourself with too much of this deliciousness, you can definitely cut it into pieces and keep it in the freezer for a few months! So when you happen to be out of bread in 3 months time and all the stores are closed, you can just take the bread out of your freezer, thaw it and enjoy your favourite carb.


There's only one thing left to say:
Ready...set...BAKE!


Ingredients:

1 cup (90g) rolled oats
6 cups (750g) bread flour
1 cup (240ml) boiling water
1 cup (240ml) milk
1 ½ tbsp margarine, melted
2 packets of active dry yeast (1/2 oz/ 7 grams each)
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp Golden Syrup, molasses or honey
2 tsp salt

 Method:

1. Combine rolled oats and water in a medium sized bowl. Let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes, or until the oats have soaked up all the water. Mix in the margarine and   the Golden Syrup (molasses or honey).
2. Heat the milk just until lukewarm. To proof the yeast stir the sugar in the milk, sprinkle the yeast on top and cover it for about 10 minutes. Then mix in with the rolled oats.
3. Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl, put in the rolled oats/ yeast mixture and knead well for some 10 minutes or so. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
4. Knead again and put the dough into lightly greased loaf pans. Let the dough prove once more until almost doubled.
5. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C), brush water on the loaf and bake for 45-50 minutes.

~♥Agnes


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