I've been enjoying making bread but got tired of the same thing. I thought oatmeal bread would be a fun and different thing to try. This time I just made a single loaf. I have been having to freeze the second loaf to keep it from going bad. After all, homemade bread doesn't have any preservatives.
Oatmeal Bread
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup scalded milk
1 envelope yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 1/2 cups flour plus 1/4 cup as necessary
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter cut in small pieces
oil for greasing the bowl
Pam for spraying the loaf pan
Heat 1 cup of milk to just when it starts to bubble and before it boils.
Pour the milk over 1 cup of oatmeal in a medium bowl. Stir to moisten and set aside.
Put the molasses and the very warm, but not hot, water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top, give it a brief stir and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer place the 2 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar and salt. Use the paddle to mix slowly.
Remove the paddle and add the oatmeal, butter and yeast mixture. Use the dough hook to mix. Stop frequently to scrape down the sides.
My dough needed a bit more flour. It was too sticky to form a ball. I added about 1/8 cup more of flour and then used the rest of the 1/4 cup to sprinkle on the counter.
Then I hand kneaded for about a minute until it was smooth and elastic and had absorbed the flour.
Pour about 1Tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large bowl and spread up the sides. Place the ball of dough in the bowl and flip it a few times to oil the whole ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and set aside to rise for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
Lightly flour the counter. Punch the dough down and knead it to get rid of bubbles.
Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle slightly wider than the bread pan. Roll it up tightly and then fold the ends in so it is slightly shorter than the loaf pan. Pinch the ends to try to make a seamless tube.
Spray the loaf pan with Pam. Place the dough in it with the seam side down. Cover with whatever you used to cover the bowl. Let it rise until it has doubled, about an hour.
Adjust the rack in the oven so the bread can cook in the middle of it. Preheat the oven to 375°. Bake about 30-40 minutes. Mine was done at 30 minutes.
Set the loaf pan on a rack to cool.
While it is cooling brush the top with butter. After about 5 minutes turn the bread out onto the rack to finish cooling.
After it had cooled completely, I cut it and had a bite. It was great.
Then I buttered the slice. It was even better.
I served it toasted with eggs. Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? It was great toasted, too.
