Great Bread: King Arthur Oatmeal Bread
I have discovered a new love: bread baking. I used to be scared, thinking I didn’t have the skill or the equipment to make great bread. But here’s the secret about making bread at home: all homemade bread is delicious.. even if it’s not perfect! It’s just got a special quality that store-bought bread can’t match.
So I’ve decided to start a new series called Great Bread. I’m hoping this will be an ongoing series as my love for bread baking grows. I love making things from scratch at home (see Pre-Made Our Way) and I can’t wait to share my findings with you.
We’ll start with King Arthur’s Oatmeal Bread. I was searching for a good sandwich bread, and after a tip from Wendy of Pink Stripes on Twitter, I found this recipe for Oatmeal Bread. How could I not trust King Arthur? It’s definitely a great sandwich bread- dense, substantial, with a light sweetness- perfect for toasting, grilled sandwiches, or just eating by the slice. I also love the oat flavor. The two loaves were finished in an afternoon, so you don’t need to devote hours to it, either. This definitely qualifies as Great Bread.
Oatmeal Bread (from King Arthur Flour)
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) rolled oats
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup (3 ounces) molasses
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) brown sugar
2 cups (16 ounces) boiling water
5 cups (approximately) King Arthur Unbleached Organic Bread Flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the oats, butter, salt, molasses, brown sugar and boiling water, and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes. Mix in 2 cups of the flour and the yeast, and beat for 2 minutes, by hand or (preferably) electric mixer. Gradually add the remaining 3 cups of flour, mixing all the while, till a cohesive dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured or lightly greased work surface, and knead to form a smooth, elastic dough, adding flour only as necessary to prevent unbearable sticking. Place the dough in lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise till doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Gently deflate the dough, divide it in half, and shape each half into a log. Place the logs in two lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans, cover the pans, and let rise till doubled in bulk (or crowned about 1 inch over the rims of the pans), about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaves registers 190°F. turn the loaves out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 2 loaves. (2 loaves of 18 slices=84 calories per slice)
How exciting! I actually just made my first bread last week – a nice, white bread, also great for sandwiches. Maybe I’ll give this one a go now 🙂
How cool! I’m glad it worked out for you. They look great!
Looks great! Happy Baking, Frank baker/blogger @ KAF.