Homemade Oatmeal Bread
Baking bread has been something that I have tried to do many times. I’ve made no-knead doughs, which always turned out very dense. I’ve made sourdough, wheat, and french bread – all with mild success. This oatmeal bread is the first recipe that I have absolutely loved! It doesn’t have a crispy crust like you might find with sourdough or french bread, but the crust also isn’t soft like a quick bread. It is fluffy and chewy, and tastes the best with just plain butter!
This is not one of my “quick and easy” recipes that I usually share, but I promise that it’s worth the time. Here are a few tips for making bread:
Use lukewarm water, not hot water. I get my water right out of the tap and it should be warm, not hot. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast and the dough won’t rise.
Use dry active yeast, not instant or quick-rise yeast. Time and time again in my ongoing attempt to make my life easier I thought that using the quick-rise yeast would save me time. Ultimately, my recipes failed because of the switch.
Use old fashioned oats, not quick oats. The old fashioned oats are what give that bread the chewy texture. If you only have quick oats, you can substitute it and the taste will be the same, but the texture will be different.
Oatmeal Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 c lukewarm water
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cups flour I used 2 cups all-purpose & 1 cup whole wheat
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the water, yeast, sugar, and oil. Set aside and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Add the flour, oats, and salt to the wet mixture. Mix thoroughly until all of the dry ingredients are wet then knead by hand (about 10 minutes) on a lightly floured surface, or with the standing mixer and a dough hook attachment (about 5 minutes.)
- Cover the bowl with a dish towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for 90 minutes.
- Next, punch down the dough and knead by hand, turning the dough over on itself 2 or 3 times.
- Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a greased 9×5" loaf pan. Cover with a dish towel and let rise until the dough is about 1-2" above the pan.
- While the dough is rising, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Once the dough is ready, bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Let the loaf cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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