Honey Oatmeal Bread

Passion

When I started researching blogs and thinking about the topics I would cover, the big discerning question that kept popping up was what are you passionate about?  Baking bread is very close to the top of my list bringing with it all forms of enjoyment.  Ok, so you don’t think that passion is the right word to describe my relationship with bread baking and that passion is more of a sensual word bringing with it all types of feeling and emotions.  Well – welcome to my bread baking world!  I have been baking bread on a regular basis for the past 26 years and yes, my senses are ignited as I follow each step of this very simplistic and ancient ritual. Beginning with the smell of activated yeast, to the repetitive motion of kneading the dough, and then, of course, the smell and taste of fresh bread – Voila! How can you not love this wonderful staple that can be eaten as a snack, an hors d’oeuvre, with the meal and don’t forget about dessert?  Yes, dessert.  My dad loved eating a piece of butter and jelly bread after a meal and we all just followed suit.  Yum Yum!

Let’s Break Bread

Fr. Dominic Garramone, OSB, a.k.a. The Bread Monk introduced me to the honey oatmeal bread recipe.  Father Dom is well known to public television viewers for his cooking series Breaking Bread with Father Dominic.   His love and appreciation for the art of baking bread has been shared with many and continues to be shared through his gracious fundraisers, an archive of BREADHEAD VIDEOS, his blog, and his social media presence.  6 years ago I attended the Metro East Herb Club fundraiser featuring Fr. Dominic.   He provided an entertaining evening as he demonstrated his bread baking techniques while adding humorous stories ranging from his childhood days to his present day ministries.

You Knead To Try It

What could be simpler than the ingredients needed to make bread?  Not only are the ingredients minimal, but the possibilities of what can be done with a basic piece of dough are endless. Ingredients can be added or changed, the shape can be altered and don’t forget you can have multiple pieces and it’s fun to share.  Over the years, I have used my bread for thank yous, healing food, fundraisers and all kinds of gatherings.

 My mom kneading a piece of dough. Check out her technique.

This Honey Oatmeal recipe makes a fabulous loaf of bread perfect for slicing.  First of all, it’s not difficult to make. The ingredients are basic and the steps are easy to follow.  You have the option to add an egg for an extra rich dough making it especially nice for sandwiches.  I shape it into round loaves and bake in loaf pans.  It’s perfect both ways. Below I’ve included a short video to show how the density in the honey oatmeal bread is different from a basic white bread dough.  I hope it helps.

I know you’ll enjoy making this recipe.  What do you love about baking bread?  Are you ready to give it a try?  Please leave a comment and share your experiences.  Thanks for stopping by.  Rose

Honey Oatmeal Bread

 

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This Honey Oatmeal Bread is great for sandwiches. You'll be glad you made it. Enjoy! sockbox10.com

Author: Sock Box 10

Recipe type: Bread

Serves: Varies by loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup instant oats
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 package dry yeast
• ¼ cup warm water
• ⅓ cup honey
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. butter or oil
• 51/2 cups flour, approximate
• 1 egg optional
• extra oatmeal for coating

Instructions

1. Place the oats in a large bowl. Bring 2 cups water to a boil, pour over the oats and let stand for at least 15 minutes.
2. Stir the yeast into ¼ cup of warm water and let stand for 5 minutes to dissolve.
3. Feel the oats at the bottom of the bowl to be sure they're lukewarm, and then add the honey, salt, butter, and dissolved yeast. You can also add an egg for an extra rich dough.
4. Work in enough of the flour so that the dough can be handled, but remember that the oatmeal and the honey will make this a very sticky dough. (this is usually 4 cups)
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead for a minute or two and then let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Resume kneading until the dough is elastic, but still rather sticky-don't add too much flour at a time.
7. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until double in bulk.
8. Punch down and divide into two pieces.
9. Knead each piece to remove the large air bubbles, but do not use any flour on the kneading board--you want the dough to remain sticky.
10. Roll each loaf in the extra oatmeal until it is completely covered.
11. Place loaves on lightly greased cookie sheets and allow to rise until doubled.
12. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
13. Bake bread for 45 minutes.
14. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on racks.
15. The rise time will vary depending on the room temperature and humidity.
16. Dough made with honey may darken more quickly than other bread. I usually cover my loaves with aluminum foil about 20 minutes into the bake time. This also depends on your oven.
17. The size of your loaves can determine bake time. If I make 3 loaves out of the dough, I will cut back the bake time a few minutes.

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