Oatmeal and Wheat Sandwich Bread

I bake my take on Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book recipe for oatmeal bread often. It is a lovely sandwich loaf. I’ve even made this using a sour dough starter.

Makes 2 loaves.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups of raw old-fashioned rolled oats or 2/3 cup of raw steel-cut oats (106 g)
• 2/3 cup of whole wheat (100 g)
• 2 1/2 cups of boiling water
• 1 tablespoon salt (16.5 g)
• 2 teaspoons of instant yeast
• 1/4 cup of oil or melted butter (1/2 stick of butter)
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups of bread flour (720 g)
• Extra flour to dust the board
• Extra water if the dough is dry
• Small amount of oil to oil bowl
• Cooking spray or shortening to grease loaf pans

Tools:

A stand mixer really helps with a bread hook, but it isn’t necessary. 2 large bowls, medium size pot, two loaf pans – I use either 8 X 4 or 9 x 5 inches, wire rack for cooling, a scale (if you have one)

Instructions

1. Cook the oatmeal and 2/3 cup of whole wheat in the boiling water until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in the salt, oil or butter, and honey to the oatmeal while it it hot. Let sit until cool. I like to make the oatmeal in the morning around 7 AM, and let it sit until 10 AM or later.
3. Light oil a large bowl.
4. If using a stand mixer, set it up with a dough hook. Measure the flour into the bowl of the stand mixer. Otherwise, measure the flour into a large bowl.
5. Mix the yeast into the flour.
6. Add the oatmeal mixture to the flour.
7. If using the stand mixer, turn your mixer on low and mix the oatmeal and flour together. If the dough seems very stiff, don’t add more water yet. The flour will absorb water from the oatmeal very slowly. If after 5 minutes, the dough still seems very stiff, add water slowly, will the mixer is running, until dough becomes soft and supple OR if the dough seem to wet, add a small amount of flour to the dough until it becomes soft and supple. Knead in the mixer for a total of 10 minutes
8. If kneading by hand, stir the oatmeal mixture into the flour. (I use my hand to combing the oatmeal mixture and flour together.) If the dough is wet, add more flour. If the dough seems very stiff, don’t add more water yet. The flour will absorb water from the oatmeal very slowly. If after 10 minutes, the dough still seems very stiff, add water slowly by wetting your hands and kneading until dough becomes soft and supple.
9. Round the dough into a ball and place it smooth side up into a large oiled bowl. Cover the bowl and put it in a warm draft free place to rise. (Warm is between 70 and 85 degrees.)
10. Check the dough at an hour and half to see if it is ready to deflate by gently poking a wet finger about 1/2 inch deep. If the hole doesn’t fill in or if the dough sighs, it is ready for the next step. Otherwise, check on it in 15 minute increments.
11. Deflate the dough by pressing it flat and then form the dough into a ball again. Place it smooth side up into the bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm draft free place for half as long as the first rising. This should be abut 45 minutes.
12. After the second rising, lightly flour your work area. Dump the dough out onto the lightly floured surface. Press it flat, and divide it into two equal pieces of dough. Shape each pieces into a ball. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
13. Grease two loaf pans. If you want to be fancy, sprinkle the greased loaf pan with rolled oats.
14. Shape each ball gently into a loaf and place each one into a greased loaf pan. For fancy, brush the top of the loaves with water or milk and sprinkle with rolled oats.
15. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour. If you gently press a finger on the top of the bread, it should make a slight indent and not spring back.
16. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place the loaves in the oven at least 5 inches apart and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and tip one of the loaves out of the pan.
17. The bread will sound hollow when thumped on the bottom of the loaf. If the bread is done, tip the second loaf out and let them cool on a wire rack. (see notes)
18. Let the bread cool completely before cutting it. This keeps it from squishing. You can cut it slightly warm.

Notes:

If you measure the oil or melted butter a 1/4 cup measuring cup and then use the same cup to measure the honey, the honey won’t stick inside the cup.

I put the wire rack on top of the loaf pans so the bread has a lot of circulation and the bottom won’t steam.

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