Classic Oatmeal Bread

This Classic Oatmeal Bread reminds me of my childhood. We’d eat my mom’s version hot out of the oven, covered with cold pats of butter. This recipe will make your inner-child come alive!

Classic Oatmeal Bread

One of my favorite loaves since childhood was my mom’s oatmeal bread. I’m not sure the secret of  her recipe, but I do recall eating it hot from the oven with lots of cool, creamy butter smeared on the slices.  Hot bread? Cold butter? Maybe that was the secret…I still love that combo. I turned to baking guru, Nick Malgieri, for some inspiration for this challenge.

His How to Bake cookbook has been the source for my favorite cheesecake, apple pie, and now oatmeal bread. Nick’s attention to detail  was priceless when, as a novice baker, I needed very detailed tips and instructions. I’ve tried a few oatmeal bread recipes over the years, but this has got to be my favorite. Soft, sweet, tender…truly the ultimate oatmeal bread recipe.

Tips for Making Oatmeal Bread

• Remember that yeast is a living organism and if you add water that is too hot, you can kill the yeast. Use a kitchen thermometer to make sure your warm water is around 110º and no hotter than 120º.
• Check the expiration date on your yeast. If it has expired, purchase a fresh batch.

• A stand mixer fit with a dough hook is a terrific way to knead bread. Just make sure your mixer does not overheat by monitoring it during the kneading process. If the mixer feels very hot, turn it off and let it cool down before continuing.  You may need to finish kneading by hand if necessary.
• Letting the dough rise, or proofing the dough, works best in a warm location. Cover the bowl of kneaded bread with greased plastic wrap. An ideal site is about 80º. Forcing the dough to rise in a too hot environment will compromise the texture.

• Shaping the loaf by flattening the dough into a rectangle, folding in half and rolling makes a nice shaped cylinder. If it doesn’t adhere to itself when rolling, a small amount of water can be used to moisten the dough.
• You can expand upon this recipe by adding raisins or other dried fruit or by sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar before rolling and shaping into a loaf to make a cinnamon oatmeal bread. I prefer mine plain and simple, except for that generous smear of salted butter.

Twelve Loaves

I am honored to be co-hosting Twelve Loaves for the first time. Each month, a group of food bloggers share a bread recipe according to a theme, then invite other bloggers to join in. This month’s focus is Clean Slate…we are baking a bread (yeast or quick) and keeping it basic. We are ringing in the New Year with simplicity…selecting  a  good, classic recipe as the foundation on which to build so many wonderful variations. Start the year with the fundamentals and then have fun trying new flavors and techniques throughout the year. This Classic Oatmeal Bread was a delicious, basic choice to start off the year.

You may need these supplies to make this classic oatmeal bread recipe:

• Stand Mixer
• Baking Pan

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Classic Oatmeal Bread

A marvelous oatmeal bread adapted from Nick Magieri's How to Bake

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Yield 16 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup oatmeal (regular, not quick oats)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup warm water (about 110º)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast (1 envelope)
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into about 12 pieces, plus more for greasing bowl and pan

Instructions

1. Grease 8 1/2 x 4 1/4 inch loaf pan with butter and set aside.
2. Pour boiling water over oats in a bowl. Stir and set aside till cooled to room temperature.
3. Put warm water in a small bowl and add yeast. Stir and set aside.
4. In bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, brown sugar and salt and stir to combine. Fit mixer with dough hook and add oatmeal, yeast mixture and butter pieces. Knead dough on low for about 5 minutes till smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, flip a couple times to coat all sides with butter, and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise till dough doubles in bulk, about one hour.
5. Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured work surface. Deflate dough with the palm of your hand. Form dough into rectangle, slightly longer than pan length. Fold sides in so that dough is slightly less in length than the pan, then roll to form a tight cylinder. Dough should stick to itself, but if it doesn't you may dab a bit of water on the surface to increase adherence.
6. Place cylinder, seam side down, into prepared pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise till doubled, about an hour.
7. Preheat oven to 375º. Remove plastic from risen dough and place pan in oven. Immediately decrease oven temperature to 350º and bake for 30-40 minutes or til loaf is brown and sounds hollow when tapped and/or internal temperature reaches 210º. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Slice when cooled.

Notes

Makes 1 large loaf

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 101 Total Fat: 2g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 4mg Sodium: 146mg Carbohydrates: 18g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 3g

Thanks to all my talented co-hosts:

Alabama Light Bread by Dorothy | Shockingly Delicious
Basic White Bread by Renee | Magnolia Days
Classic Oatmeal Bread by Liz | That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Grandmom’s Dinner Rolls by Jennie | The Messy Baker Blog
Italian Potato Bread by Rosella | Ma Che Ti Sei Mangiato
Rosemary Olive Oil Bread by Alice | Hip Foodie Mom
Whole Wheat Pita Bread by Holly | A Baker’s House
Whole Wheat Sea Salt Bagel by Lora | Cake Duchess
Orange, Date & Nut Loaf by Kate | Diethood