There is something primal about baking bread. These yeasty wheat loaves transcend culture and make one feel like life is back to its most basic, simple state. Really good homemade bread, warm from the oven, and slathered with butter, is a meal fit for a peasant or a king. As a child, homemade bread was a staple in our home. We even helped our mom with the kneading of the dough, a great activity to tire youngsters with abundant energy.
To the uninitiated, baking with yeast can be intimidating. Don't worry; we were all novices at some point. Just commit to baking several batches of bread and you will soon feel like mother earth herself. This is a simple recipe, using oatmeal for a chewy texture, and one cup of whole wheat flour for a bit more body and substance. It produces a manageable two loaves. The dough does need to rise twice for hour and a half long stents, so be aware that you really need a long afternoon at home to make the bread from start to finish.
Oatmeal Bread
2 c. boiling water
3/4 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. honey
1 Tbsp. salt
1 c. whole wheat flour
5 c. bread flour
Soak the rolled oats in boiling water for 45 minutes. Whisk together the yeast, sugar, and 1/2 c. warm water (warm enough that you can still comfortably hold your finger in it); let this set for 10 minutes for the yeast to proof. With a mixer on low speed, combine the bubbly yeast mixture, oil, honey, salt and soaked oats. Measure the oil first and then the honey will just slide out of the measuring cup. On low, beat in the cup of whole wheat flour. Scrape down the sides. Continue adding the bread flour, with speed on low, a cup at a time. The last cup or less, may need to be added by hand, during the kneading process. With a bit of flour on your hands and around the sides of the bowl, scoop out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for about fifteen minutes, adding a bit of the remaining flour, as needed, to keep the dough manageable, but just slightly sticky.
Place the dough in a large, well oiled, bowl and cover with a cloth. Let rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and divide into loaves. My loaf pans are quite large, so that translates into two loaves. If your pans are small, you may prefer to make three loaves.
Knead each loaf for a minute or so, to remove any air bubbles. Shape into a loaf and place into a bread pan, which has been well greased with cooking spray. Punch each leaf about ten times with the tines of a fork. Cover with a cloth and let rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Bake at convection bake 325 for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden brown (regular bake 350). Remove from oven and place pans on a cooling rack for a few minutes, before gently popping each loaf out of the pan. Let loaves cool completely on the rack before slicing. This makes scrumptious toast, slathered with strawberry jam.
For a variety, I added seeds and oatmeal to the top of one loaf. Brush the top of the risen loaf with a mixture of egg white, spoonful of cold water and few grains of salt, just before placing in the oven. Sprinkle with a mixture of seeds. I used dry oatmeal, toasted sunflower kernels, flax seeds and sesame seeds. About 5 minutes before the bread is done baking, brush the top again with the egg white mixture, to help secure the seeds to the top.
