As I alluded to in my last post, I’m going to “mix it up” around here – pun intended! I’m starting a new series, featuring some of my favorite blog friends. We’ll be sharing lots of new, yummy recipes!
I’ll share with you my new favorite bread recipe. It’s pretty versatile; I’ve used this basic recipe to make cinnamon swirl bread, and cranberry bread. It’s delicious without “extras,” though, too. I share with you – Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread.
I don’t have a bread maker, and it took me several batches to really make this bread as delicious as I knew it could be. By the time I perfected my technique, Micah was bringing loaves in to work, and he was coming home with requests for more! The key that I found in making this bread was patience. When I first started, I was so anxious to get this bread in the oven; but, as I learned by trial-and-error, I realized that the more important part was that I be patient and let the yeast do its job!
A lot of people have asked me how I find the time to make homemade bread. After I got over my initial intimidation, I realized that I can fit it in to my day pretty easily. I start right after breakfast, and it’s ready for dinner time! {And I’m not really working on it every minute through the day…just waiting.} The nice thing is that while the bread rises, I’m off doing other chores, so that time passes quickly and I’m not watching it obsessively. {A watched ball of dough never rises!}
Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 (.24 oz.) package of active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (approx. 110 degrees F)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour
Ingredients for “extra yummy” on top (as Eden calls it)
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons honey
handful of rolled oats
Preparation
1. In large mixing bowl, combine boiling water to oats, honey, butter and salt. Let stand 1 hour.
2. In small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
3. Combine wheat flour and bread flour in separate bowl.
4. Pour the yeast mixture into the oats mixture. Add 2 cups of flour mixture to oats mixture and combine well. Continue adding flour mixture to mixing bowl by 1/2 cup increments until dough pulls together. This will happen when between 5 1/2 & 6 cups of flour has been added. You may not need the last 1/2 cup of flour.
5. When the dough has pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Or add your bread hook to your mixer and knead for a few minutes.
6. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. I preheat the oven to 200 F for about 5 minutes, then turn it off. You want it to be warm, but not hot. Put the bowl in there to rise. This seems to work best for this recipe because there is a lot more flour than yeast.
7. Deflate the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place in a 9 x 5 greased loaf pan and cover with damp cloth and let rise again until doubled in volume, about an hour. (I return the pans to the oven for this step, too).
8. Remove the pans from the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 F. While the oven is preheating, mix milk and honey together in mug and microwave for about 20 seconds. Brush warm milk mixture over loaves and generously sprinkle with rolled oats.
9. Bake loaves at 375 F for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool before removing from pans.
If I want to make cinnamon swirl bread, I combine 3 tablespoons of cinnamon, plus 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl. After I deflate and divide the dough, I roll it out into a large rectangle using my rolling pin. I sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture all over the dough, then I roll it up, like a jelly roll. Continue on the with rest of the recipe as directed. For cranberry bread, I do the same thing – roll it out. I chop up dried cranberries and mix them with a tablespoon or two of orange juice. Use your basting brush to cover the rolled out dough with your cranberry/orange mixture, then roll it up. Simple, no?
While your loaves are cooling, you can mix up some of this yummy-in-my-tummy goodness, too -
Cinnamon Honey Butter
It’s really easy and really yummy. It also makes a great gift when put into a Ball jar, covered with a little swatch of fabric, and paired with a loaf of the bread you just made. Easy peasy!
Ingredients
2 sticks of butter at room temperature
1 cup of powdered sugar
3/4 cup of honey
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
Preparation
I use the whisk attachment for my stand mixer (a new acquisition!) and whip the butter. (Make sure it’s soft and room temperature). I add the powdered sugar, then the honey, and then the cinnamon. Whip it good {dance while you whip, if you choose.} Scrap the sides. Whip it again. Spoon it into some cute little jars, or any other container available. The above recipe will yield 6 small, 4 ounce jars of butta.
It’s a versatile little treat that can dress up darn near anything – english muffins, bagels, biscuits, rolls, toast, sweet potatoes, oatmeal…or Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread!
Most importantly, enjoy!
In case you’re wondering what my babies are up to while I’m “whippin’,” you can rest easy. They’re usually right in the kitchen with me. Eden loves to sit on the counter and help me add ingredients. It’s also nice that we have a little “bar” area, where I can pull the kids up and give them an activity while I work.
I’ll be back soon with a very special, heart-warming story and accompanying recipe from the guest blogger who inspired me to start this recipe series. Now whip up some bread and butter and let me know what you think!
