This is the last post with something I cooked in DC, and I guess sort of fittingly, I used some of this bread in the sandwiches my mother and I ate while we were driving my stuff from DC to New Hampshire. This recipe makes a particularly light, fluffy bread. It’s a bit sweet, probably too much so for some fillings but great with something like turkey.

Ingredients:

Oat Mixture:

• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup rolled or steel-cut oats
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon salt

Dough:

• 1 tablespoon or packet active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Put the oats in a large bowl and pour in the boiling water. Stir in the honey, butter, and salt until evenly mixed. Let cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in the 1/2 cup warm water. Let sit until the yeast starts to bubble, then pour it into the oat mixture. Add the whole wheat flour and 3 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour and stir until it sticks together mostly in one lump.

Sprinkle some of the remaining cup of flour on a counter and turn the dough out. Knead the dough for 3 – 4 minutes, then stop to clean out the bowl your dough had been in. Dry and grease the bowl, then set aside. Knead the dough another few minutes until elastic and springy and form into a ball. I only added about a quarter of that last cup of flour.

Place the dough in the greased bowl and rotate the dough to grease on all sides. Cover, then let rise 1 1/2 hours somewhere warm and draft-free.

Punch down the dough, divide it in half, and shape into two loaves. Cover, and let rise a further 45 minutes.

Place the risen loaves in a cold oven and turn on the heat to 400 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 for a further 25 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.

It’s a tasty bread that stands up well to slicing and having things spread on it, without being heavy and thick. I’ll be submitting it to yeastspotting.

Oatmeal Bread

From the King Arthur Flour Cookbook.

Oat Mixture:

• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup rolled or steel-cut oats
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon salt

Dough:

• 1 tablespoon or packet active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Put the oats in a large bowl and pour in the boiling water. Stir in the honey, butter, and salt until evenly mixed. Let cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in the 1/2 cup warm water. Let sit until the yeast starts to bubble, then pour it into the oat mixture. Add the whole wheat flour and 3 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour and stir until it sticks together mostly in one lump.

Sprinkle some of the remaining cup of flour on a counter and turn the dough out. Knead the dough for 3 – 4 minutes, then stop to clean out the bowl your dough had been in. Dry and grease the bowl, then set aside. Knead the dough another few minutes until elastic and springy and form into a ball.

Place the dough in the greased bowl and rotate the dough to grease on all sides. Cover, then let rise 1 1/2 hours somewhere warm and draft-free.

Punch down the dough, divide it in half, and shape into two loaves. Cover, and let rise a further 45 minutes.

Place the risen loaves in a cold oven and turn on the heat to 400 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 for a further 25 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.