BBD - Whole Wheat Oat Bread

Oatmeal was always a favorite growing up. I ate a bowl of instant oatmeal so many mornings, I am surprised that I am not sick of it! I loved the apples and cinnamon or the strawberries and cream flavors. I could never quite get myself to enjoy the maple and brown sugar flavor. But oatmeal itself is something I continue to really enjoy both in my hot cereal as well as other things.

I have mentioned before that the oatmeal here is made into a drink and instead of eaten with a spoon, it is drunk out of a cup. I thought that was awfully strange when I first moved here, now I often make it like that out of convenience.

Since I have started making more breads, I decided to try mixing the two ideas. Oat Bread. I had cut out a recipe several years ago, wondering how it would come out. Luckily, I found great oats at the organic market a couple weeks ago.

Whole Wheat Oat Bread
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
Makes one 7 1/2-inch round loaf

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of simmering water
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup of molasses
1 1/2 cups of flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup of powdered dry milk
1 1/2 teaspoons of instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1. Pour the water over 1 cup oats in a medium bowl. Stir in molasses; let stand until mixture registers 115F, about 10 minutes.

2. Coarsely grind 1/2 cup oats in a food processor. Transfer to a separate medium bowl; add flours and powdered milk.

3. Sprinkle oat-molasses mixture with yeast. Stir in 1 cup flour mixture, and then the salt. Gradually stir in remaining flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and no longer sticky, 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Transfer dough to bowl coated with cooking spray; turn to coat. Loosely cover with plastic wrap, and let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

6. Punch down dough. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough once or twice. Flatten into a 9-inch circle.

7. Pull edges of dough up and in toward center; pinch to seal. Turn dough over. Pull down on dough with cupped hands to stretch top; pinch edges at bottom. Wrap hands around sides of dough; rotate to shape into a tight ball, 5 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 3/4 inches high. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray or parchment paper, seam side down.

8. Cover dough with plastic, coated with cooking spray. Let rise until doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Score an X in top of dough. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with remaining tablespoon oats. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until dark golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

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Whole Wheat Oat Bread is being served up for Bread Baking Day - Oats. Bread Baking Day was created by Zorra at 1x umrühren bitte and this month is being hosted by Paulchen's Foodblog.