Honey & Oat Bread
May 4, 2008 – 2:02 pm
I admit to having baked bread on and off for years. Yes, there was the bread maker phase and I even dabbled with that no-knead-let-it-sit recipe that did the rounds a year or two back. I have even tried sour dough made from an all natural starter. The result was, well, all too natural and I got a little bit scared when the starter started talking to me.
Despite a love of trying new recipes, it seems that over and over again I return to the favourite and rather basic bread recipe. Being versatile and simple, it easily converts from a loaf, to a pizza base, and to bread rolls for breakfast.
Today I got just a little bit adventurous. Having cleaned out the pantry and disposed of a few containers of bran and wheat germ that were past their best, it was time to try adapting the classic white loaf with an oat and honey mix. The result? Definitely to be added to the keep list.
1 cup of warm water
2 cups high grade flour
1 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 heaped tablespoons of yeast
(or one sachet)
2 heaped tablespoons milk powder
Soak the oats in the warm water with the yeast and honey and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Add to the remaining ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, knead for 5 minutes. The dough should form a smooth and elastic ball. If it looks too dry add a teaspoon of water, and if it looks too wet add a teaspoon of flour during the kneading.
Remove the bowl and cover the dough with a clean cloth, and leave to rest for 30 minutes in a warm place. Once the dough has doubled in size, knead again for a few minutes before transferring to a loaf pan. Line the pan with baking paper first.
Cover and allow to rest until well risen. Bake at 180 OC until golden and the top sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the loaf pan and allow the loaf to cool on a wire rack.
This is great for breakfast, sliced and toasted, buttered and smothered in marmalade.