Oatmeal Wheat Bread

I love bread but find most industrial grocery-bought breads too sweet. Here is a great savory alternative with ingredients you know and recognize, and not too many of them - simple bread with oatmeal.

When you are cooped up sheltering in place whether for a sickness or a pandemic, baking bread makes the house smell so good and you're around to tend to all the different rising. Few things can make you feel more comfortable stuck at home than baking bread.

3 cups white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp active dry yeast

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1-1/2 cup very warm water (105F)

Mix together the flours, oats, yeasts, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. I use a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook, but you could also mix this manually with a wooden spoon - a great workout!

Turn on the mixer and add the oil. Then start adding the water in a slow stream to allow the mixer to incorporate it well into the dry ingredients (if you are doing this manually, the help of a friend would be welcome!). Eventually with the addition of the last of the water, the dough will come together as a ball. Continue needing the dough with the dough hook for five minutes, or on a clean floured surface if doing manually.

Add a dash of olive oil to the bowl and roll the dough ball around to oil all of its surface.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in a relatively warm spot. Allow to rise to double in size - this could take 1-2 hours.

Then gently knead the dough 20-30 times on a clean floured surface. Oil a large 6-cup loaf pan (I I also scatter a tad of coarse cornmeal on the bottom). Form the dough into a rectangle the size of the pan and place it in the pan. Cover very lightly with the plastic wrap and place back in that warmer spot.

Allow the dough to rise to at least double in size, well above the edge of the loaf pan.

Again this could take 1-2 hours. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400F.

Bake bread for about 30 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Allow to cool on a rack.

Do not put loaf in a plastic bag at least until fully at room temperature - otherwise you will lose the crust to moisture. Better yet, store in a paper bag.

Makes one loaf.

Comments

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

Rosemary Chimichurri

I am making this fresh aromatic condiment more and more often. It can be used as a topping for grilled meats, fish, and for many other flavoring opportunities. I now keep some in the refrigerator almost at all times. 4 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves large palmful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems 3 cloves garlic 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes juice of 1/2 lime (or lemon), and the zest if you like 1/4 tsp salt fresh ground black pepper to taste 1/4 cup olive oil Pulse the rosemary, cilantro and garlic in a small food processor (You could also use a mortar and pestle.) Tip into a small bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook’s Note: If you haven’t noticed, I love chimichurri sauce. It’s zesty, and full of aromatics. It goes on so many dishes and is a great ingredient for so many things. Make some and keep it in the fridge for inspiration. I use fresh rosemary and cilantro as my green herbs, but you could use oregano and parsley, which is also popular. Many peo...

'Back-of-the-bag' King Arthur Oatmeal Bread

This is one of the best loaves of bread I have ever made, based on a famous recipe. Friends swear about King Arthur recipes, and now I do too. I only modified King Arthur's recipe slightly, adding the yolk of the egg I used for the eggwash on the crust. Goes great with a big pot of bean soup. And it toasts up so nicely - aroma therapy for the whole house! 3-1/4 to 3-1/2 cups bread flour 1 cup old fashioned oats 2 tsp active dry yeast 2 Tbsp honey 1-1/2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp butter, finely diced 1 egg yolk 1-1/4 cup lukewarm (about 100F) milk 1 egg white plus 1 Tbsp water about 1/4 cup old fashioned oats for topping Mix ingredients to a firm but still tacky dough. You’ll have to adjust the final amount of dough to the humidity of your kitchen and flour - err on the sticky side for a lighter, moister loaf. Knead dough 5 minutes. Roll dough around in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise an hour. ...

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog