Here’s an easy bread recipe with a slightly sweet taste and lots of hearty whole grains. It’s slightly modified from the superb King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion, which my partner got me (for purely altruistic reasons, she tells me) as a birthday present. I love this book not only for the recipes, but also for its technical tips. Need to know the difference between baking powder and baking soda? Want to adjust the yeast in a recipe so your bread rises when you’re ready for it, and not before? Want to learn the five purposes of sugar in a cake? I was always more rigid about following recipes when baking than when making entrees, but this book is helping me loosen up and experiment. The recipes are yummy, too. On to the bread:
In a large bowl, combine:
- 2 1/4 cups boiling water
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sugar (brown or white)
- 1 TBS maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter—no need to pre-melt
- 1 TBS salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Stir until the butter has melted, and set aside to cool until lukewarm. (I sometimes do this part in the morning, and finish when my son goes down for a nap in the afternoon.)
Add:
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 cups unbleached white flour
- 1 TBS active dry yeast
(These are the proportions I like, but if you prefer a slightly less wheaty bread, you can use 1 1/2 cups wheat flour and 4 cups white flour.)
Mix with a rubber spatula until it forms a rough dough. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead for about 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place ball of dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap.
Let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled. Turn out, divide into two equal parts, and shape into loaves. Place each one into an oiled 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for another hour or so, until loaves have crowned at least an inch over the tops of the pans. (If you didn’t oil your plastic wrap, it will stick to the loaves at this point.)
Place into a preheated 350° oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a cooking thermometer inserted into the middle reads 190°. Cool in pans for about five minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
Great spread with thick, fruity jam. Also makes great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.