Oh I love a good bread recipe. And when I can pack it full of whole grain goodness and it tastes this amazing, I love it even more.
Yes, it does contain a lot of molasses and that is basically sugar, but shhh, let's not talk about that right now.
When I told Joseph I was making Molasses Oatmeal bread while he was at work, he wasn't very enthusiastic. I was really excited about the recipe and I didn't feel like he was giving me the proper reaction.
When he came home and tried the bread, he kept saying, "This is really good. This is really really good." I know!
You start by putting your oatmeal, the molasses and butter into your mixing bow and them pouring boiling water over the whole thing and letting then letting the oatmeal cook, and the butter melt.
You then let the mixture cool and you mix up your yeast. You'll want to make sure the oatmeal mixture has cooled before you mix in the yeast otherwise you'll kill the yeast and not have bread at all.
The bread has a quick rise once it is mixed and then another quick rise in the bread pans.
You also butter your pans and then put oats around the edges. It is just like "flouring" the pan but it looks so amazing when the loaves come out. I really couldn't get over how pretty they were.
And I decided that this is going to be my go-to take-to-a-neighbor loaf. The taste of the whole grain is mild and the bread is so sweet and soft. And it makes an out of this world peanut butter and honey sandwich.
Ingredients:
Makes 2 loaves
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats (They have to be quick cooking "instant" oats)
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup butter
Scant tbsp salt
4.5 teaspoons instant yeast (2 pkgs.)
1/2 cup warm water
5 3/4 to 6 cups of flour
2 beaten eggs
extra rolled oats for coating the loaves
Combine oats, molasses, butter, and salt in a bowl. Pour boiling water over oats, stir to combine,
and let mixture cool to lukewarm.
In a mixer bowl, combine warm water and yeast. Let sit for a few minutes, then add lukewarm oat
mixture, 2 cups of flour, and 2 eggs. Mix until combine, then beat for 3 minutes.
Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough, then turn out onto floured surface. Knead 3-5
minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
Place dough in bowl, cover with wet tea towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an
hour.
Grease two 1-pound (or 4x8 inch) bread pans; sprinkle with oats and tip pan to cover sides and
bottom.
Turn risen dough out onto lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each half out into an oblong
shape and roll up, starting with the short end.
Place loaves in prepared pans, seam side down.
Cover with wet tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly brush tops of risen loaves with water, then sprinkle with oats.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until nicely browned. Remove loaves from pan and let cool on a wire
rack.
