Oatmeal Bread

     This is the oatmeal bread that my mom used to bake for us when I was young. I remember having it with warm freshly made applesauce on top. Yum. The bread is a nice moist loaf, perfect for sandwiches and toast and has just a hint of sweetness from the molasses. This is another recipe from the "Woman's Home Companion" Cookbook.

 

"A Woman's Home Companion" Oatmeal Bread

(makes 2 one pound loaves)

1 1/2 cups boiling water

2 tsp. salt

1 TBS. butter

1 cup old fashioned oats

3/4 cup lukewarm water

2 1/4 tsp. yeast

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup brown sugar

~ 5 cups flour

     In a large bowl mix together boiling water, salt and butter. Then stir in oats and let sit until lukewarm. Meanwhile dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and then stir in the brown sugar, molasses and 1 cup of the flour. Stir this mixture into the oats and then stir in the rest of the flour until it makes a stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for ~10 minutes, adding a little more flour if necessary. The dough should now be soft and elastic. 

     Place in a greased warm bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 2 hours). Then turn the dough out onto the board and divide into two equal parts; form into balls, cover closely with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. Then form into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

    

     Bake in a 400 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Gently lift the loaf out of the pan to test this. Remover bread from oven and rub the top of the loaves with the end of a stick of butter. This adds a nice little salty flavor to the bread and keeps the top crust soft.

 

Enjoy-

yours in baking-

p