6.18.2009

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

I love making this bread. It's delicious and {almost} always turns out just right. I've doubled the original recipe and I freeze three of the loaves {these measurements yield 4 loaves}. Here we go:
Mix 1 cup of warm water with 4 packets {10 teaspoons} instant dry yeast in a large bowl; set aside. Melt 1 cup of shortening in 3 cups boiling water:
Once the shortening is melted, add 1 cup of honey:
Let the mixture cool down to 115°-120°F {I use a candy thermometer to check}. Stirring speeds up this process:
Add shortening/honey mixture to the yeast and then add 4 eggs:
2 cups regular oats:
2 tablespoons of salt:
1/2 cup of wheat germ:
and 6 cups of wheat flour {to start, you'll need more later}:
Mix until dough is smooth. Continue to add flour 1 cup at a time, until dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl {I never keep count, but it's probably another 4 or 5 cups}. Dough will still be a little sticky, but workable:
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Pour a couple teaspoons of oil into a clean bowl and put the dough in, turning it so that it's coated in the oil. cover and let the dough rise {I cheat and put the bowl into a sink that's half-filled with warm water to speed up the rising process, 20 minutes, rather than 40}:Once the dough has doubled, punch it down, turn it out onto a floured surface and divide into fourths. Form into loaves and place in greased pans:Using a fork, poke holes in the tops of the loaves:Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brush the tops of the loaves with it:
Sprinkle with more wheat germ, if you want. Then cover and let the loaves rise. Once they've doubled, bake them at 350°F for 30-35 minutes. Let them cool on a rack. To freeze, wrap the loaves in cling wrap or Press'n'Seal and then aluminum foil. To thaw, leave a loaf out over night. You could also 'refresh' it by putting it in the oven for a few minutes.
enjoy!

3 comments:

Hillary Brown said...

ruth this bread looks amazing! i will have to try it!!

g said...

so tasty!

do keep crafting please

Gail said...

Don't forget to move your fantastic sweet roll recipe over, or link it. I know it's your mom's recipe, but you could "hand it down." Not unlike recipes in general of course. I put my sister's Chicken Opulent recipe in the ward cook book, as mine (with her okay), but she didn't dream it up either. It's definitely "hers", though, since she's how I got it! :) The ward cookbook project was kinda funny. There were several discussions about plagiarism and the complier said everything was fair game except she drew the line at Cool Whip lid or salad bottle recipes. :) Enjoying your cooking was one of the highlights of my visit. :)