Irish Oatmeal Bread

So I've told y'all i'm really on this bread kick...I can verify that with the 6 loaves I just ate at Spaghetti Warehouse.  So with that combined with St. Patrick's day and a weekend it's the perfect time for you to try this Irish Oatmeal Bread.

When it comes to everyday bread I'm pretty picky. For example I hate wheat bread....back in the day I hate to admit that I would dread going to my Aunt's house near lunch time because she ONLY had wheat bread. Disgusting...I wish I had done what she said though because now I am a bread addict and I like the ones that are the most worst for you. Mostly, I liked my all american Mrs. Bairds white bread plain and simple. OR sourdough, gotta love that.

But now that I'm a wee bit older and I understand that I can't eat bread all of the time and I should try to branch out to at least the slightly better for you multigrain breads I've faced a moral dilemma: Find new breads or quit eating bread regularly. that's such a silly question I could never give up bread. My whole immediate family should be considered grainavours. When we go to restaurants its disgusting how much bread we eat.

Anyway, this dilemma pushed me to find better for you recipes and I love this one I found from Cooking Light via MyRecipes.com (credit also to pintrest). This meets me half way. It uses half white bread, half wheat bread, and also uses oats. It's a better for you bread without giving up white bread entirely. This recipe is GREAT for every day bread and it works well as toast too.

Words of warning: Bread without a bread machine can be a little tricky and you need to be patient. If you are having problems please feel free to contact me or leave a message in the comments so I can help you figure it out!
  
Irish Oatmeal Bread
    
          Ingredients: 

•   2 1/4 C. Boiling Water
•   1 3/4 C. Quaker Oats
•   1 Tbsp. Salt
•   3 Tbsp. Butter
•   3 Tbsp. Light Brown Sugar, Packed
•   2 Packages of active dry yeast
•   1/2 C. lukewarm water
•   3 1/4 C. All-Purpose Flour, Divided
•   3 C. Whole Wheat Flour
•   1 Large Egg, gently beaten

Step 1: Combine the boiling water, oats, salt, butter and light brown sugar in a large bowl. Set aside for about 25 minutes.

Step 2: Towards the end of that time dissolve the yeast in warm water and let stand until it's foamy. (Pour the packets into the water and use a fork to gently whisk it. a couple of minutes later whisk again and you should be good to go). Add the yeast to the oats mixture.

Step 3: Slowly begin adding 2 3/4 C. of the white flour and the 3 cups of the wheat flour to the mixture, stirring as you add each cup. (Once it becomes dough like I find it's easiest to begin gently kneading with your hands.)

Step 4: Bring the dough onto a lightly floured flat surface and continue kneading the bread until it is smooth and stretchy. (Be patient this part can take some time). Keep adding the rest of your white flour a tiny bit at a time. You may not need it all, so stop once your dough is no longer sticky. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover and let rise in a warm location for about an hour. (during this time the dough should grow in size).

Step 5: Use your fingers to "deflate" the dough and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then divide your dough in half and shape the dough as you please. You can put it in loaf pans, or cook them on baking sheets as I did. As you work with the dough and knead it into your desired shape try to eliminate airpockets and ensure the dough is "sealed" all the way around.

Step 6: Again let your dough rise. This time for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees during this time.

Step 7: Brush your beaten egg over the tops of your loaves, and bake for 50 minutes or until the loaves are browned and "sound hollow when tapped".


And your done!  It's a little time consuming, but I promise it's worth it and you can do it while watching TV on a Sunday afternoon.

Happy Eating!

Tanner

King Cakes!

This week brings about Fat Tuesday and the start of lent. What better way to celebrate than by stuffing your face with a seasonal favorite! First of all it's tradition, and second you are likely about to make a half hearted attempt at giving up sugar so you need to get it out of your system.

King cake and I go way back. My mom has had it for us for as long as I can remember. When I couldn't find one in New York, she mailed it to me. One year she couldn't find fresh ones because they were sold out, so she sent me king cake mix to bake one myself. I was pretty lazy in college so I think that box stayed in my pantry until I moved out for the summer, but I'm making up for it now with this delicious version I found from The King Arthur Flour Company's website.

One thing that disappointed me about it was the lack of cinnamon sugar. I love that ribbon that runs through the cakes you find at our grocery store, so I ended up adding 2 TBSP. of cinnamon to this recipe...unfortunately, it did not have the added effect I desired. You can taste it but not much. The lemon definitely outdid it. If you want to add it I would consider adding more.

This is a bit of a rushed blog post this time, but only because I wanted to get this posted in time for you to enjoy this dessert for Fat Tuesday!  So without further ado

Individual King Cakes

Ingredients

• 8 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 C. Milk
• 2 Large eggs + 1 egg yolk, white reserved
• 1/4 C. Sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. Lemon zest
• 3 1/2 C. Flour
• 1 Packet yeast
• 1 C. Powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
• Milk
• Sprinkles

Directions

Step 1: Combine the first ten ingredients together until a soft and smooth dough is formed.

Step 2: Cover the dough and put it in a warm place so it can rise. About an hour. 

Step 3: You can use these pre made parchment paper cups or a muffin pan. Divid the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. (Grease or flour your hands if the dough is too sticky)

Step 4: Drop the dough balls into the cups or baking tin. Cover the pan with a dishtowel and let the cakes rise for another hour. During this preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 5: Whisk the left over egg white w/ 1 TBSP of water. Brush it over your cakes

Step 6: Bake for 20 minutes. Then cover with loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the cakes turn a golden brown. When done let them cool on a wire rack.

Step 7: Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. You should gradually add the milk one tablespoon at a time until you get a thick icing that can still easily be spread.

Step 8: Pour over the cakes and cover in purple, green, and yellow sprinkles! ENJOY!

As usual I'd love to hear about changes you've made! Feel free to post them in the comments. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Happy Eating! 

xoxo, Tanner