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!

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