Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread: Excuse me.  I am a quiet little unassuming bread and would like your attention for the briefest moment.  I think you would like me anytime you want a homemade bread to not steal the show, but really to provide a bit of a support.  For instance, I make delightful little sandwiches.  I also taste pretty great with just a spread of good quality butter.  Or I am pretty amazing alongside some eggs for breakfast.  I won’t scream at you that I am amazing, but you will have trouble forgetting me.  I am the girl next door of bread if you will.  The kind you come back to again and again.

Living Proofed: As much as we love a good crusty loaf, or a solid country bread with gorgeous holes in it, sometimes, for sandwiches, or poached eggs, or any number of things really, a good solid, lovely crumbed wheat oat bread is what you are after.  This one works better than loads of others I have made that either end up too crumbly, or top dry.  Give it a try and see what you think.

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Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

I make two small petite loaves.  You could one and a half this recipe and make more generous sized loaves that would more resemble the size of a store-bought bread.  I like the daintiness of the slices for breakfast, and even for (hello portion control!) sandwiches, but for hungry appetites, you may want to either make the loaves larger or provide two sandwiches.  

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups rolled old fashioned oatmeal
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cup room temperature water
  • 3 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 3 heaping teaspoons yeast
  • softened butter for greasing pans and brushing over the top of loaves
  • old fashioned oatmeal for sprinkling on top of loaves

Instructions

  1. Mix the oatmeal, the boiling water, and the maple syrup together and let stand for 10-15 minutes.  Add in the room temperature water.

  2. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, salt, and yeast.  Add in the slightly cooled oatmeal mash and stir/fold together till it is well mixed and no dry spots remain.  Cover with a towel or plastic and let sit until double in size, about 1-2 hours.

  3. Preheat your oven to 425 F. Butter two standard size loaf pans generously. Then take two forks, and separate and deflate your dough. Spill/lift a half of the dough into each loaf pan. The dough has a very high water content, so it will be quite sticky. I find it easiest to lift the dough and plop it into the pans. Don’t worry that it looks lumpy or shaggy. Let it sit in the pans for about 15-20 minutes, till it rises about even with the top (do this near your heating oven!). Put your dough into the oven and immediately turn it down to oven to 375 F, and bake for about 40-45 minutes.

  4. You want a golden brown top, and a crazy good aroma coming from your oven. If you take the loaves out and tilt the pan on its side till the bread falls out, you can thump lightly on the bottom and it sounds hollow  You must, must let it rest.  I am confident the original usage of hot mess was used to describe bread cut too soon.  Just don't do it man.