Many Breadheads tell me that Honey Oatmeal is their family's absolute favorite bread, and that's certainly the case among my my fellow monks. I bake mine in long, slightly narrow stoneware pans, but you can use standard loaf pans as described in this recipe, or even bake them as round free form loaves on any baking sheet (baking time will be slightly shorter).
Honey Oatmeal Bread
1 cup rolled oats (see notes) 1/3 cup honey
2 cups hot water 2 tsp. salt
1 package dry yeast 1 Tbs. melted butter or vegetable oil
1/4 warm water 5½ - 6 cups of all-purpose flour
Extra oatmeal for coating
Put the oats in a large bowl. Bring 2 cups water to a boil, pour it over the oats and stir---let stand to cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl or cup, stir the yeast into 1/4 cup of warm water and let stand for 5 minutes to dissolve. Feel the oats at the bottom of the bowl to be sure they're lukewarm, then add the honey, salt, butter and dissolved yeast. Work in enough of the flour so that the dough can be handled, but remember that the oatmeal and the honey will make this a very sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead for a minute or two and then let rest for 10 minutes. Resume kneading until the dough is elastic, but still rather sticky---don’t add too much flour at a time. Knead 8 to 10 minutes by hand, 8 minutes in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Lightly oil the surface of the dough and placed in a clean bowl. Cover with a clean, dry cloth and let rise in a warm spot until double in bulk.
Punch dough down and divide into two pieces. Knead each piece to remove the large air bubbles, but do not use too much flour on the kneading board---you want the dough to remain sticky so the topping oatmeal sticks to it. Roll each loaf in the extra oatmeal until it is completely covered and shape into loaves. Place loaves in medium loaf pans (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches) and allow to rise, covered, until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until browned. The interior temperature should be between 195 degrees and 200 degrees. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
Notes
---I love oatmeal bread, and the extra oatmeal coating on this bread makes it especially good. The dough will be somewhat stickier than other doughs, so be careful not to add too much flour. This bread is chewy, and is excellent toasted. This recipe is a monastery favorite, and it sells quickly at bake sales because of its beautiful appearance.
--You can use whole rolled oats or the quick-cooking variety, but don’t use instant oatmeal, which has the wrong texture and a lot of added salt.
--Doughs made with honey may darken more quickly than other breads, especially in a convection oven. If the loaves start to get too dark, loosely cover them with aluminum foil and continue baking.
--For an excellent lo-fat sandwich, use this bread with fresh garden tomatoes and smoked turkey; no need for cheese or dressing for added flavor.
1 cup rolled oats (see notes) 1/3 cup honey
2 cups hot water 2 tsp. salt
1 package dry yeast 1 Tbs. melted butter or vegetable oil
1/4 warm water 5½ - 6 cups of all-purpose flour
Extra oatmeal for coating
Put the oats in a large bowl. Bring 2 cups water to a boil, pour it over the oats and stir---let stand to cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl or cup, stir the yeast into 1/4 cup of warm water and let stand for 5 minutes to dissolve. Feel the oats at the bottom of the bowl to be sure they're lukewarm, then add the honey, salt, butter and dissolved yeast. Work in enough of the flour so that the dough can be handled, but remember that the oatmeal and the honey will make this a very sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead for a minute or two and then let rest for 10 minutes. Resume kneading until the dough is elastic, but still rather sticky---don’t add too much flour at a time. Knead 8 to 10 minutes by hand, 8 minutes in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Lightly oil the surface of the dough and placed in a clean bowl. Cover with a clean, dry cloth and let rise in a warm spot until double in bulk.
Punch dough down and divide into two pieces. Knead each piece to remove the large air bubbles, but do not use too much flour on the kneading board---you want the dough to remain sticky so the topping oatmeal sticks to it. Roll each loaf in the extra oatmeal until it is completely covered and shape into loaves. Place loaves in medium loaf pans (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches) and allow to rise, covered, until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until browned. The interior temperature should be between 195 degrees and 200 degrees. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
Notes
---I love oatmeal bread, and the extra oatmeal coating on this bread makes it especially good. The dough will be somewhat stickier than other doughs, so be careful not to add too much flour. This bread is chewy, and is excellent toasted. This recipe is a monastery favorite, and it sells quickly at bake sales because of its beautiful appearance.
--You can use whole rolled oats or the quick-cooking variety, but don’t use instant oatmeal, which has the wrong texture and a lot of added salt.
--Doughs made with honey may darken more quickly than other breads, especially in a convection oven. If the loaves start to get too dark, loosely cover them with aluminum foil and continue baking.
--For an excellent lo-fat sandwich, use this bread with fresh garden tomatoes and smoked turkey; no need for cheese or dressing for added flavor.