My Seussical Life for 2006 June 21

Here is my very favorite bread recipe. I bake bread at least once a week, and my small family always eats all three loaves. Sometimes I share a loaf with a friend and bake twice in a week. It is a bit of work, since I don't have a mixer that can handle the volume of whole wheat flour the reicipe calls for, but I'm getting in touch with my pioneer heritage by hand kneading, right?

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cups mild molasses (not blackstrap) or honey (honey is obviously sweeter, molasses somehow keeps moist longer)

3 Tbsp. canola oil or soft butter

2 tsp. salt

2 cups lukewarm water

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast

8 cups whole wheat flour (or up to 2 cups all purpose flour and 6 cups whole wheat to help the gluten develop--though all whole wheat is fabulously soft and moist in this recipe)

Pour boiling water over the oatmeal in a large glass bowl and let stand for 30 minutes.

Add molasses/honey, oil/butter, and salt to oat mixture. Dissolve one Tbsp. yeast in 2 cups warm water and add to oat mixture.

Beat and work in enough of the flour to make a medium-soft dough. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth, about 15 minutes.

Place dough in a clean bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Turn onto floured board and knead again.

Divide dough in two for large (9x5ish) bread pans, or three for medium (8x4ish) loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake loaves five minutes, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake approximately 40 minutes longer or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottom.

Recipe from Nancy O'Connor, Nutrition and Education Outreach Coordinator and the Merc. If you live in Lawrence, Kansas, check out Nancy's classes. They are great!!