Description
An easy bread recipe sweetened with honey and oats for those of us with an irrational fear of yeast.
Ingredients
Scale
Oat Mixture
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) boiling water
- 1 cup (8 oz.) rolled or steel-cut oats
- 1/2 cup (4 oz.) honey
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Dough
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 (4 oz.) cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3 cups (25 ounces) white whole wheat flour
- 2 1/2 cups (20 oz.) all purpose flour
Instructions
- Prepare the oats: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, honey, butter, and salt. Pour the boiling water over the mixture and stir to combine. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Proof the Yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, dissolve the yeast in the 1/2 cup (4 oz.) of warm water and honey. It should fizz and bubble up after a few minutes. Add the oat mixture to the bowl and stir until just combined. Add in the flours.
- Mix on low speed until the flour is completely incorporated and the dough forms a ball – about 7 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead it a few times. It should be smooth and soft. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly-oiled bowl (make sure it’s a large bowl so your dough has room to rise). Cover the top with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place until doubles, about 90 minutes.
- The dough is ready when you press two fingers into it and it doesn’t spring back. Tip the risen dough out onto a floured work surface and gently press it down to deflate it. Shape the dough into two loaves and place them in two 8 1/2x 4 1/2 (or thereabouts) loaf pans. Cover the pans with plastic wrap and let them rise a second time, about 45 minutes.
- Put the loaves in a cold oven and set it to 400 degrees. Set the time for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes. (My oven is slow to heat, so it never reached the full 400 degrees before it was time to drop the temperature – this is okay.)
- The internal temperature of the bread should be 190 degrees F when it’s ready. Allow the bread to cool for about 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with soft butter and jam.
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins