This Dame Cooks A Collection of Recipes from Alaska to the South Pacific and Caribbean

I was surfing the web for oatmeal pancakes yesterday and found a keeper recipe at Smitten Kitchen that uses homemade oat flour…what a revelation.  Deb always has great recipes with DIY tips in her witty blogs.   So this recipe for Oatmeal Bread is inspired by made-from-scratch oatmeal pancakes.

I love to bake bread but I hate to knead dough so my food processor really gets a workout…it does such a good job of kneading in half the time.  I’m sure you can find oat flour at better grocery stores and probably pay plenty for it.  Its like buying almond flour versus making your own from blanched almonds.  Your food processor will do the job for a lot less and the results are pretty comparable to store bought.  All that is required is Quick Cooking Oats, not Instant Oatmeal.  Whirl them in your food processor until they’re the consistency desired…not too fine but not too course.  Of-course, if you want a finer texture you can always use a coffee grinder.  If you don’t like the results, you can always make oatmeal pancakes or an oatmeal bath balm.

This bread is healthy with plenty of fibre from the whole wheat and oat flours plus its moist with a tender crumb and nutty flavor.  It toasts beautifully and makes a tasty pallet for hot or cold sandwiches.  Think roast beef and mustard…with a beer!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp dry active yeast
• 1 Tbsp raw sugar or honey
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp oil or melted butter
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup cold milk

Method for Food Processor:

1. Place oats in a food processor bowl and whirl on high for 2 minutes.  You now have 3/4 cups of oat flour.
2. Add whole wheat and all-purpose flours, yeast, sugar and salt.  Whirl to combine.
3. Mix hot water and cold milk together and add the oil.
4. With processor running on medium, pour liquids into feed tube.  Whirl until the dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the processor bowl.  Turn speed up to high and whirl for 4 to 5 minutes to knead the dough.  It should be slightly tacky, smooth and soft.  If needed, add more water or flour, one tablespoon at a time.
5. Turn dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double, about 1 hour.  It’s very warm (84° F.) and humid in my Puerto Rican kitchen so bread rises quickly.  It might take 1-1/2 hours in cooler, dryer climates.
6. Punch down dough, let rest 10 mintues.  Form into a loaf and place in a greased 5 X 9 inch loaf pan.  Cover with a plastic bag inflated with plenty of air so the plastic doesn’t touch the dough.  Let rise 40 minutes or until dough is 1 inch or more above pan rim.
7. Half way through the rising preheat the oven to 375° F.
8. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with 1 Tbsp oats and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Turn out bread onto a cooling rack.  Tap the bottom of the loaf with your knuckle…if it sounds hollow the loaf is fully cooked…if not, return to oven, bottom side up, and cook 5-10 minutes more.  Alternately, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer, it should read 190° F.