oatmeal bread

Today, I'm sharing with you a family recipe.  My mom taught me, her father taught her, and I guarantee you that I'll be teaching the next generation.  It's simply the best bread I have ever had in my life. 

What makes this bread so amazing?  It's the flavor!  It's slightly sweet, incredibly moist, and just perfect.  We eat it as toast, on sandwiches, with soup, or just by itself.  It doesn't last long. :-)

You start with oats...plain, old-fashioned oats.

Then, you make the biggest bowl of oatmeal in the world, complete with butter and brown sugar!  Mix it all together and let it cool.

Meanwhile, you get your yeast going in a separate bowl.

Then, you mix your yeast with your oatmeal and start adding flour.

After about 5 cups of flour, you should have a soft dough - let it rise!

When I say rise, I mean rise. :-)

Form it into loaves in loaf pans and let those rise.  This recipe makes 2 loaves.

Bake it until it's done!  I generally check on the bread after 20 minutes, or when I start to smell it.  In my oven, it usually takes about 30 minutes for the loaves to be a beautiful brown.

This bread is easier to slice when it has cooled, but we rarely make it that far.  It's just too good!

 

Oatmeal Bread

1 cup old-fashioned oats

2 cups boiling water

3 T. butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 T. sugar

2 pkg. active yeast

1 1/2 t. salt

1/2 cup warm water

5 cups flour

In a large bowl, combine the oats, boiling water, butter, and brown sugar; mix well and let cool until lukewarm.  In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, yeast, salt, and warm water.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.  Add yeast mixture to oatmeal mixture and then stir in flour.  Mix in mixer (with dough hook) for 6 minutes, or knead until dough no longer sticks to your fingers (adding flour if necessary).  Let rise for 1 hours.  Shape into loaves and let rise for another hour.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Easter Dinner