Growing up, our family ate brown bread almost exclusively. Every french toast breakfast, grilled cheese lunch or salami sandwich I ate was most likely on brown bread, so as an adult, I have been known to have a fairly strong craving for that earthy, subtly sweet, oaty goodness that brown bread is known for. This recipe creates a nice fluffy loaf that is like the ultimate sandwich bread. It is easy to slice thin and holds up well even with a hefty serving of oven roasted turkey on it.
To start this dough, you will need 1/4 cup of butter cubed up, 1/2 cup of whole oats, 1/3 cup of molasses, 3 cups of all purpose flour, 1 packet of active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/4 cups of boiling water.
Place 1/2 cup of oats into a large bowl and add 1 1/4 cup of boiling water, 1/4 cup of cubed butter and 1/3 cup of molasses. Mix until they are combined and the butter melts. Allow the temperature of the mixture to cool to about 100-110 degrees before continuing to the next step…
Once the temperature reaches between 100-110 degrees, add in about 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 packet of active dry yeast and mix until a loose dough forms and then transfer the dough onto a floured work surface.
Knead for 5-7 minutes adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it is no longer sticky and begins to feel smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball by tucking the sides under 7-8 times and then transfer the dough into a large glass bowl oiled with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow it to rest in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until it has doubled in size (photo below).
See how big and puffy it is? This is exactly what you are looking for. Now transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a loaf. Transfer the loaf into a buttered 9″x5″ loaf pan and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest in the loaf pan for about 25-30 minutes.
Once the dough is puffed up, bake it on a middle rack at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. The top should be golden brown and its internal temperature should be right around 190 degrees. If you gently knock on the top of the loaf, it should sound hollow. Once it is finished, carefully remove the loaf from the pan and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
Look at that beautiful crust! It smells so good in the kitchen right now that it is really a serious struggle to not just cut right into it, but let it cool off a bit before you do. As freshly baked bread cools, the water molecules trapped deep inside the loaf shift outward toward the exterior crust and you don’t want to interrupt this process, as it can have a negative effect on the texture of your bread. So practice your patience and you will be rewarded with soft, chewy bread…
This bread is delicious. It has a rich and chewy texture with a warm, subtly sweet flavor. It is best served warm with some butter or lightly toasted with some jelly or with some thin sliced roasted chicken in between or dipped in some custard and grilled up…. ok you get the idea. It is delicious however you want to use it and I know that you will love it!
Enjoy!!
Brown Oat Bread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup whole oats
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 packet of active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups boiling water
Instructions
- Combine 1 1/2 cups of boiling water with 1/2 cup of oats, 1/3 cup of molasses and 1/4 cup of cubed butter in a large bowl
- Stir until the butter has melted and the temperature of the mixture has cooled to between 100-110 degrees
- Add 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 packet of active dry yeast and mix until a soft dough forms
- Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface
- Knead for 5-7 minutes, adding flour, if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth and elastic
- Gently form the dough into a ball by tucking the sides under
- Transfer the dough into a large glass bowl oiled with 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Roll the dough around the bowl and flip it over once to ensure that all surfaces of the dough are lightly coated in oil
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape it into a loaf
- Transfer the loaf into a buttered 9"x5" loaf pan
- Cover the loaf pan with a clean kitchen towel and set it aside for 30 minutes or until the dough has puffed up slightly above the sides of the loaf pan
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Once the loaf has risen, bake on a middle rack at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes
- The bread is finished when it is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees
- Carefully transfer the bread out of the pan and onto a cooling rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing
- Store left overs in an air tight container at room temperature