Oatmeal Bread for Kathy
Some time ago in one of Russian cooking blogs I found this very simple healthy and tasty oatmeal bread recipe. I already baked it twice making some small adjustments along the way. It turned out perfect every time with very little labor. It does not even require kneading; just mixing with a fork or spoon!
For one medium or two small breads (a bit over 1 lb):
1 cup rolled oats (+ ½ cup boiling water)
1 ½ cup bread flour
1.5 Tbs olive oil
½ cup + 2 Tbs milk
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp + sugar
Put rolled oats into large bowl and add boiling water. Cover with plastic and towel and let it sit for 30 min to 1 hour.
Warm milk to a temperature that is slightly above body temperature (feels warm but not hot when you stick your finger into it). Add sugar and yeast and mix. It will start foaming within 5 minutes or so. Add milk mix, flour, salt and oil to oats and mix it well with a fork or a spoon. Your dough should be neither too thick nor too thin.
Rub the baking form with butter and spoon your bread dough into the form. Dough should fill the form to no more than 1/3 of a volume.
Cover your form with a plastic wrap and then towel and let it rise in a warm place. It should take from 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on your room temperature. The dough is ready to bake when it at least doubles in volume.
Preheat oven to 375F and put your forms in. After first 10 minutes reduce temperature to 350F and bake 20 to 30 minutes more or until bread crust becomes golden.
Remove bread from the oven and let it cool down in the forms for about 15 minutes. Remove bread from the forms, cover it with towel and let it cool down completely. Keep it in a paper bag.
The recipe can be doubled since this bread keeps well when frozen.
Step-by-step photos can be found in Russian version of this recipe:
http://nadia-usa.livejournal.com/67183.html