Recipe: Oatmeal Bread Using Cooked Oatmeal (Beard on Bread, 1970's)

OATMEAL BREAD WITH COOKED OATMEAL

"There are two or three favorite recipes for oatmeal bread in this country. I first encountered this one in Nevada, in a restaurant that was made famous by Lucius Beebe, and it was so good that I extracted the recipe from the owner and have been using it for many years. It is an interesting, loosely textured bread with an unusual light-brown color and a rich, full flavor. It is delicious with sweet butter, and it keeps well."

1 cup coarse (old-fashioned) rolled oats, uncooked
1 cup boiling water
2 packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100 to 150 degrees F, approximately)
1 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour, approximately, divided use
Melted butter (optional, for brushing tops after baking)

Cook the oats in the boiling water until thickened, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm.

Meanwhile, stir the yeast and teaspoon of sugar into the warm water until dissolved, and allow to proof.

Add the warm milk, salt, brown sugar, and yeast mixture to the oats and stir well, then stir into 4 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Turn out on a floured board. Knead into a smooth, pliable, elastic dough, if necessary using as much as 1/2 to 1 cup, or more, of additional flour to get it to the right feel. (This will take about 10 minutes.)

Shape the dough into a ball, put into a well-buttered bowl, and turn to coat on all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the dough down. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes and shape into two loaves. Thoroughly butter two (8x4x2-inch) tins. Place the dough in the tins, cover, and let rise in a warm place until about even with the top of the tins, or almost doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, place the bread in the center of the lowest rack, and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on top and bottom with the knuckles. Return the loaves, without the tins, to the oven rack to bake for about 5 minutes and acquire a firmer crust. Remove the loaves to a rack and cool. (If you should want a very soft top crust, brush the loaves with melted butter when you bring them out of the oven.)

Makes 2 small loaves (8x4-inch)
Source: Beard On Bread by James Beard, 1973