Oat and Yogurt Bread Machine Loaf

Some days I have no yogurt at all. Other days I have way too much. And then I start getting creative about using it. I mean, I like eating it plain, but I also like using it in cooking. And baking. And sauces, dips, dressings ... all sorts of things.

This time around, I decided to use just a little bit of my recent yogurt richness in bread. And then I decided to add some whole grain goodness in the form of rolled oat.

Then, since I was being just a teeny bit lazy, I used my bread machine.

Have I mentioned how convenient this machine is? As much as I love making bread by hand (and I'm working on a few very interesting variations) sometimes I just need to have a loaf of bread that I can use for toast in the morning. So I can toss ingredients into the machine and just let it go until it beeps.

Did I mention that we're going through a lot more bread since Bob came home from the hospital? Yeah, we are. He's been busy eating and trying to gain some weight.

Oat and Yogurt Bread

1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 1/2 cups (11 1/4 ounces) bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt (I used Wallaby 0%)
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup water

Put all of the ingredients in your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (in general, the differences are about when the yeast is added, and when the water is added. It might not make a huge difference, but if your manufacturer has a recommendation, go for it.

Set the machine for a medium loaf, light crust.

Press appropriate buttons.

When the bread is done, remove it from the machine and let it cool on a rack before slicing.

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Whole Foods Friday: Oatmeal Bread

It's pretty amazing that uncooked rolled oats completely disappear when baked into bread but that's exactly what happens. You see little flecks of color, but that's about it. The flavor of the oats in the bread is also very mild - it adds a bit of character to the bread, but no one's going to tell you the bread tastes like granola.

This bread has a nice crunchy crust coming out of the oven, but if you want a soft crust, place a clean kitchen towel over the top of the bread as it's cooling. After you store it in a plastic bag, the crust will soften, anyway. So if you like that crunchy crust, enjoy it on that first day.

I kneaded this bread using my stand mixer, but you can also knead it by hand if you prefer. Hold back some of the flour from the recipe to flour your work surface, otherwise you risk adding too much during kneading.

Oatmeal Bread

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups (9 ounces) bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Put the oats, water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and let it stand for 10 minutes to let the oats soften a bit. Add the bread flour and salt and knead with the dough hook until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Add the butter and knead until it is completely incorporated. If you have room temperature butter, that's good, but the stand mixer will have no trouble incorporating refrigerator-cold butter, so don't worry about that.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until the dough has doubled in size, about 50 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Flour your work surface and turn out the dough. Knead briefly, then form into your preferred shape - round or oval. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size - about 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

When the dough has doubled, remove the plastic wrap Slash the top of the loaf as desired. Bake at 350 degrees until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped in the bottom - about 30 minutes.

Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool completely on a rack before slicing.

This has been submitted to Yeastspotting.

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Peanut butter oatmeal cookies

What's new in peanut butter?

Well, Planters has these new Nut-ricious products that include extra ingredients that are supposed to be better for you. So what did I do with the good-for-you peanut butter? I mixed it with oatmeal ... and then I made COOKIES.

I'm incorrigible, right?

Yep.

I used the banana-granola version, which added just a little banana flavor to the cookies, along with a little bit of extra crunch.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
with a hint of banana and granola

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line some baking sheets with parchment paper (depending on how many cookies you're going to bake.)

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Add the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat until mixed. In a small bowl, combine the baking powder salt, white whole wheat flour, and oats, Stil until blended.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet. If you have a strong enough mixer, you can slowly beat it to combine. Otherwise, a wooden spoon will get the job done.

Use a small scoop or a spoon to portion cookie-sized balls of dough. Arrange the balls on a baking sheet, leave space between then. Flatten the balls with a fork.

Bake the cookies at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let them cool on a rack.

I received samples of Nut-ricon peanut butter from both Klout and Planters. Besides the banana granola version, I received cinnamon raisin granola nut and berry nut. Since I'm not a big raisin fan, I gave that one away.

I used the berry nut (it includes cranberries) peanut butter to make muffins, and I really liked them. I'm still on the fence about using these peanut butters spread on toast because I'm a purist when it comes to my peanut butter sandwiches (I generally don't even add jelly) but I have to say that I'm really enjoying cooking with these.

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Leftover Oatmeal Bread

Guest Post - Maurita Plouff
Get the Good Stuff

Once the hottest days of summer begin to moderate, and I can stand the idea of running my oven, I have an overwhelming desire to make bread again. This is seriously good bread. 

In the wintertime, I may have leftover oatmeal to use - but as autumn approaches, I will go out of my way to make a batch of oatmeal especially to use in this bread - it's that good. 

Leftover Oatmeal Bread 
Makes 2 loaves or 24 good-sized rolls

3 c leftover cooked oatmeal (I like to use steel cut oats)
2 c warm water
1/4 c honey (4 Tbsp)
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp kosher salt
4+ c all-purpose flour

If you make oatmeal especially for the bread, let it cool until just a little warm to your hand. If you're using leftover oatmeal, warm it up a bit and stir it around, so it's not stone cold and has no hot spots. Measurements are approximate, and you should feel free to add a bit more of this, or a bit less of that, to your personal taste.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the oatmeal, water, honey, and yeast; stir enough to break up the oatmeal. Let it sit on the counter for 15 min or so.

Add the salt and 2 cups flour, and mix very well. Don't be afraid to beat it hard: you're developing gluten that will help the bread rise. Add additional flour, mixing well after each addition, until the dough just comes together - it may take 2 more cups, it may take a lot more, it depends on the weather and humidity and all sorts of things.

When the dough will just hold together in a shaggy mass, turn it out onto a well-floured counter. Knead, adding more flour as needed, for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes or so.

After the dough rests, knead it another 3-5 minutes, adding more flour as needed. It takes a bit of experience to know when you've kneaded enough. It will no longer be sucking up flour, the surface will be smooth and a bit less sticky, and it will feel alive under your hands. You can also use the windowpane test.

Put your dough in an oiled clean bowl, turn it so that all surfaces are oiled, then cover with a tea towel and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk.

Turn out on a floured counter and gently punch it down. Shape dough into 2 loaves, or into 24 rolls, and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Slash the loaves (or rolls) as you prefer, and bake 30 minutes. About 5 minutes before the bread is fully baked, the smell of fresh bread will suddenly dominate your kitchen. Then, check for doneness: the bread will look done, it will sound hollow when turned out of the pan and thumped on the bottom, and the internal temperature is about 200˚.

Let cool for at least an hour before slicing - the bread needs to firm up. Rolls, on the other hand, are the perfect form if you think you'll want some right away. Don't burn your mouth!

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Oat-Wheat Loaf

Now that the holidays are over, many people are on their way to vowing to eat better. What that means depends on what kind of bad eating has been going on. For me, sometimes my "be good" vow includes an effort to eat something in the morning instead of just slurping a cup of coffee.

The problem is that I'm not much of a morning person. I don't want a meal. If something is easy - cold pizza for instance - I might be tempted. But I don't like typical breakfast foods in the morning, and even more than that, I don't have any interest in cooking anything resembling a meal in the morning.

Around the holidays I get even busier than usual, and my non-breakfast sometimes turns into non-lunch. So when I think about improving my eating habits, I start considering ways to eat something simple in the mornings. 

Of course, there's always some kind of bread around. But not every bread inspires me to make toast. And not every bread I make fits my criteria for reasonably healthy breakfast. This one does. White whole wheat and oatmeal add enough fiber and flavor. If I want a little protein, peanut butter isn't far away.

Another benefit to this bread is that making it is designed to work around your schedule. There are plenty of times when the dough rests, and you can stretch that time to fit your schedule.

Oat-Wheat Loaf

1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (1 3/4 ounces) quick oats
1 1/2 cups water, divided
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4  teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups (9 ounces) bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

The night before you want to bake, put the white whole wheat flour and the oats into a bowl (use the bowl of your stand mixer if you will be kneading by machine, or use any medium sized bowl if you will knead by hand. Add 1 cup of very warm tap water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter overnight.

In the morning, put mix the remaining 1/2 cup of water (lukewarm this time) with the sugar and yeast in a small bowl, and let it sit until it is foamy, about ten minutes.

Add the yeast mixture and the bread flour to the bowl with the white whole wheat and oats, and mix until combined. Then knead (with the dough hook, or by hand on your counter) until it begins to become elastic. Add the salt and oil and continue kneading until completely incorporated.

Drizzle a little olive oil into a plastic bag and transfer the dough to the bag. Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator.

In the afternoon or evening - or the next day, if that's better for you - take the bag out of the refrigerator and leave it on the counter to come to room temperature, about two hours.

Prepare an 8-inch loaf pan - spray with baking spray if you want extra insurance that it will release easily, and sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom of the pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly flour your work surface and turn out the dough. Knead briefly, then shape the dough to fit the pan, and place it, seam-side down in the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled - about an hour.

Remove the plastic wrap and bake the loaf at 350 degrees until nicely browned, about 40 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove it and let it cool completely before slicing.

This has been submitted to Yeastspotting.

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