Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Bread for World Bread Day 2009

The International Union of Bakers and Bakers-Confectioners (UIB) declared October 16th as World Bread Day to celebrate the importance of bread as a staple food in many cultures across the world and to provide as a way for bakers to talk about bread.  For the past 4 years, Zorra has hosted a blog round up to celebrate World Bread Day.  I decided to make Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Bread from King Arthur Flour’s website (they have a ton of awesome recipes).  I started the bread in my bread machine on the dough cycle and did the final rise and baking conventionally.  Although my loaf was kinda misshapen, it was really good.  The bread had a wonderful texture and flavor.  Of course, I?m very partial to oatmeal and molasses .  It was great toasted and slathered with butter and apple butter.  Yum!

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Bread (Adapted from King Arthur Flour’s website)

Ingredients

1 c + 6 T boiling water
1 c rolled oats
2 3/4 c bread flour
2 t instant yeast
1 1/2 t salt
1/4 c nonfat dry milk
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c molasses or dark corn syrup
1 T vital wheat gluten

Directions

Place the boiling water and oats into the pan of your bread machine, and gently mix them together by hand, using a spatula. Allow the mixture to cool till lukewarm, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. About 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, adjust the consistency of the dough with additional flour or water; it should be smooth, though still a bit sticky. Allow the machine to complete its cycle.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and gently shape it into a loaf. Place the loaf in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch bread pan, cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap or a dough-rising cover, and allow the bread to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it’s crowned 1 to 1 1/2 inches over the rim of the pan.
Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 35 minutes, or until the center registers 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Check the bread about 10 minutes before the end of its baking time; if it appears to be browning too quickly, tent it loosely with aluminum foil. Remove the bread from the oven, transfer it from the pan to a wire rack, and brush the crust with butter (or spray it with Vegalene or butter-flavored pan spray), if you like; this will help keep the crust soft.