Oatmeal Bread
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The following recipe is adapted from Kathleen King’s “Kathleen’s Bake Shop Cookbook.”
Cooking Level
Foundational | BEGINNER | Intermediate | Advanced
Special tools:
A stand mixer is suggested, but not necessary. Good old fashioned elbow grease and a heavy wooden spoon or sturdy spatula will be more difficult, but will still work fine!
Oatmeal Bread
Ingredients
- 1 c firmly-packed brown sugar
- 1 T salt
- 1 3/4 c old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3 c boiling water
- 2 T butter
- 1 package (or 2 1/14 t) dry yeast
- 1/4 c warm water
- 6 cups of all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150 degrees F.
- In a large bowl (I use the bowl of my stand mixer), stir together the 1 c brown sugar, 1 T salt, and 1 3/4 c oats. Add 3 c boiling water and 2 T butter and stir until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Let stand until lukewarm (about 1 hour).
- Sprinkle the packet (2 1/4 t) of yeast into the 1/4 c warm water and stir until dissolved. Add this yeast mixture to the oat mixture.
- Stir in 1 c of flour at a time, using a dough hook, until all 6 are mixed in. You can also do this by hand if you do not have a stand mixer. It will seem like a lot of flour; I mix each cup until it's mostly incorporated before adding the next cup. Dough will be sticky.
- Turn off oven.
- Transfer to a large greased bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place bowl in warm oven and allow to raise until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).
- Grease two 9"x5"x3" loaf pans.
- Grease your hands with some cooking oil (or alternatively, use kitchen-safe gloves and grease those). This will help prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. Lift and drop the risen dough into the bowl three or four times.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions and place into the greased loaf pans.
- Cover with a towel (like a tea towel) and place back in the oven, allowing the dough to double in bulk again (about 1 hour).
- Remove loaf pans from oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Bake the bread for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F, then lower the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for another 40-45 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when tapped with your finger.
- Remove bread immediately from pans and cool on wire racks.
The first time I recall having this bread was when my Mom made it for a St. Patrick’s Day party. The party, hosted at the house of friends of the family, was an annual thing for a while, and we always brought this bread. I’ve since continued the tradition, making it in time for every St. Patrick’s Day. My favorite way to eat it is straight up with some butter on it, and I like pairing it with some Irish cheddar and/or a cup of tea.
I remember the first time I made this on my own and I was adding the flour and I stopped and my eyes boggled at the recipe. I called my mom up straight away and asked her, “Six cups of flour? Isn’t that a lot?” But she said it was correct, so in the margin of my recipe I wrote: “6 cups is correct, you don’t have to call mom.”
Since this recipe makes two loaves, I’m in the habit of keeping one and giving one away - either to coworkers or neighbors. It’s a delicious, hearty, slightly sweet and chewy bread and in my opinion, it’s great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert!
