Honey-Oatmeal Bread

It had been quite some time now, that I didn’t post any Bread Recipe! Baking Bread is always very special to me.  I just love the flavor around the kitchen, while baking. Also, I could offer a complete meal to my family.

I do not know, from where I got this recipe and couldn’t find any note on my hard-copy. But, this is one of my favorite. I used to bake at least thrice a month. Honey – Oatmeal combination is just perfect.

Honey, is a very special substance and there is a lot more then in it than a simple sugar. It’s Rich in minerals and also has some antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties that may aid in the healing process. That’s why in Asia and Arabia, Honey is widely used to treat humans. Also believed, very beneficial to health, provides Energy.

I will stop here, to talk further about Honey and list down the ingredients :  1¼ cups of boiling water   ;   1 cup of rolled oats   ;   2 tbsp of unsalted butter  cut into 3 pieces   ;   1½  tsp of sea salt   ;  ¼ cup of honey   ;   1 cup of whole wheat flour  ;  1-2/3 cups  of all-purpose flour   ;   ¼ cup nonfat dry milk (powder)  ;   2  tsp of instant yeast.

In a bowl boil the water, once water starts bubbling cut the flame and add oats, butter, salt and honey into it. Stir well. Let the mixture cool to lukewarm.

Add the remaining ingredients i.e.  Wheat flour, all purpose flour, milk powder, with the oat mixture and knead either by hand or kitchen aid / bread machine, until its soft and smooth dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with damp cloth in a warm place until dough is about double in volume.  It may take about 45 minutes, depends on the atmospheric temperature. Our friends yeast and bacteria, acts much faster in tropical conditions (around 100°F or 38°C).

Gently deflate the dough by hand. (Slightly oil your hand, to avoid mess. the dough will be sticky) and shape it into log.

Place it in the pre greased loaf pan. Cover it gently with greased plastic wrap (to avoid cracks on the bread), and allow it to rise over the rim of the pan and sprinkle with additional oats on the top.

Bake it in the preheated oven at 350º F about 45 minutes

Tenting it with aluminum foil prevent over-browning. Once the bread is golden brown, remove it from the oven and after a minute turn it out onto a rack and brush with melted butter.

Honey-Oatmeal Bread toasted with butter and chocolate spread is “Divine”

Tip : When measuring honey, first coat the measuring utensil with a small amount of oil so the honey will not stick.