Have you smelled the delightful smell of fresh baked bread? The kind that permeates your house, not just the kitchen. The kind that turns even the most patient into someone with the least amount of patience and borderline enrages you while you wait until it’s cool enough to slice. I made this bread this past weekend, and experienced all those things.
I’ve been working hard on my goal to see how long I can go without buying a bunch of things at the grocery store. The focus is to use what I have in my massive stockpile instead of buying more. It’s been an interesting challenge so far and has me getting creative with using things like quinoa instead of rice, butternut squash instead of pumpkin, different kinds of beans. You get the idea.
I finally used up the last of the bread I had in the freezer and decided to make a loaf so that I could make sandwiches for lunch and toast for mornings before my workouts. I have a great recipe for oatmeal whole wheat that I used years ago, but I’d forgotten about the smell and how compelling it was to eat the entire loaf in one sitting. Sigh, you’ve been warned.
Oatmeal Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread 
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1 cup (80g) old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 2 Tbsp (24g) sugar
- 1 packet (2 1/4 tsps) active dry yeast
- 1 3/4 cup (210g) all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) whole wheat flour
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
Add the boiling water to the oatmeal and stir to combine. Set it aside for about 15 minutes to soften the oats and cool the water slightly so that it doesn’t kill the yeast. In a small bowl, combine the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir to combine. Let this sit as well to activate the yeast.
It will take about 5-10 minutes and the yeast will become bubbly and foamy. If it doesn’t then your yeast may not be live and you’ll need to try a different batch or your bread won’t rise.
Measure the flours, oil and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook. If you don’t have one, a regular mixing bowl is fine and you can knead it by hand. Pour in the yeast mixture, and add the cooked oats. Knead it in your mixer for 5 – 7 minutes on low speed until a moist shaggy dough forms.
If you need to add just enough flour for the dough to come together. You don’t want it really dry, but just enough to form into a ball. Place the ball into a bowl sprayed with non-stick spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place for about 90 minutes until doubled in size.
Punch the dough down after it’s ready and knead it on a lightly floured surface for about 3 minutes. Press it out with your hands into a rectangle that’s about 10 inches by 6 inches. You can eyeball it. It doesn’t have to be exact. Roll the dough starting on the long side into a tight cylinder, like you’re rolling a log.
Place the dough, seam side down, into a 9×4 inch greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise another 60 minutes. In the last few minutes of rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the loaf and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The bread will be golden on top and sound slightly hollow when tapped.
Remove from the oven and cool 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and use for toast, sandwiches and more.
Makes approximately 14 slices at approximately 93 calories each – 3g protein, 18g carbs, and 1g fat.
You can use a different ratio of whole wheat and all purpose flour but I wouldn’t go more than half and half because whole wheat flour can be dry. If you don’t have whole wheat, you can also use 2 cups of all purpose flour and the bread still turns out wonderful. It takes a bit of time to make the loaf, but most of it is hands off and simply waiting for it to rise… and cool. 😉
It’s perfect to toast a slice for breakfast and have it with peanut butter. It makes a great sandwich bread for grilled cheese or turkey, ham, and so on. I’ve been grabbing a slice in the mornings and sprinkling on a little cinnamon and sugar. I’ll be making another loaf in a couple days since this one seems to have disappeared.
If you’re interested in working with me to get meals together fast while working towards your health goals, I’d love to chat. Drop me an email, or come on over to Facebook and ask a question.
Speak Your Mind