Well, as Christmas gets nearer and nearer, I seem to get busier and busier - which is why I'm posting the November ingredient of the month in December. Hopefully you, dear reader, can find it somewhere in your heart to overlook this horrific offense :)I have been baking a ton of bread. My 2 favorites have been cinnamon swirl bread - great for breakfast - and an oatmeal bread - perfect for sandwiches - and they have been coming out perfectly! So perfectly, in fact, that I vowed to myself that I'll never go back to eating storebought bread. Once you taste this delicious oatmeal bread, another plain-Jane Oroweat sandwich will never satisfy.
Anyway, I think I got too cocky when it came to bread this month. Andrew checked a bread book out of the library for me and I found a molasses wheat bread that I wanted to make. However, as I had limited time, I cut some corners and tried making the dough in the bread machine. What was I thinking? The size was far too large for my bread machine and it expoded all over the machine. I tried to salvage the dough and do a 2nd rise on my own, but to no avail - I ended up with 2 rectangular hockey pucks. Here's my post-explosion pan...
Yes, I was humbled by this major bread flop, and I have decided to go back to following the directions.
So, I hope you enjoy trying this recipe for Oatmeal bread, which is ridiculously easy since you can use the dough cycle on a bread machine, and then do the 2nd proof and baking on your own. I'm sure you'll love it, if you give it a try.
And what about you foodies out there? Did you make anything with yeast this month that you'd like to share??
Oatmeal Bread, from the Betty Crocker bread machine cookbook
1 1/4 c. water
2 T. butter
3C. bread flour
1/2 C. old-fashioned oats
3 T. packed brown sugar
2 T. dry milk
1 1/4 t. salt
2 t. active dry yeast
Combine ingredients in a bread machine and set the dough cycle. After the machine does the mix, knead, and rise, roll out the dough on a floured board into an 18x9 rectangle. Roll the dough, jelly roll fashion, place in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. If you like, sprinkle the top of the loaf with water and oats. Cover, and allow the dough to rise in a warm, non-drafty spot for approx. 1 hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
