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Oatmeal Bread

busylizzy
15 years ago

Yeiks I have been busy, have a moment to post my Grandmothers Oatmeal Bread Recipe.

This dates around 1888, and the best toasted for your jams and jellies.

I make up gift baskets with kitchen towels, this bread and a jam or jelly.

Grammy Mabel's Oatmeal Bread Recipe

2 Cups Scalded Milk

2 Cups Rolled Oats (NOT Quick Oats)

2 Cakes Yeast, or 2 Tbsps Superyeast

4 Large Spoons Sugar (Tbsp)

3 Small Spoons Salt (tsp)

1/2 Cup Water Water

4 Large spoons Melted Lard or Butter ( Tbsp)

5 Cups Bread Flour

Method:

Add Scaled milk to rolled oats, mix well, let cool.

Small bowl, combine yeast, sugar water and melted lard, add a 1/2 Cup flour to the yeast mix, let stand 5 minutes.

Large Bowl, combine remaing flour and salt, adding the yeast mixture, then the cooled oats.

Toss on board, knead and shape into ball, place in greased bowl,brush top with melted butter, cover in warm place and let rise to double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Next, place on floured board, knead 1 minute, shape into 2 loaves- Put into small greased bread pans, brush tops with melted butter, cover in warm place till double in size.

Bake in hot oven 400 degrees for 15 minutes, cool over to 350 degrees bake for 45 minutes or till hollow sound.

Variation: Multigrain Rolled Hot Cereal for the Oatmeal, I get 7 Grain at the Mennonite store to make 7 grain bread.

Comments (25)

  • ksrogers
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just a few points here. Scalding milk used to be necessary due to problems if it were consumed without pasturization. Today, just heating it to a warm stage is sufficient, although the oats should also soften in the warm milk a few minutes. The amount of salt may be a bit too much for some peoples taste. Adding a little maple syrup instead of sugar can give a nice taste option. Yeast, in cake form is very hard to find today. Instead its dried and in small packets. Also, a margerine can be used instead of butter or lard to reduce cholesterol. A multi grain cereal flour mix would yield a nice option, compared to just oats alone, as mentioned. They also offer a 12 grain cereal flour.

  • readinglady
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Old-timers were wise.

    There's an enzyme called protease which inhibits the rise of bread. Pasteurization does not reach sufficient temperatures to kill it. So go ahead and continue to scald the milk; your bread will rise better for it.

    Carol

  • busylizzy
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yup Carol, seems to break down the whey to make it rise better. Many professional bakers continue to scald milk for their breads.

    I was unaware than I should have posted low sodium cholestrol variations as well. Assuming that those who do would know:

    Substitute water for the milk in the grain section
    Use Sea Salt or Reduce Amount of Salt
    Margarine is gross, use safflower oil instead
    Mess around with the proportions of whole grains to total 2 cups, not the flour as it may not rise high
    A packet of yeast is 1 Tbsp
    Use raw sugar or honey for the sugar

  • ksrogers
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gee, I didn't know that regular milk had such an enzyme. I guess it would be advisable to scald the milk then. I used to use a thermometer to test for the scald temp, but now, just look for the thin layer of foam on the surface and its sudden coating around the edge of the pan. Never add yeast to a very hot milk as it can kill the yeast. I use mostly the I Can't Believe Its not Butter spread and spray. Its not too bad, but does contain about 25-35% water, as evident when it is melted and heated a bit. Too much whole grain and the bread can get quite dense and heavy. When I make a rye bread, I add more gluten just to get the low rye flour up higher in it. Of course the rye flour used is only a small amount, the rest is regular bread flour.

  • CA Kate z9
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    lizzy: how much bread does this recipe make??? 2 small loaves?

    "shape into 2 loaves- Put into small greased bread pans"

    What do you mean by small loaf pans?

  • busylizzy
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yeah, I don't know what they meant in the 1800's but I use the smaller of the regular loaf pans 4 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches.

    I have used the regular 9 by 5 inch pans, with good rise.

    Either pan I get 2 regular loaves.

  • ksrogers
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Usually the bread pans (rectangular) are rated in weight. A 1 pound loaf is the most commmon. I have a longer 'sandwich' loaf pan here and use that for many breads that exceed the size of the 1 pound pan.

  • busylizzy
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Are you referring to a Pullman Loaf Pan as a "sandwich" loaf pan?
    Never used that size for this bread, have no idea how it would turn out.

    Baking pans are sold/used by both size and/or volume.

  • ksrogers
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, thats a longer shallower pullman pan. They hold about 1.5 to 2 pounds of dough. I don't usually go beyond 1.5 pounds as it sometimes rises over the top and wraps around the lip, making it hard to get out of the pan. I also have this neat French Bread baking pan. Actually its not a pan, but has tiny perforated holes on two rounded aluminum troughs, shaped like UU when looking at the ends. It makes a 10"-12" loaf like a big bagette.

  • ruthieg__tx
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have that pan too ken except mine doesn't have holes. I like the pan a lot ....

    I'm going to try this recipe...

  • ksrogers
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I made some nice big subamarine sandwich rolls in that long pan.

  • bitterwort
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you like oatmeal bread, you might also be interested in trying this recipe that uses steel-cut oats rather than rolled oats. It's not old; it's one I developed based on a rolled-oats recipe in a 1966 cookbook called A World of Breads by Dolores Casella. I call my recipe Irish Oat Bread, and by popular demand, it's the bread recipe I bake more than all others.

    Irish Oat Bread

    4 cups milk (1% or 2%)
    1 cup McCannÂs Irish Oats (steel-cut, long cooking type)
    1/4 cup unsalted butter
    1/2 cup dark brown sugar
    1 tablespoon salt
    1 pkg. standard dry yeast
    1/4 cup lukewarm water
    8 to 10 cups bread flour

    Bring the milk to a low boil in a heavy saucepan and slowly stir in the oats. (Fresh milk tastes better, but reconstituted dry milk works also.) Turn heat to very low so that the oats barely simmer, cover and continue cooking for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the oats are thick. Remove from heat and add the butter, brown sugar, and salt, stirring until the butter melts and everything mixes. Set aside and cool to lukewarm. (If you donÂt like or canÂt get steel-cut oats, substitute 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or even 7-grain cereal instead and donÂt cook it; just mix it into the scalded milk.)
    Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Empty cooled oats mixture into bowl of heavy-duty mixer with the paddle blade attached, or into a large mixing bowl if your biceps need work. Add the dissolved yeast and mix at low speed to blend. Stop mixer and add 2 cups of flour and mix at low speed to blend. Continue adding flour with the paddle until the mixture becomes too thick to mix well, then change to the dough hook. Add enough of the flour, gradually, until the mixture is nicely kneaded and cleans the bowl well. The dough should still be soft and a bit sticky, but not excessively so, and hold its shape well. (Sorry IÂm vague about the flour, but I mostly eyeball it and then feel it). When the dough is well kneaded, place it in a large buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until double in bulk.
    Punch it down and place it on a lightly floured board, kneading lightly. Divide into thirds and shape into 3 loaves, placing them in well-buttered loaf pans (medium pans typically work best, perhaps 8.5" pans). Let rise in the pans (covered with plastic wrap) until double, preheating the oven to 375 F. toward the end of the period. When fully double, bake for about 45 to 50 minutes until nicely browned and crusty. (Any oats near the crust have a tendency to imitate buckshot; you may wish to brush the top with butter toward the end of baking or add a topping of rolled oats or other grains to help cut down on this. Actually, I kind of enjoy it as long as the bread doesnÂt overbake so that you risk dental work.)
    Let cool as long as you can stand it, although itÂs very good warm. Kids seem to like it especially (perhaps because itÂs somewhat sweet), and it has a very good flavor when toasted. It also makes a very homey sandwich with turkey and cranberry sauce.

  • busylizzy
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great!
    I will have to see if I can get steel cut oats when I am finished with all the other grains I have for baking.
    right now I am in the Christmas cookie, candy and nut roll baking frenzie.
    Nothing wakes you up more than candy canes whizzing in the food processor!

  • CA Kate z9
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am making Oat Bread today!

  • keepitlow
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for clarifying the scalded milk info ksrogers.

    Do you think cake yeast gives a better or yeastier flavor to the bread that jar yeast? I've never tried cake yeast but remember it from my childhood.

  • readinglady
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think you've confused posts. I mentioned scalding to inhibit protease.

    Cake yeast is essentially 100% "alive" (as long as its fresh). It will provide a consistent even-paced rise and for that reason some bakers prefer it for any long-rising dough.

    Other bakers have switched to osmotolerant yeast for long-rising "rich" doughs. (i.e. SAF Gold designed for high sugar breads and acidic sourdoughs).

    Some can detect a difference in the flavor between cake yeast and dry yeast. Others don't.

    Active dry yeast is a live culture surrounded by a "cocoon" of dead spores. This increases the shelf life and is why ADY has to be hydrated in water before use.

    Instant yeast is freeze-dried; live cultures are coated with ascorbic acid. No dead cultures and you don't need water to hydrate.

    Rapid-Rise yeast is a different strain. You get speed but it comes at a cost in flavor. It produces more CO2 and doesn't release the alcohol and water soluble elements in the flour as well as slower yeasts. It also produces a coarser crumb.

    A lot of home bakers use too much yeast. This can cause off-flavors and an alcohol aftertaste.

    Carol

  • CA Kate z9
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    busylizzy: I made 7 loaves of your Grandmother's bread --- 4 for gifts, the the recipe is a winner! I tripled the recipe in a huge tub.... it worked out so well; I was a bit surprised at how easy the dough was to work with. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe; I'm sure my friends will enjoy getting a loaf along with the important jar of Christmas Jam.

  • busylizzy
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great to hear West!
    It is an easy dough to work with I have tried other Oatmeal Bread recipes, but I always come back to Grammies recipe.
    Toasted, the bread is awesome I think.

  • ksrogers
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For me, the yeast is the cheapest will work just fine. BJ's and Costco sell either a 1 pound or two 1 pound vacuum sealed bags fairly cheaply. Around here, I have never seen 'cake yeast', or yeast cakes, or anything beyond the granulated types. Saf has two kinds, a regular and a high sugar type yeast. See the link below. I store mine in the freezer. Even regular Quaker oats are fine to use, but not the quick cook type.

  • busylizzy
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cake yeast here is at one grocery store, no Costco, nor have I ever been in one.
    the Mennonites sell the Red Star Yeast in bulk, that is granular cake yeast, semi dormant. Looked, it was 2.99 a lb, have no idea what other pricing is.
    To me, running around 50 mile round trip to save a buck here and there isn't worth it.
    Our organic store is becoming a disappointment, so many prepared, heat and serve items anymore. I have to place orders for specialty items.
    Take a NYC run once a year for some items that those stores don't have online ordering.

  • ksrogers
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In PA there are lots of cultures like the Amish. I know of several PA based stores that have a good supply of products. For me to go to a nice big Walmart, its almost 60 miles away in NH. All the local supermarkets even though they are diffrent names, all offer the same boring stuff. Asking for a common item like frozen pineapple juice gives me just canned excuses from the stores. Red Star is the brand thats in 1 or 2 pound bags, and is at BJ's, and maybe even Sams Clubs. Its granulated and instant, which means it needs no proofing. I simply pour it into the dough while its being kneaded and having more flour put in. I even add a small amount of the yeast after the first rise, to get some nice big air bubbles to form during the second rise and baking.

  • busylizzy
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, being "Amish like" is big business. Here, in the Alabama part of PA, the more progressive Mennonites are the ones with the stores. I didn't know till last night the new dented can, surplus store is owned by a Mennonite. Then when shopping I took notice, although they were lay people as employees, they were all women. You never see men working in the stores here.
    For the Old Order Amish, though you still need to go visit the farm if you want to buy, have to transport them to work and call the neighbors house between certain times, or leave a messsage. At the farm store I go to, you park your vehicle next to the buggy.
    Lancaster, Pa, is of course, the most famous for this way of life and I have no idea of different secs there, I don't live among them.

  • ksrogers
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You still have that kind of 'culture' closer to you than I do. Many times I buy things tracable back to the Amish, and pay dearly due to the distance and markups from other sellers.

  • CA Kate z9
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I thought I might give you all a report on my latest endeavor with this great recipe. I did a lot of substitutions because of DH's diabetes and our trying for a low GI diet.
    I used:
    Agave nectar for the sugar;
    Spelt flour instead of regular flour;
    and, a multi-grain rolled cereal instead of Oatmeal.

    The working texture was stiffer than the original recipe; and the oven rise wasn't as high, so, next time, I think I will let it rise more on the second rise before baking. It's still delicious! I can't wait to toast some for breakfast tomorrow morning.

  • ruthieg__tx
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I made bizzylizzy's Oatmeal bread or a version of it and it turned out so good. I actually cut the recipe in half and made it in my bread machine on the dough cycle and then baked it in the oven...I let it rise a little too much and it crashed a little bit but I tell you what..It is deeeeelish. I intend to share the recipe with a couple of friends.

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