Oats make bread that is characteristically tender, moist, and just slightly sweet. Traditionally flavored with molasses, this loaf of oatmeal bread is lightly sweetened with brown sugar and honey, making it more versatile than the classic version. It's ideal for sandwich fillings as disparate as peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff or bologna and American cheese.
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough. Knead the dough by hand (10 minutes) or by mixer (5 minutes) until it's smooth but sticky. Want to make this dough with the help of your bread machine? See "tips," below.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rest for 1 hour; it'll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk.
Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly oiled work surface. Shape it into an 8" log.
Place the dough in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, cover the pan with loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until it's crested 1" to 2" over the rim of the pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until a digital thermometer inserted into the center registers 190°F. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes of baking.
Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.
Store the bread well-wrapped, at room temperature, for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Substitute 3 tablespoons (64g) molasses for the brown sugar and honey for a darker, slightly stronger tasting loaf.
Substitute an equal amount, by volume, of King Arthur Rolled Oats for the oats in this recipe. They'll add slightly more chew and heartiness (and also more protein!).
Why does this loaf contain both whole and ground rolled oats? Grinding a portion of the oats allows them to disperse more fully throughout the dough, lending it their humectant properties (in plain English, their ability to hold water, thus slowing down the bread's staling process). And leaving a portion of the oats whole gives the bread texture. All in all, the marriage of oats and wheat flour is a happy one, and a boon to sandwich and toast lovers everywhere.
Want to make this loaf with the help of your bread machine? Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. About 10 minutes before the end of the second kneading cycle, check the dough and adjust its consistency as necessary with additional flour or water; the finished dough should be soft and supple. Shape the loaf and bake it in your regular oven, as directed above.
Want to make oatmeal dinner rolls? See our recipe for Honey Oatmeal Rolls.
