Friday, August 10, 2012

A Rainy Day For Baking Bread....(Great Recipe Ahead)

Brown Oatmeal Bread from last week...
The rain is pouring down outside,
candles are lit inside,
soft piano music playing,
and now I'm getting ready to head into the kitchen
and do my weekly bread baking.

I've spent many an hour,
many a recipe,
many ingredients,
to come up with my favorite bread recipe.

Today I thought I'd share it with you all!

John'aLee's Brown Oatmeal Whole Wheat Bread

Mix together and cool until warm: 
2 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal uncooked
 2 cups Boiling Water
2 Cups Scalded Milk or Warmed Buttermilk

Dissolve 1 Packet of Yeast in 1 Cup of Warm Water
Let Sit for 5 minutes or until bubbly.
Add to above cooled mixture.

Also Add:
1 Cup of Honey (Molasses or Brown Sugar will do too. Each will vary the taste.)
1/4 Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Wheat Gluten (From King Arthur's Website)
1/4 Cup Artisan Flour (From King Arthur's Website) 
 2 Tbsps of Salt
4 1/2 Cups Unbleached White Flour

Slowly add the following flour until a dough forms that you can
handle with your hands.
(Too much flour and you will end up with a dry and crackly loaf)
Approximately 4 1/2 Cups Wheat Flour

Knead for 10 minutes by hand or in a mixer.

I put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl,
slosh it around,
put the dough in it,
turn it over so there is oil all over it.
 This keeps it from becoming dried out as it rises.
Let Rise until it doubles in bulk (About an hour)

Punch Down and form loaves. 
(At this point I also pour more olive oil over the top of loaves. It keeps them from cracking during baking.)

Put in 4 Bread Pans. Let Rise for 25-30 minutes.

Bake in a 375 Degree Oven 40-45 minutes. 

I have learned that my end product is only as good as my ingredients!
Duh!! Right??

Thus, I've been ordering from 

They have a fantastic website and make sure to go in and request their free catalogue.
It's always inspiring when it shows up in the mailbox.

I had to show you the new Baking Table we found at a flea market 
for my bread baking....

 I took a better picture but I can't get it to come up for some reason.

Anyway....
company tonight...
cleaning,
baking,
cooking...

Toodles! 
 




12 comments:

  1. I LOVE baking bread. There's nothing quite like the taste of fresh homemade bread or even toasted homemade bread. It feels so "nurturing" to bake bread. I will have to try your recipe. I have two standby recipes I love - Oats and Molasses Bread (a recipe given to me 43 years ago by a sweet lady who was in her 90s and still baking bread. She would bring me a loaf every now and then just because she was so sweet and knew I loved it.) and Roadside Potato Bread (a recipe I got from a magazine when I was a young bride - 42 years ago!)

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  2. Thank you for sharing, John'aLee. I look forward to trying this out after we're in our house. You don't have any idea how you'd adjust the recipe for high-altitude baking, do you?

    Oh, and your bread table is gorgeous. :D

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  3. I love a good whole wheat oatmeal bread, but I've never made it with candles burning and soft music playing. I'll have to try that. : )
    King Arthur's is great, isn't it? Love their stuff!
    What a wonderful find in that baking table. That is a beauty!

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  4. i want bread baking weather!!!! we might get some this weekend. your bread look wonderful. if there is one thing i can never seem to get enough of it is bread baking. i just need more people to eat it! i took a bunch of stale bread this morning and made it into breadcrumbs.

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  5. Your bread looks yummy. I made loaf today for our turkey paninis tonight, but mysteriously there is a slice (or two) missing. Fresh baked bread is my weakness.

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  6. Wow this bread looks so delicious!!

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  7. The bread sounds yummy! ! ! Thank you for sharing your recipe.

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  8. Oh I love Home made bread. I love the recipe and as you said it is only as good as your ingredients are fresh!!!!
    when my kids were little I baked bread frequently. that recioe looks like it makes a lot of loaves. does it break down to a smaller # easily?

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  9. JohnaLee, thanks so much for the recipe!! I'm too am a bread maker and agree that the best ingredients make the best bread. I am going to try your recipe. I also love King Arthur.... their catalog is almost like getting a food magazine!!! I haven't forgotten about getting together.... its just that this house building is taking ALL our time! We also leave for a week for a little vacation but when we get back I'll get with you. Take care... (Love your blog!) ~ Dori Troutman ~

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  10. Hi
    The bread looks wonderful. My mom baked bread for the week every Friday. I'd smell it as I walked down the street, coming home from school. Growing up Catholic, we had homemade pizza every Friday night, no meat. She was from Italy, and they don't put all the stuff on it Americans do. What wonderful memories. Looking at your table full makes me smile. I kept up her tradition with our kids. John and I don't eat much bread nowadays, but when we do, I've baked it. BTW. King Arthur is my go to for all things baking too.
    Also, just received the latest Mary Janes Farm. Can't wait to read your article.
    Linda

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  11. that picture sure makes me hungry !

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