This oatmeal bread is one of my absolute favorites. It was a go-to all of the time. When I was first married and was learning how to cook I stumbled across this recipe and have never looked back.
When making your oatmeal bread, you’re going to want to add warm water. What do I mean when I say, “warm water”? The temperature of this water is going to be warm enough that you can put your hand into it and let it sit, but not so hot that you need to pull it out. If you feel like it’s too hot and you can’t keep your fingers in it then it will kill the yeast. If you’re looking for a specific temperature, most yeasts are activated between 110 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
After your water, butter, yeast, powdered milk, and brown sugar are added and mixed, you’re going to want to let it rest to allow the yeast to be activate. You will have an idea when it’s ready when it is bubbly with a slight rise in the mixture. Once your mixture reaches this bubbly consistency, you’ll begin to add your oats and flour. I have a few notes about oats and flour below:
First, let me start with the oats. You can use old fashioned, quick, or rolled oats. However, do not use steel cut oats! It won’t work. In fact, it will make your bread taste like it has little rocks in it – don’t do it. I generally wait to mix the oats in until after I’ve added in about 2 cups of flour so I have an even blend of dough to oats.
Second, let’s talk flour. It can be so temperamental. You can use 6 cups of flour on a day that’s really dry. However, if it’s humid or wet outside you can use up to 8 1/2 cups. If you’re unsure what amount of flour you should add, start with 6 cups and gradually add in an additional 1/2 cup of flour. Whatever you decide to do, you will know it’s ready when it’s no longer sticking to the edges.
Great job! You got through the hardest part. It’s going to be smooth sailing from hereon out. Simply place your dough in an oiled bowl – mix your dough around so the oil completely covers it – and top with a clean kitchen towel. Let your dough rise for 30 to 60 minutes or until it’s doubled.
Once your dough has doubled, punch it down and dump it our onto a floured surface. At this time you’re going to split your dough into 2 equal parts. Give each part a good knead to it and form into loaf shapes. Place your kneaded dough into greased bread pans, cover with your clean kitchen towel, and let them rise again for about 30 minutes.
It is now time to bake! Preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes depending on your oven. Your crust should be a beautiful golden brown when it is finished. After pulling it out, dump your bread onto a cutting board and spread a little melted butter on top. You’re going to be so tempted, but be sure to let your oatmeal bread cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into it.
You did it! Give yourself a pat on your back because you have made 2 beautiful loaves of delicious oatmeal bread. Serve with butter, jelly, on it’s own, as a sandwich, etc. Simply enjoy it!
Watch my run through of this recipe here on my YouTube page.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 4 tsp yeast
- 1/4 cup powdered milk
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 8 cups flour
- 1 1/3 cups oatmeal
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Add water, melted butter, yeast, powdered milk, and brown sugar to a mixer of your choice and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients and knead until combined.
- Let it rise in an oiled bowl until doubled in size.
- Form into bread loaves and place into 2 greased loaf pans.
- Let it rise for 20 minutes.
- Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.