Oat and wheat sandwich bread

The mornings have been so chilly here in NH and us being “true Yankees” I am not sure if we don’t; or rather we won’t turn on the heat until at least mid to end of October. There were a lot of sweatshirts and blankets lying around the house of late. I have mentioned a few times that I tend to turn the oven on bake or cook something just to help take a little; very little; chill out of the air.

I found a recipe for Oat and Wheat sandwich bread that I thought sounded pretty cool and we are definitely a sandwich eating kind of family. My guys take one or two each for lunch pretty much daily. I thought it might be kind of cool to have a homemade loaf of bread, it also freezes well which is key. Plus making homemade bread has been on my bucket list of things I really want to be good at. If I can master the art of making a rustic loaf of artesian bread, what an even sweeter life it will be.

I made this recipe as written a couple of weeks ago when the house was super cold so I needed to be a little creative in order for the dough to rise. I placed the bowl on a heating pad f or a couple of hours. Today I am making the bread again and since we broke down and turned the heat on the house is fairly warm and the dough looks AWESOME – just tasted it and it’s a keeper. it is delicious and I am making a sandwich for our late lunch right now!!!

While the bread is easy to make and tastes good I actually needed to adjust the flour for my families liking; I thought we would like it more if we cut some of the whole wheat with some all-purpose flour. While my in-laws loved it, it was too much whole wheat for my families taste. I have both ways listed here for you to choose what you think your family would like. Feel free to play with this recipe I am going to!

Makes 2 standard size sandwich loaves

5 cups whole-wheat flour – I’ve had some leftover (sealed) in the pantry for a while now – I used 2 whole-wheat and 3 AP-flour for today’s loaves
2 cups rolled oats (I used old fashion that I had on hand; for a less noticeable texture you can use quick-cooking)
1 Tbs. kosher salt
3 Tbs. raw or brown sugar, honey or agave nectar – I used my brother-in-law’s honey
1 large egg
¼ cup olive or vegetable oil, plus enough to coat the bowl
1¼ cup lukewarm water
1¼ cup lukewarm milk
1½ Tbs. instant yeast

Bread Dough
You can make this by hand or using a stand mixer. Same timing would be used for both.

In your bowl add the water, milk and honey or sugar, stir in the yeast. Add the egg and oil whisk to combine. Add flour, oats and salt. Using the paddle attachment at the lowest speed; mix for 1 minute. The dough will be wet and course. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low for 2 minutes. The dough will be a little firm and a little smoother; while still being a little sticky. If it is too wet add a bit more flour, a spoonful at a time. If it is too stiff, add a little more water, a spoonful at a time. Continue to mix the dough with the hook for 4 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a slightly floured surface. Knead a few times, than form into a ball. Lightly oil your mixing bowl and return the dough ball to it. Cover with plastic wrap and let it proof at room temperature for at least 60 minutes. It could take longer if your house is cold. It needs to double in size; or can be transferred to the fridge and left to ferment overnight or up to 5 days. If proofing in the fridge, be sure to remove it from the fridge for at least 3 hours before you plan to bake it.

Forming the loaves

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and divide in half. Press each gently into a rough rectangle; fold in the sides so the dough is roughly the width of your loaf pan. Roll the dough from the bottom to the top and place in your loaf pan seam side down. Repeat with the remaining dough. Let proof at room temperature for about an hour, or until the dough has risen about 1 inch above the rim of the loaf pan. Halfway through rising, preheat the oven to 350’

Bake bread

30 to 35 minutes; rotating pans once for even color; a cooked loaf should sound a little hollow when you tap it and the internal temperature should read 190 degrees. Remove loaves from the pans and let cool on a rack. Cool completely before slicing and place in freezer bags; if you don’t eat it all before you have a chance to freeze it.