Just Baking

Making bread from scratch requires a certain level of commitment. You have to measure ingredients, carefully; you have to get involved on an intimate, physical level, working up a sweat to knead the dough into a cooperative, elastic mass. You have to deal with living organisms that are picky about things like temperature and moisture and sugar. So why bother, when you can just go out and buy really good bread?

For an answer, I submit to you the following recipe. This is the reason I make homemade bread. The taste, the texture, the smell - oh, that heavenly smell! - there’s just no other way to achieve these things. 

Baking bread is somewhat of a luxury in that it requires time, a precious commodity. But it’s a good investment. The aroma alone is worth baking this bread for. Don’t believe me? Try it one time . . . you’ll see.

This bread slices beautifully for sandwiches (chicken salad or peanut butter with banana are my picks), and it’s one of my favorites for toasting. Spread it with some butter and local honey, and you’ll be pencilling in your next bread baking session before the last bite leaves your plate. 

Honey Oatmeal Bread*

1 cup rolled oats
11/3 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground dried ginger
51/2 cups unbleached white flour, divided
2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons millet

Place the oats in a medium-size heat-resistant mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Stir in the salt, butter, and honey; cover with a tea towel; and let sit for 1 hour.

When the hour is almost up, stir the yeast into the warm water in a small mixing bowl, add the sugar and ginger, and set in a warm, draft-free place until the yeast begins to froth.

Once the yeast has bubbled, combine it in a large mixing bowl with 5 cups of the flour. Add the oatmeal mixture, the millet, and the sunflower seeds, and stir well to incorporate.

Turn dough out onto a board and dust it with the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Knead well, until the dough is smooth and elastic. [Recipe notes: I have developed the habit of kneading my yeast dough directly in the mixing bowl. I use a large stainless steel bowl, and kneading the dough right inside it, as opposed to turning it out onto a board, is simply a matter of convenience - my kitchen has very little counter space, and what it does have is mostly covered with tile (not the best surface for kneading anything on). I do have a bread board, but the in situ mixing-bowl method has worked so well for me, I almost always do it this way. Besides, it means one less thing to wash.]

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Turn the dough once to grease the top. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Spray two 8 by 4-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray or brush with melted butter. Punch down the dough and knead for a couple of turns. Divide the dough in half and form into two loaves. Place the loaves in the pans and let rise until double in size. [Recipe notes: I like to use one 8 x 4-inch pan and one 9 x 5-inch pan. We eat the big loaf fresh, and cool and freeze the smaller one.]

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake loaves for 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when thumped. Turn loaves out of pans onto a wire rack.
Makes 2 loaves

*This recipe is adapted from one in Gene Opton’s excellent book, Honey.

Pictures are mine.