Veg Planet: Granny's Oatmeal Bread

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Granny's Oatmeal Bread

 

Recipe By : Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons, page 9

Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Breads

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

2 cups rolled oafs

2 cups boiling wafer

1 cup scalded whole milk

1 tablespoon canola or corn oil or corn

2/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon dry yeast

6 cups unbleached white flour

1 tablespoon salt

 

Makes 2 loaves

 

My upstairs neighbor, Rob, occasionally cooks up a storm to relieve the

pressure of finishing his grad school dissertation. This recipe, one of

his favorites, came from his grandmother, Dorothy Wilson McElroy. Even

when it's a week old, her oatmeal bread makes excellent toast.

 

Rob prefers Br'er Rabbit or Plantation molasses. He also likes blackstrap

molasses, but says it is probably too strong for most people's tastes.

 

1. Put the oats into a very large bowl, or into a mixer with a dough

hook. Pour the boiling water over them. Then add the scalded milk, and

stir. Pour in the oil and molasses, and stir.

 

2. In another bowl, mix the sugar with the yeast and 1 cup of the

flour. When the oatmeal mixture has cooled to lukewarm, add the

yeast-flour mixture. Stir, and add the salt. Stir in the remaining 5 cups

of flour.

 

3. If you are using a mixer, knead on the lowest setting for 5

minutes. Otherwise, beat the dough with a sturdy spoon (preferably a metal

one) for 8 minutes, holding the bowl tight with one arm. If you use a

spoon, make sure you work all the dough. This is hard on the wrists; if 8

minutes is longer than you can manage, just beat as long as you can.

 

Cover the bowl with a damp towel, and place the bowl in a warm spot until

the dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

 

4. Punch the dough down. Knead briefly with a spoon, then divide it in

half, and place it in two greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans. Cover the

pans with a damp towel, and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has

almost doubled in bulk.

 

5. While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350F.

 

6. Bake the loaves for about 1 hour. To make sure they're done, turn them

out of the pan and tap them on the bottom; they should sound hollow. Let

the loaves cool on a rack. When the loaves have cooled thoroughly wrap

them well, and store them in a cool spot.

 

Variation: Use 2 cups whole-wheat flour and 4 cups unbleached white flour

instead of the 6 cups white flour or substitute 1 cup cornmeal for 1 cup of

the flour.

 

 

 

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