Left-Over Oatmeal Bread

I had some left over oatmeal that I'd added crasins to.  I found this recipe, made it and it tastes divine. I also added some cinnamon and knew it would make a great breakfast bread. Yum!

Leftover Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 c room temperature leftover oatmeal
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 t. yeast or one envelope
• 1/4 c. molasses or honey
• 1/4 c. melted butter
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4-5 cups bread flour
• 2 t. salt

Directions: Mix oatmeal, water, yeast, molasses and one cup of the whole wheat flour until well blended. Let rest for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes add butter, the other 1 cup whole wheat flour and 3 cups bread flour. Mix well and let rest for an additional 20 minutes. Mix in salt and knead in additional bread flour until the dough is just slightly sticky, but pulling away from the bowl. I knead mine in my kitchen-aid for about 5 minutes. I dust the top of the dough with flour, cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour. Punch down dough and form into 2 large loaves or 3 medium loaves. Put into greased loaf pans, dust top with flour, cover and let rise until double, about 1 more hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your loaves.

From The Sister's Dish Blog

Mary's Oatmeal Toasting Bread*

Makes 2 loaves: 1lb - 13 oz each

Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups (20 oz)        Lukewarm milk (any kind of milk; don't use cold milk)
2 Cups (6 5/8 oz)          Rolled Oats (old fashioned oats or Quick cooking)
1/3+ Cup (4 5/8 oz)      Honey (buy in bulk at Winco or Costco)
6 Cups (1 lb 9 1/2 oz)   King Arthur Bread Flour (From Winco)
1 TBS                            Salt (Don't used iodized)
4 1/2 tsp                        Instant Yeast (I use SAF - buy at Winco and freeze)
4 TBS                           Unsalted butter room temperature (or 2 oz. canola or corn oil)

Optional: Secret ingredient! Add 1 tsp Diastolic Malt Powder if using only white flour. Add 2 tsps if using part or all whole wheat flour. Promotes strong rise and improves texture, especially with whole wheat bread. I buy the malt powder at kingarthurflour.com. If you buy it, keep it frozen. I can share mine with you if you want to try before buying.

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In big mixer bowl, pour milk and honey over oats and stir. Let sit 30 minutes for instant oats, 1    hour or more of old-fashioned.
3.  Put flour on top of milk/honey/oats mixture.
4.  Add salt and instant yeast to bowl.
5.  If using butter, cut into 6-8 pieces and throw on top. Or if using oil, pour on top.
6.  Mix dough -

•  KitchenAid Mixer - Attach bowl full of ingredients and dough hook. Mix on lowest setting for 8 minutes
• Bread Machine - Place all ingredients into the pan of your machine. Program machine for manual or dough and press start. About 10 minutes before end of the second kneading cycle, check dough and adjust consistency with additional flour or milk as needed. The finished dough should be soft and supple.
• No machine - Mix ingredients with large spoon and then knead by hand until dough is smooth (around 10 minutes)

7.  Spray dough bucket or large bowl with cooking spray. Throw in the dough ball and cover with sprayed lid or sprayed plastic wrap.
8.  Let rise till double. Whole wheat will get puffy, but may not double.
9.  Cut dough in half and deflate. Shape each loaf. I flatten my dough into rectangles, the roll up and pinch seam.
10. Place dough in glass or metal bread pans sprayed with cooking spray, cover each with sprayed plastic wrap. Or place both pans uncovered in microwave to raise (don't turn on microwave!)
11.  When bread has crested 1 1/2 - 2 inches over top of pan, it's ready to bake.
12.  Put in preheated oven. Total cooking time is 35 minutes. But after the first 20 minutes, cover the bread with a tin foil tent to keep it from browning too much.

*Adapted from Oatmeal Toasting & Sandwich Bread recipe at Kingarthurflour.com
(King Arthur is my favorite site for bread recipes and ingredients.)