RECIPE: HONEY OAT BREAD

that's really all it takes!

Every once in a while, I will inventory my pantry looking for items that need to be used up and exercise my Google-fu to come up with creative ways to do so. Some times this is disastrous but I find comfort in knowing it was food I was about to throw out any way but once in a while, when the stars are aligned just so, it all comes together and I end up with a blog-worthy recipe.

The discovery of a bag of rolled oats left over from a cookie exchange (where we explored the urban legend of the Neiman Marcus Cookie), the recent procurement of a bread machine and a co-worker’s challenge to find a healthy white bread recipe all collided in a deliciously fluffy loaf of healthy honey and oat bread.

this seriously happened while
I did my nails!

Bread making is notoriously difficult and finicky which is why I think the bread machine is the greatest invention since…well, sliced bread! The hardest part of bread making once you have one of these nifty machines is understanding the different types of yeast and how to handle to the particular type you are using.

THE MYSTERY THAT IS YEAST

When provided food (sugar, most commonly), moisture and warmth, yeast releases carbon dioxide which is what causes the tiny pockets of air that make bread so gloriously light and airy. The three most common types used for baking are: rapid rise yeast, instant active dry yeast and active dry yeast.

THE ODD MAN OUT

Rapid rise yeast has enzymes and other additives that make dough rise faster so your dough will only require one rise. You can shape your loaves right after kneading. No fuss. No muss. Unfortunately, like all such sorcery, this magic is not without its price. What you save in time you actually lose in flavor and texture. Because this type of yeast acts so differently, it is not interchangeable with the two active dry types.

INSTANT OR NOT, THAT IS THE QUESTION

The two types of active dry yeast are compressed and dried until the moisture content is only about 8% leaving your yeast dormant. The yeast only becomes active when it is mixed with a warm liquid.

Both types will give your dough two rises giving it ample time to develop that rich homemade flavor. Instant active dry yeast (also known as bread machine yeast)  is milled into finer particles than the regular active dry so it does not require any additional steps to activate. It can simply be added with your dry ingredients and away you go.

proof to be sure yeast is active

Instant active dry yeast seems to be the clear choice when using a bread machine but I've found that I actually prefer using the plain active dry yeast for a few different reasons. The main difference is whether or not proofing (a fancy term used to describe dumping your yeast into water with some sugar and watching it foam up) is required. 

Active dry yeast lasts about twice as long as the instant stuff and is generally less expensive. Also, the proofing of the yeast puts my mind at ease because you can actually see that the yeast is still active before adding all your dry ingredients and proceeding to waste the next three hours of your life. 

THE IDEAL YEASTY CLIMATE

Food (sugar) and moisture (water) are the easy parts. The trickiest part to bread making in a machine is getting the temperature of your proofing water right.

just right...

At 100° F or lower, an amino acid called glutathione is excreted which makes your dough impossible to handle

105° F–115° F is ideal for dry yeast to be reconstituted with water and sugar (proofing active dry yeast).

120° F–130° F is perfect for activating yeast designed to be mixed with dry ingredients (instant active dry yeast)

At 130° F–140° F, you've killed your yeast. It’s dead. Do not pass Go.

There’s a real science to bread making. Thankfully, the internet is full of smarty pants who have figured out all the science for those of us that just want to get down to the baking!

INGREDIENTS

recipe yields 1 one pound loaf

• 1 cup water (110° F)
• 1 packet (8 grams) active dry yeast 
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (if using active dry yeast)
• 1 tablespoon of walnut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1/4 cup honey (less 1 tablespoon if using brown sugar to proof)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (or regular all purpose white or bread flour)

DIRECTIONS

1. *Proof active dry yeast: add water (110° F), 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 package active dry yeast to machine
2. Leave yeast to dissolve for approximately 10 minutes till it is foamy
3. Add 1 tablespoon of walnut oil, 1/4 cup (less 1 tablespoon) honey and 1 teaspoon salt
4. Then add 1/2 cup rolled oats and 2 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
5. Select crust colour, loaf size and press start

Delicious success! Perfect plain, toasted and for sandwiches!

*if you are using instant active dry yeast, add all liquid ingredients first, then the dry ingredients. Then make an indentation at the top of the mound to add your yeast.You can skip the brown sugar and use a full 1/4 cup of honey.

~the smallest loaf size selection on my machine was 2.5 lbs, so I selected the lightest crust setting and it baked up perfectly!