Jeffrey Hamelman

Oatmeal Bread

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Dough Yield: About

    27

    loaves at 1.5 lb each

Appears in

top 1000Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes

Bread

By Jeffrey Hamelman

Published 2004

  • About

I Have Made This Bread For Years and Years. I love its light texture, mild sweetness, clean flavor, and food friendliness. It’s a yummy bread for sandwiches, morning toast, or as a simple treat with butter and jam. This dough lends itself well to the technique of retarding the bulk dough after the mix, as described at the beginning of this chapter.

U.S. Metric Home Baker’s %
Bread Flour 15 lb 7.5 kg 1 lb, 8 oz (5½ cups) 75%
Whole-Wheat Flour 5 lb 2.5 kg 8 oz (1⅞ cups) 25%
Rolled Oats 3.3 lb 1.65 kg 5.3 oz (1⅝ cups) 16.5 %
Water 12.5 lb 6.25 kg 1 lb, 4 oz (2½ cups) 62.5 %
Milk 2.2 lb 1.1 kg 3.5 oz (½ cup) 11%
Honey 1.5 lb .75 kg 2.4 oz (3 T) 7.5 %
Vegetable Oil 1.5 lb .75 kg 2.4 oz (5½ T) 7.5 %
Salt .44 lb .22 kg .7 oz (3½ tsp) 2.2 %
Yeast .34 lb, fresh .17 kg, fresh .18 oz, instant dry (1½ tsp) 1.7 %
Total Yield 41.78 lb 20.89 kg 4 lb, 2.5 oz 208.9 %

Method

  1. MIXING: Place the oats in the mixing bowl. Add the water and turn the machine on for a moment to wet all the oats. Let stand for 15 or 20 minutes to soften. Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl. In a spiral mixer, mix on first speed for 3 minutes in order to incorporate the ingredients thoroughly. The dough consistency should be moderately loose, with a slight tackiness from the honey. Turn the mixer to second speed and mix for 3 to 3½ minutes, until a moderate gluten development has been achieved. Desired dough temperature: 76°F.
  2. BULK FERMENTATION: 2 hours (or overnight retarding).
  3. FOLDING: Fold the dough once, after 1 hour.
  4. DIVIDING AND SHAPING: If the dough is going to be shaped into pan loaves, the dimensions of the pan will determine the dough weight. For a loaf pan measuring 8 by 4 by 2½ inches, about 18 ounces of dough will make a good fit. Larger commercial strap pans with dimensions of 9 by 5 by 2¾ inches will take 1.5 pounds of dough. Freestanding loaves that will be baked directly on the hearth or baking stone can be divided into any weight. Tasty rolls of about 3 ounces each can also be made with the dough. Divide into desired weights and preshape the dough lightly into rounds. Place the dough pieces on a lightly floured work surface, seams up. Cover the rounds with plastic. Once the dough is sufficiently relaxed, shape into blunt cylinders for pan loaves; for round loaves or rolls, shape accordingly. A nice finish for the bread or rolls is made by dipping the top of the dough into a damp cloth (or misting the surface) and then pressing the moistened surface into a tray of oatmeal. Cover the loaves with baker’s linen and plastic so that air currents don’t crust the surface.
  5. FINAL FERMENTATION: 1 to 1½ hours at about 76°F.
  6. BAKING: With normal steam, 460°F. The milk, honey, and oil contribute a lot to bread coloring; therefore, lower the temperature by 20° to 30°F after 15 minutes to finish the bake in a receding oven. Eighteen-ounce loaves baked in loaf pans will take 30 to 32 minutes to bake, while loaves in larger strap pans will take 36 to 40 minutes.

© 2004 All rights reserved. Published by Wiley.