Super Oatmeal Bread (for toast!)

Oatmeal toast with cranberry-rhubarb-coconut jam

For years now, I have been making oatmeal bread following the Trapp family recipe. Yes, that Trapp family, the one made famous in the movie "The Sound of Music." While you can find that recipe on the Trapp Lodge recipe page by scrolling down, you can also find it on epicurious.com.

After the success of an experiment doubling the tasty ingredients in anadama bread (cornmeal, molasses, and butter) to create a richer, moister bread, I decided to try doubling the oats, brown sugar, and butter in the Trapp family oatmeal bread recipe. Of course, I had to tinker with other aspects of the recipe, but the goal still was to create a richer tasting, moister bread, three loaves instead of two.

Well, it worked! Just like with the super anadama bread, this oatmeal bread tastes more like oats, butter, and brown sugar, and has a spongier texture, too. I just needed to take the new proportions and scale them down to create a recipe for two loaves instead of three. I also scaled them up for a recipe for four loaves, the number I usually bake at one time. Those quantities are listed at the bottom. [Please note that there are other differences between how I make this bread and the original recipe. I use two rises and roll out the dough to form loaves.] 

For two loaves
2/3 stick butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 and 1/3 cups oats
2 and 1/3 cups hot water
3 and 1/3 tsp yeast
4 and 2/3 cups flour
1/3 tsp salt

Put the butter, brown sugar, and oats in a large bowl. Pour the hot water over them and stir to mix, melting the butter in the process. Let the mixture sit till it is lukewarm, then sprinkle the yeast over the top. After the mixture is foamy (5 minutes or so), stir in the salt and 3 to 4 cups of the flour one cup at a time. As soon as the dough is stiff, turn it onto a floured board so you can knead in the rest of the flour. [Don't be too quick to add lots of flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. There is a point at which continuing to work the dough will make it less sticky even without the addition of more flour. This is because the flour absorbs moisture slowly. The goal is to find that point, usually 10 minutes for this recipe, but sometimes longer.]

Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and let rise in a warm place till doubled. This can take more or less than an hour depending on the temperature, but please note that a slow rise is preferred, as it allows for better flavor to develop. I let my dough rise at temps in mid- to high-60s if possible.

After it has doubled, punch the dough down, remove it to the floured board, and knead it briefly to mix it well. If it feels very elastic, cover it and let it rest for 10 minutes; otherwise, divide the dough into 2 equal balls.

With your hands and a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a rectangle a bit longer than the length of your bread pan. Make it as wide as you can without going to too much trouble. Roll up the dough carefully to avoid sealing in any air bubbles, then pinch the seam to seal it. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bread pan seam side down. [This is where the original recipe calls for you to brush the loaves with egg and sprinkle on some oats. I don't bother.] Cover with plastic and a towel to hold the plastic in place. Let rise till double. This should take less time than the first rise.

Bake the loaves in a preheated 375-degree oven till the loaves sound hollow when thumped. The original recipe calls for a 45 to 50 minute baking time, but I usually check them at 40 minutes. When done, remove the loaves from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes or so, then remove them from the pans and put them on a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Resist the temptation to slice into a loaf while still warm. Letting it cool completely keeps the moisture in and allows for development of a better crust.

When you are ready to slice a loaf, be sure to use a sharp bread knife and a sawing motion. This bread will be soft inside, and pressing down too hard can squish the bread. This bread is absolutely meant to be toasted. Because it is so moist, it might take longer to toast than other breads.

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For four loaves following the same process as outlined above. Keep in mind that when dealing with larger quantities and different conditions, the outcomes can be different, so more or less flour may be needed.

1 and 1/3 stick butter

1 and 1/3 cup brown sugar

4 and 2/3 cups oats

4 and 2/3 cups water

6 and 2/3 tsp yeast

9 and 1/3 cups flour 

2/3 tsp salt