OATMEAL HONEY BREAD

OATMEAL HONEY BREAD image

Categories Bread

Yield 2 Loaves

Number Of Ingredients 10

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Ingredients

1 recipe prepared oatmeal honey dough (recipe follows)
unbleached bread flour
2 cups (500 ml) hot water
Oatmeal Honey Dough
4 cups (1.125 l) unbleached bread flour
2 cups (500 ml) large-flake (old-fashioned) rolled oats
2 tbsp. (30 ml) instant or bread-machine yeast
1 tbsp. (15 ml) fine table or kosher salt
1/3 cup (75 ml) wild flower, clover or other pale amber liquid honey
3 cups (750 ml) lukewarm water (100 F/38 C)

Steps:

Dump flour and oats into the mixing bowl. Combine well. Add the yeast and salt to the flour mixture. Stir honey into the water. Pour into the flour mixture and stir together until just moistened. Beat 40 strokes, scraping the bottom and the sides of the bowl, until the dough forms a lumpy, sticky mass. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature (72 F/22 C) in a draft-free place for 2 hours, or until the dough has risen nearly to the top of the bowl and has a spongelike appearance. Use that day or place the dough, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking. Place dough on a floured surface and dust very lightly with flour. Divide it in half . Flour your hands. Working the dough as little as possible and adding flour as necessary, form each portion into an 8-inch (20-centimetre) cylinder. Smooth the dough with your hands to form a soft, non-sticky skin. Pinch any seams together. Lightly flour any sticky places on the dough. The dough should feel soft and smooth all over, but not at all sticky. Place each cylinder in a prepared (greased) loaf pan (9-by 5-in./23-by 12.5-cm). Cover with tea towels and let rest at room temperature for 40 minutes. Prepare oven. About 30 minutes before baking, place the broiler pan on the lower shelf and a baking stone on the middle shelf of the oven. Preheat to 400 F (200 C). Place loaf pans on baking stone and add water to broiler pan. Close the oven door immediately so the steam will envelop the oven. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is a medium dark brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the centre of each loaf registers at least 190 F (90 C). Transfer to a wire rack to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool on rack.