oatmeal bread

 

This is my Swedish great-grandmother Julia’s oatmeal bread recipe. My mom has made it several times over the years, and I wanted to try my hand at it. I’ll be honest—I’m not very good with bread recipes yet—I need a lot more practice with them. The most difficult part for me is getting the dough to rise correctly. The loaves that I make always end up being very short. But I will say, this bread tastes delicious—it has a soft texture and a sweet flavor. Quote from my brother-in-law Josh last night, “Am I at home right now, or am I at Texas Roadhouse?” ;)

Ingredients:
1 cup oats (quick oats)
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
1 package yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
5 cups flour

Directions:
Mix the oats, salt, and shortening. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over it and cool to lukewarm. Add one package of yeast dissolved in a little warm water (105-110 degrees preferably).

Add sugar, molasses, and flour.

Knead hard and let rise in a large greased bowl. (You can put it in the turned-off-oven to rise. Cover the bowl with a towel and put a second bowl of very hot water in the oven with it. Change the water after 45 minutes.) Hopefully the dough will rise to twice its size after 1-2 hours.

Make into 3 loaves and let it rise again.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.