Farmhouse Oatmeal Bread
Celebrating British Bread Week with
Farmhouse Oatmeal Bread
for Toast, Soup & Sandwiches
Farmhouse Oatmeal Bread
National Bread Week
16th – 22nd April 2012 is National Bread Week in the UK
As you may remember from my last post about National Bread Week, Baps, Bloomers and Barm Cakes – Celebrating British Bread Week with Rustic Flower Pot Bread Loaves, I promised two more family bread recipes……and today is the turn of one of my all time favourite loaves, Farmhouse Oatmeal Bread. I am also posting a lovely Scottish Baps recipe later on in the week too……so, a trio of bread delights to celebrate Our Daily Bread. I wrote an extensive article about the history of bread on the British Isles in my last post, if you would like to read about the historical aspect of this essential foodstuff………I know that we are a household that cannot be without bread, such is its importance for our daily meal plans and as part of a healthy diet too. And indeed the lunch-box and soup bowl would be bereft without it.
Farmhouse Oatmeal Bread
But back to my lovely “Oat Cuisine” bread – sorry, I have a soft spot for puns and wordplay! This is a wonderful country style loaf made from oatmeal flour and white flour with crunchy jumbo oats on top. The bread is excellent for sandwiches and makes the most delectable toast, a treat if eaten whilst dripping with melted fresh butter; it is also a wonderful “bready” accompaniment to soups and stews. The texture is light as well as being hearty and rustic. This bread is a great choice to serve with a ploughman’s lunch, cut the slices very thickly for the ideal “vehicle” for lifting the cheese and pickle to your mouth!
Farmhouse Oatmeal Bread
I will leave you with the recipe for now, as I am about to set off on a long drive through France and Belgium on my way back to Yorkshire today…….but don’t go away, I have scheduled another wonderful post for tomorrow, in celebration of a very special cheese……a King of cheeses actually, now there’s a clue! See you soon, and have a wonderful week, Karen.
Farmhouse Oatmeal Bread
Print recipe
| Serves | Makes one 900g/2 lb loaf |
| Prep time | 1 hour, 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hour, 40 minutes |
| Allergy | Milk, Wheat |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Appetizer, Bread, Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack, Soup, Starter |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 350g white oatmeal bread flour (Allinson oatmill)
- 300g strong white bread flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 25g butter
- 1 X 7g fast action dried yeast, or ½ ounce fresh yeast mixed with tepid water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 450ml tepid water
- Milk
- Jumbo oats
Directions
| Step 1 | Put both of the flours into a large bowl. Add the salt and rub the butter into the flour to combine. Add the sugar and the dried yeast. Pour the tepid water (and fresh yeast mixed with the water if using) into the bowl and mix with your hands until all the ingredients are combined and you have a rough dough ball. |
| Step 2 | Tip the dough on to a floured board or work surface and knead with the heel of your hand, turning all the time, until the dough is smooth and elastic and not sticky – about 10 minutes. |
| Step 3 | Grease a 900g (2 lb) bread tin and shape the kneaded dough into an oblong – ease the dough into the greased bread tin; brush the dough with milk and sprinkle the jumbo oats on top of the dough. Cover with an oiled plastic bag and place in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour. |
| Step 4 | Pre-heat the oven to 220C/400F or Gas 7. Remove the loaf from the plastic bag, and place into the hot oven on the middle shelf, immediately turning the heat down to 200C or gas 6. Bake the bread for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. (To test to see if the loaf is ready, upturn and tap the base - it should sound hollow.) |
| Step 5 | Remove the loaf from the tin and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. |
Farmhouse Oat Bread
Kentish Keg-Meg says
Am collecting bread recipes and this will go with them. Cannot do without bread in the house like you. Have a safe journey Karen.
Karen says
BRILLIANT! I have one more to go for this week and then more to follow….
Javelin Warrior says
You had me at oat bread, Karen 😉 This looks delicious and I’ve been wanted to work on a oat bread recipe for a while. Oats really do provide such a wonderful texture and flavor to bread. I’ve never heard or seen oat bread flour before, so I’m going to have to see if I can find it…
Karen says
I LOVE oats in all cooking….glad you like this oat bread!
Dominic says
another stunning loaf Karen, really perfect and great for mackerel and tomato sarnies!… totally have done nothing for bread week… but then i am in London all week…. I have only recently started baking with oats and it is rather wonderful x
Karen says
Just enjoy London and make bread this weekend….:-)
kellie@foodtoglow says
Great recipe! I love oatmeal bread but I have always ground down fine oats (Lidl’s own is good for me) to make my flour. Is there a difference I am missing, I wonder? I use oats to add fibre and flavour to a lot of baked goods, including cakes, bars, muffins etc.. I always find freshly baked bread, still a bit warm, is best all on it’s own, eaten over the bread board when no one is looking. Those calories don’t count. It’s official.
Karen says
I am also a big oat lover, for health as well as taste too! I am not sure if you are missing anything, I am sure that your home-made oat flour is just as good as a commercial one!
Janice says
ooh national bread week eh? Must try and do something for that. Lovely looking loaf missus, perfect for the purpose.
Karen says
Thanks Janice, I am back in Yorkshire and have unpacked already!
karin@yumandmore says
loving your Oat Cuisine!!
Karen says
Thanks so much Karin! 🙂
Fiona Matters says
This looks absolutely wonderful and you’ve given me a great idea for how to do bread. I’m due to make some tonight so might well do it this way! Shared on twitter.
Maya Russell says
Your bread looks soft and would be lovely just with butter. Mmmmm…
Kenneth R. Parkes says
Where do you get your Allinson Oatmill? There own website says it is not available in any of the supermarkets in the UK. The only places I’ve found on-line are in Hong Kong and Singapore! Help!
Ken
Karen Burns-Booth says
That post is a few years old now, and I forget there I got the flour from, sorry, but it will have been the local farm shop or the supermarket Kenneth – why not email the company and ask them? Karen
Kenneth R. Parkes says
Thank you Karen. Allinson expects one to declare a complete life history before accepting an email enquiry – I was hoping to avoid that :))
Ken
Kenneth R. Parkes says
Sorry, that should be “Their own”
Karen Burns-Booth says
🙂
Trevor Davies says
Well, I am a confused old man! You mention that you put in 300 gms of strong bread flour. I am gluten free at the moment. Is it not possible to use oat flour only? I would expect a thicker texture though. Strange, i live in SW france and drive back to N. Yorks to where my son lives!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hello Trevor! Sorry to have confused you, I mixed the strong flour with the oat flour for a better texture; if you are GF than by all means substitute the strong flour with a GF alternative, as you know, the texture will be different, but it will still taste good. Karen
Kelly Champion says
I spent 6 wonderful years (a long time ago) growing up in England. However, I have no clue what “strong white flour” is. Please help with an American translation/approximation. Not sure if I can buy oat flour here. I probably can but if not is it possible to process rolled outs in my food processor to a “flour”?
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hello Kelly – strong flour is a high gluten flour that is sometimes called bread flour.