Oat Bread

Sometimes when I bake or make something from another recipe, it doesn’t quite look like what the original picture shows. Most of the time the taste doesn’t suffer one bit. This delicious no-knead oat bread is one of those cases. I got the recipe from the King Arthur website and its amazing no-knead bread section. I have now made a couple of their recipes, and they are pretty spot on and delicious (I’m partial to the ones that are posted in their blog, with more pics and instructions).

This oat bread that I made, turned out to be a bit flatter than I thought it would be, but it still tasted great. I opted not to put extra oats on the top of the bread, which might have added some extra crunch, but it still was complete successful.

The dough recipe is below, and you’ll find that the dough will be very sticky. I might have added a bit more flour and I also did not have any whole wheat flour, so I went with all regular flour. I’m not an expert baker, so I’m not sure if that changed the dough consistency. I’m including the recipe as is, with the whole wheat flour included.

Ingredients
Makes on large loaf
Recipe from King Arthur Flour

4 cups (17 ounces) all purpose flour
1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 (5 ounces) rolled oats (not instant)
1/3 (2.5 ounces) cup brown sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) soft butter
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
2 1/4 (18 ounces) cups cool water

Add all dry ingredients and then add liquids to a large bowl or mixer. Stir, then use your hands or kneading hook of a stand mixer to mix up a sticky dough. Continue to work the dough enough to incorporate all the flour, or beat for several minutes in a stand mixer.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature at least 8 hours, but best overnight.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. To make a single loaf, choose a 14″ to 15″ long lidded stoneware baker; a 9″ x 12″ oval deep casserole dish with cover; or a 9″ to 10″ round lidded baking crock (I used a 5 quart dutch oven).

Shape dough to fit. Grease inside of pan with a little oil. Place dough into pan and cover. Let rise at room temperature for an hour. It should begin to get puffy (mine didn’t get too puffy, so don’t worry).

Garnish by sprinkling a handful of oats on top, if desired. If baking a round loaf, slash a hash mark pattern (#) on top.

Place the pan into a cold oven. Set the oven temperature to 450°F. Bake the bread for 45 to 50 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake for another 5 to 15 minutes, until the bread is deep brown, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers about 205°F (mine was completely cooked after 50 minutes, plus an added 5).

Turn onto a cooling rack. Let cool before slicing. Enjoy!!