Tom and I have quickly become addicted to cheesy bread (I've baked a few other cheesy bread loaves that haven't made it to the blog -- but in our defense, they were all shared with friends!), and I knew I really needed to start baking some healthier bread options. I found a tasty looking recipe in Nancy Baggett's Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads, for "Everyday Oatmeal Honey-Raisin Bread." Chock full of rolled oats and raisins and sweetened with honey, this bread seemed like it would be hearty and relatively nutritious. Baggett also offers a whole wheat variation of the recipe that is approximately two-thirds white flour and one-third whole wheat flour. Even healthier!
I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, which is whole grain, but lighter, finer, and milder than ordinary whole wheat flour. The final ingredient list included white flour, wheat flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, salt, yeast, honey, vegetable oil, ice water, and raisins. Everything except the raisins is stirred together in a bowl to make the dough. After the first rise, you stir in the raisins, and put the dough in a well-greased 9- by 5-inch loaf pan for the second rise. Right before you put the loaf in the oven, you sprinkle it with a mixture of cinnamon and granulated sugar.
The top of the loaf ended up quite dark and slightly burnt at the corners, but it was nicely rounded and otherwise fairly attractive. Baggett advises that the loaf must be completely cool before slicing, which took a few hours. Cutting the loaf was a very messy proposition -- there was cinnamon and sugar falling off from the top of the loaf and scattering everywhere. The cut slices had the tan color of whole grain, with lots of raisins. The oats were undetectable. The texture was dense, but not unpleasantly so. And the taste? Lightly sweet, hearty, flavorful, delicious! I think this would be great toasted with a little butter. Baggett also suggests that the bread makes an unusual peanut butter sandwich. Hopefully this loaf will keep us occupied and off the cheesy bread for a while!
Recipe: "Everyday Oatmeal Honey-Raisin Bread (Oat-Whole Wheat Honey-Raisin Bread variation)" from Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads by Nancy Baggett.
I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, which is whole grain, but lighter, finer, and milder than ordinary whole wheat flour. The final ingredient list included white flour, wheat flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, salt, yeast, honey, vegetable oil, ice water, and raisins. Everything except the raisins is stirred together in a bowl to make the dough. After the first rise, you stir in the raisins, and put the dough in a well-greased 9- by 5-inch loaf pan for the second rise. Right before you put the loaf in the oven, you sprinkle it with a mixture of cinnamon and granulated sugar.
The top of the loaf ended up quite dark and slightly burnt at the corners, but it was nicely rounded and otherwise fairly attractive. Baggett advises that the loaf must be completely cool before slicing, which took a few hours. Cutting the loaf was a very messy proposition -- there was cinnamon and sugar falling off from the top of the loaf and scattering everywhere. The cut slices had the tan color of whole grain, with lots of raisins. The oats were undetectable. The texture was dense, but not unpleasantly so. And the taste? Lightly sweet, hearty, flavorful, delicious! I think this would be great toasted with a little butter. Baggett also suggests that the bread makes an unusual peanut butter sandwich. Hopefully this loaf will keep us occupied and off the cheesy bread for a while!
Recipe: "Everyday Oatmeal Honey-Raisin Bread (Oat-Whole Wheat Honey-Raisin Bread variation)" from Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads by Nancy Baggett.
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