oaty bread, oaty bread, what are they feeding you?
(yeast!)
oaty bread, oaty bread, it's not your fault.
i need a sandwich. really.
i need toast with butter. i need toast with green... avocado, clearly.
i truly in my life have never experienced such spastic eating habits. i miss eating meals.
real, sit down, shut up, meal time.
FOOD!
SAVORY FOOD.
you see, this new restaurant is opening.
the new restaurant. the one that i'll also be responsible to bake and pastry for.
that new restaurant is opening now, like yesterday.
so to say that things have kicked into overdrive would be.. completely accurate.
i fake faint onto my work station at least thrice a day. and i drink a. Lot of supposed energy boosting beverages.
not red bull though, no. it tastes like a hangover.
one morning off, i took the time to mix yeast with water and flour and oats, and to use my buttermilk stash for something other than cake.
it proved to be highly worth it. if anything but for the smell alone.
the dough, stubbly from the oats, is a bit on the sticky side. this is good.
excuse me while i bury my face in fat toast.
Oat Buttermilk Bread
adapted from Bread by Jeffrey Hamelman
1 lb 10 oz bread flour
6 oz whole wheat flour (i used half whole wheat half spelt)
5.3 oz rolled oats
2 cups warm water
1 cup buttermilk
2.4 oz (3 tbsp) honey
2.4 oz (5 1/2 tbsp) canola or sunflower oil
0.7 oz (3 1/2 tsp) salt
0.18 oz (1 1/2 tsp) instant dry yeast
in your mixer's bowl, combine the oats with the 2 cups of water and let soak for 30 minutes.
add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix together with the paddle attachment until they come together as a sticky mass. switch to the dough hook and knead for about 10 minutes. the dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom. if it is still too sticky to handle, add a few tablespoons of extra flour. continue to knead for a minute or two with floured hands, then shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. let sit at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
after the dough has doubled, divide it in half and shape into two loaves.
to shape: on a lightly floured surface gently press dough into a wide rectangle. fold both sides into the center, then working from the top roll up and gently pinch seam together. repeat with the other dough. place seam side down into greased loaf pans cover loosely with plastic wrap or light dish towels and allow to rise in a warm dry place about 1 1/2-2 hours, they should be domed about an inch or two out of the pans.
preheat oven to 400 degreesF. brush the top of the loaves with water or egg wash, sprinkle with oats, place inside the oven and drop the oven temperature to 350 degreesF. bake for about 20 minutes and then rotate in the oven. bake for another 25-30 minutes until tops are browned and loaves sound hollow when knocked on the bottom.
allow loaves to cool completely on a wire rack.
