From a Bowl and Into a Loaf

Did you grow up eating oatmeal for breakfast, Gentle Reader? I didn't. Mum always had a paperboard cannister of Quaker Oats in the cabinet, but those she used for cookies primarily. If I ate oatmeal as I baby, it's in the same class as scrambled eggs: those foods I ate as a baby but haven't touched since then.

However, like the Quaker Oats Mum used in baking, I've used rolled oats and quick oats in a variety of baked goods and an a hard-core oatmeal raisin cookie freak. I'm always on the lookout for new, tasty combinations of oatmeal and raisins, so imagine my delight when the husband and I found such a recipe in Donna Rathmell German's The Bread Machine Cookbook II.

Whole Wheat Raisin Oatmeal Bread1 C water
1 1/2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 T honey
1/2 t salt
3/4 C oats
3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 C bread flour
1 1/2 t yeast
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C chopped nuts (optional)

1. Add ingredients, except for the raisins and nuts (if using), in the order suggested by the bread machine's manufacturer.
   
2. Select the Wheat, Raisin, Sweet or Basic option, then start the cycle.
   
3. At the beep or at the beginning of the second kneading period or when the machine's manufacturer suggests, add the raisins and nuts (if using).

Yield: One 1-pound loaf

Nutritional Info
The fat content for this loaf is probably fairly low if you omit the optional nuts. The carb count will probably be a bit higher since the raisins are probably going to add some form of sugar in addition to the honey. But all in all, this isn't the worst loaf of bread you could make.

The Faudie's Futzings
Do I have to tell you, Gentle Reader, that I didn't futz much with the recipe? If you've assumed that, then you've proved true that old saying about making assumptions. Here's what I did:

• I used canola oil since I don't have straight up veggie oil. Does that count as a futz?
  
• I added three-fourths of a tablespoon of vital gluten since I used whole wheat flour. I know from experience that if a recipe calls for whole wheat flour, I have to add vital gluten.
  
• The recipe doesn't specify rolled oats or quick oats or steel-cut oats or whatnot, so I just used rolled oats. I couldn't imagine that quick oats would work too well, but what do I know?
  
• I didn't include the chopped nuts. I didn't have any readily on hand, and even if I did, I'm not a fan of added nuts.

This recipe is far more flavorful than the raisin bread recipe we made as our very first experiment with bread-making. I'd thought about throwing some cinnamon in with the rest of the ingredients, but did I remember to do that when I put the ingredients in the bucket? Hell no. Oy, me and my lame brain!

My only concern about this loaf is that it came out a little dark even though I'd set the Welbilt on the Light crust setting. I'm not sure if the added sugar from the raisins caused that darkening or just what happened. I even ended the baking cycle 10 minutes early because the top was looking a bit darker than what I like. Hmm.

That said, the darker crust wasn't overly bitter, at least to my taste buds. Warm and naked, the bread is damn tasty. Even with the wheat flour and the rolled oats and the honey and the raisins, the texture is pretty light, not dense as one might expect by combining those ingredients. The boy had a slice for breakfast the follow morning and declared it enough to fill him up.

If you too fail to add some cinnamon before baking (a teaspoon, maybe a teaspoon and a half should do, I think) the loaf, a great way to get that flavor and get the experience of fresh-from-the-oven warmth, toast a slice of this bread, schmear it with a little bit of butter, then sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon. Yeah, I know, Gentle Reader, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that serving option, but it's an option I highly endorse. I served the bread thusly this morning to the boys, and they both loved it.

And no sticky oatmeal bowls to wash afterwards!