Christmas Bread (Yes, Really)

Is there anything, really, better than the smell of fresh baked bread right out of the oven?  I started seriously baking bread about two years ago.  I have some sourdough starter that was given to me and I make a lot of sourdough bread for my family.  That got me interested in baking all kinds of breads.  I now bake all my own bread.  It is fun to try new ones.  This is not sourdough, but it is my nephew, Tyler's, favorite.  I call it Christmas Bread, only because I first made it at Christmas and it has spices that smell like Christmas.  But it's delicious any time and I make it all year long.  It is especially good toasted and spread with peanut butter.  (My favorite breakfast).

Here's the recipe:

Christmas Bread

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 T. honey

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 T. instant yeast

1 T. salt

4 T. butter

2 t. cinnamon

2 t. ground coriander

zest of 1 large orange

2 1/2 cups boiling water

 

Mix oatmeal, brown sugar, honey, yeast, salt, butter, spices and orange zest in a bowl.  Add boiling water and let it sit while the oatmeal softens and the butter melts.  After about 15 minutes, add the flours and mix to combine.  Knead by hand or with a dough hook on your mixer until it forms a soft, slightly sticky dough.  Shape it in a ball and put it in a greased bowl covered with a towel or plastic wrap.  Let it rise for an hour or until doubled.  Form into loaves.  I do freehand boules, but you can put this into a loaf pan as well.  This will make 2 large loaves or 4 small.  I prefer the small loaves.  Let them proof for another hour.  Sprinkle the top with AP flour and then slash the loaves.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes.  Voila!!

 

Let me know how you like it!