Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

 So, first-thing's-first... thank you guys so much for visiting my blog! I hit 700 page views today! That is pretty dang cool! I see a lot of pinterest links and that is also pretty dang cool - makes a girl feel loved...Anywho, I was recently out of town and need to play catch up! So in the next few days you may be overloaded with carbs, because I am...overloaded with carbs. Oh, also I finally got my comments working. If you'd like to leave a comment on a post feel free (link on the bottom of the post), I'd love to hear from you!

This recipe is top notch! Don't be fooled by my sad, sad picture, I was running short on time and wasn't able to let it rise for the correct amount of time. It still turned out delicious!

The recipe below is by weight, if you don't have a cheapy little digital scale at home I suggest you go to the nearest hardware store and buy one for five bucks, OR, you can do as I did and walk out to the mountain of tools that your husband has accumulated and pick out your favorites.



 I "picked" this great little digital scale out of the tool pile, washed it up and it's been living in my kitchen ever since - SCORE!

INGREDIENTS:

 370 grams all purpose flour

48 grams old fashioned oats

14 grams sugar

1 pkt active dry yeast (not instant)

15 grams very soft butter (1 tbsp), unsalted

10 grams salt

1 1/3 cups warm water

Additional old fashioned oats for rolling

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl/cup add the warm water, a pinch of sugar and the active dry yeast. Set aside until yeast has become foamy.

In a large bowl, or bowl of a mixer, mix together the flour, oats, salt and sugar. Add the soft butter and slowly pour in the yeast and water mixture.

Mix with either your hands or using a mixer with a dough hook attachment until the dough is smooth. It will be sticky. By hand, will take eight minutes or so of kneading. If you're using a mixer, it will take approximately four minutes on high speed. (I personally like hand kneading)

Cover bowl with dishcloth and set in a warm place to rise for 1 - 1&1/2 hour(s), until the dough has doubled in size.

When the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down to release any air bubbles. Then cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes on the counter.

Form your dough into a small log and roll in oats. Place the loaf into a greased bread pan, cover with a cloth and let rise again for 45 minutes. While dough is rising, preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

When you are ready to bake, reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F and place the loaf in the oven. Do not open the oven! (it will release steam!) Cook for 45 minutes. When done the loaf should be a rich golden brown. If you're unsure if the bread is finished keep it in for five minutes longer.

Notes:

I wish I would have let mine rise the full amount of time, next time I will and believe me, there will be a next time!

Recipe: Exact recipe from Eat Live Run

Photo credit for scale here

Granola

I don't know about you but I'm cheap... yup, I said it CHEAP. I can't bring myself to buy good granola at the grocery store for 5 bucks a bag. The great thing about granola is that you can put whatever you want in it- go crazy! 

INGREDIENTS (for my favorite):

2 cups old fashioned oats

3/4 cup almonds, slivered

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup chopped cashews

1/4 tsp cinnamon, and some to sprinkle over top

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of all spice

1/8 cup canola oil

1/4 honey

1 tbsp brown sugar

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

sprinkle of salt (just less than 1/8 tsp)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients, except for the dried fruit, together. Pour out on a baking sheet covered in tin foil. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, stirring once or twice while it's cooking. After it's finished baking add your favorite dried fruit. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

This is awesome to eat plain, as cold cereal, to sprinkle in yogurt or even to top of hot oatmeal for some extra crunch. 

Notes: The original recipe that was given to me had yummy ingredients like wheat germ, flax and sunflower seeds (1/4 cup each) but sadly I didn't have any of these in my house. Maybe next time!

Recipe: Adapted from my Aunt Jacque (Hiiiii Aunt Jac -Q-U-E!!) 

Balanced Breakfast - Steel Cut Oats

This post most definitely isn't a recipe. It's just a delicious quick, healthy, belly-filling breakfast.

Update: 8/8/2012: I just tried a killer combo! With fresh summer fruits in abundance at local roadside stands... I picked up some peaches and raspberries and threw them into my oats this morning  with a little bit of cinnamon and almonds...it blew my mind! Give it a try.

INGREDIENTS/DIRECTIONS
(make ahead of time for a quick breakfast)
1 cup Bob's Red Mill - Steel cut oats (this makes 4 servings)
3 cups water
1/4 tsp salt

Bring 3 cups of water and 1/4 tsp salt to a boil and add 1 cup of oats.  Reduce heat to low simmer. Cover and cook for 10 (al dente) to 20 minutes (creamy) Stir every few minutes. Remove from heat and let stand two minutes.

Add in your favorite fruits and nuts. My favorites are fresh strawberries, raspberries, peaches and blueberries. Then I add some walnuts or almonds for crunch.

I eat mine like a warm cereal by adding about 1/2 cup of milk. DELISH!
I also sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon in mine. No need for sugar because the fruit adds the sweetness.

NOTES:
I like to make this ahead of time and split into fourths and store, refrigerated, in small containers so I can take it to work for an easy, healthy breakfast. I reheat it for 1 minute and enjoy!