Review: Irish Oatmeal Bread

[Jonie]

I made this today & would rate it a 5 star bread!

I cut the recipe in half to make one loaf..
I did the dough all in my ZO bread machine..including the 1st step of soaking the oats etc..

I skipped the yeast proof part as I use SAF instant yeast. I did add about an extra Tbs of water as the dough was kneading..

After the dough cycle completed, I rolled it out on my Sil-pat & rolled it into a loaf shape.. 2nd rise in bread pan, about 30 -40 minutes. This was a great riser! & then ovenbaked @ 350 for only 30 minutes.. I think the 45 minutes called for would be a good 15 minutes too long! I skipped the egg wash... I really didn't think it needed it.

It has a very nice texture & the steel cut oats give it some chewiness but it is definitely not heavy.

I used Irish Oatmeal that I had bought from King Arthur Flour, but you can probably find McCann's or a similar brand in your grocery store or healthfood store...

My Dh & DD's loved this one! It will be a regular from now on !
Jonie

[kima]

Thanks for the great review Jonie! Your BM instructions are very helpful.:)

And WELCOME to the BB. Keep on posting- we all love reviews.:)

[Jonie]

You are welcome!

I never seem to think to post reviews on these boards.. In fact, our Supper Club was just discussing that very subject in December! Every month we post reviews of our dinners, etc.. but I usually don't think to post my "solo" tries!

I do ALL my bread in the ABM! ( dough-wise, then oven bake...)What a time saver!

I am glad it was helpful to you & hope you have success if you try it!

Jonie

[bluestocking]

Thanks for the review, I'll definitely put this in my "try" folder! Your observatins of how the recipe came together are really helpful- I'm adding them to the recipe too!

[Chocolate Rose]

I made this bread over the weekend (posted about it in the bread thread) and after reading your post realized that I didn't say anything about not needing to cook it the full 45 minutes. I can't remember exactly how long it cooked but it was somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes. I skipped the egg wash, too. We thought it was wonderful bread!

[Vicanddi]

Thanks for the positive reviews! This is going on my ever-growing must-try bread list.

I was wondering about the steel-cut oats, as I have never tried looking for them before. Does TJ's carry them?

[KimKelly]

Vicandi, yes, TJ's carries the oats and they also have the best price that I've found.

K

[Vicanddi]

Thanks Kim :)

[PineBarren Cook]

Can old-fashioned oats substitute for steel cut oats?

[sweetpea]

I checked the cook's thesaurus site and it says that rolled oats (same as old fashioned oats) can be subbed but are less chewy and cook quicker... i haven't made this yet so i am not sure if the steel cut oats are noticeable in the finished product since they are more coarse. (just noticed that Jonie says it was chewy and i am sure that is because of the steel cut oats which you probably wouldn't notice with old fashioned/rolled oats)

[Jonie]

You could use regular oats, but the final outcome will not be the same.
although you will still have a great loaf of healthy bread...

I have a King Arthur flour Co. oatmeal bread recipe that uses just regular oats & it is similar & good... but definitely not like this one..

[SusanMac]

I'm glad this was reviewed, as I was curious if this would be just another oat bread. It sounds worth trying.

Any reason why you guys baked this in the oven instead of the bread machine? Is that just a personal preference?

I've also wondered the difference between steel cut oats and rolled oats. So, the steel cut oats will be chewier in the bread, but what's the actual difference in the products? What do they do to rolled oats that they don't do to steel cut? Just curious!

[Jonie]

just my 2 cents... but I think the bread comes out much better ovenbaked... I love using the machine for the "dirty" work.. mixing , kneading, rising...
I started making homemade bread in 1992.. first by hand, then by KitchenAId mixer & now bread machine.. I could NEVER knead by hand as well as the machine does & although the Kitchen AId I've used in a pinch ( when one BM died & other was in transit) there was a big difference..W/the BM the dough ball is always perfect.. too much messing around w/the mixer plus always a big flour mess, too

I program my dough cycle for an hour or so.. just enough time to make the round trip taking my DD's to school so when I get back, it's all ready to shape etc..

The Steel cut oats don't look anything like "flaked" or rolled oats.. they look kind of like ... bird food? :D It's all in the milling process I guess.. the quick oats are finer & cook in a minute,the regular ones take longer.. if you plan on cooking steel cut oats f/breakfast, you either have to soak the night before or plan to cook about 45 minutes... They are tasty, though..

I keep them in the fridge or freezer since I don't use them as often as the others..

[Searcher]

I have an old set of Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery that I'd gotten from the grocery stores in the late 60s or early 70s. They have a wonderful Oatmeal Bread Recipe in it with variations. It calls for regular oats. I thought I'd post it here for those of you who either don't have steel cut oats or don't want to use them.
By the way, Alton Brown described the differences in oats and how they're made. If you're interested you can find a transcript of the show at www.goodeatsfanpage.com I can't remember what the show was called but look for a name that sounds "oaty".

Oatmeal Bread and variations
Makes two loaves


About 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons soft butter
½ cup molasses (Blackstrap makes a dark bread, regular makes a lighter colored bread. Honey can be substituted and is equally good))
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups boiling water
2 packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup lukewarm water

This basic recipe can be made up as it is, or any of five variations can be made by adding one of the following:

1. 1 cup seedless raisins

2. Herbs: ½ teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon aniseed, 2 teaspoons dried summer savory, ¼ teaspoon powdered thyme.

3. Herbs: 2 teaspoons leaf sage, crumbled; 1 teaspoon leaf marjoram, crumbled; ½ teaspoon caraway seed.

4. ¾ cup citron, dried fruits and peels.

5. ½ cup orange marmalade and only ¼ cup molasses.

Place rolled oats in a large bread bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Let stand until lukewarm, about ½ hour.

Proof yeast in the 1/3 cup lukewarm water. Sprinkle a little sugar, about ¼ teaspoon to help feel the yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add to the soaked oats, the salt, butter and any of the variation ingredients you like. Add the proofed yeast and stir. Add two cups of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Stir in two more cups of flour, then knead in enough of the remaining two cups of flour to make a workable dough. Knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.

Place dough in well greased bowl, turning once to coat the top, cover and let rise until nearly doubled in a warm place. When the dough has almost doubled, cut it down with a knife. Cut back and forth half a dozen times or so, until the dough subsides into almost it’s original size.

Divide the dough into two halves and shape to fit two well greased loaf pans, 9”x5”x3”. Cover and let rise to almost double again, about 45 minutes – 1 hour.

Put loaves into a preheated 325 degree F oven on a rack about 4 inches from the bottom. Bake for 50 minutes. (if you have forgotten to preheat your oven, place bread in the cold oven, turn temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for 60 minutes.

Turn the bread out of the pans immediately and insert instant read thermometer into the bottom of the loaves. If the temperature reads 190 degrees F, the bread is done. Tapping on the bottom will indicate a done loaf but not as positively as the temperature reading. Place done loaves on a wire rack, right side up and cool completely. Place cooled loaves in a plastic bag and seal.

Loaves may be placed in freezer and kept for a month. Makes 2 loaves.


Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cookery

[doggerham]

Steel-cut oats are very different from rolled. Steel cut are chopped groats, while rolled oats are steamed, rolled and flattened. There was a good article in CI which explained the process, but I cannot access it. However this link (http://eat.epicurious.com/dictionary/food/index.ssf?DEF_ID=2938&ISWINE=) from epicurious has a good explanation too.

I'll have to try this bread soon!

Amy

[lindaofthelakes]

Just getting ready to make the Irish Oatmeal Brand and was curious about the 1 TABLESPOON of salt. I don't mind salt (no Health Issues)but this sounded like a lot. For those who made this and gave good reviews did you use the full 1 tablespoon?
Thanks!!

[Jonie]

Yes, that s/b ok.... most of my bread recipes call f/ 1/2 T of salt anyway.. & this is for 2 loaves.. so that would be right..

I cut the recipe in 1/2, so i ended up using the 1/2 T of salt for one loaf & it was fine..

Salt inhibits the yeast from going haywire.. & this was a good riser

HTH
jonie

[sneezles]

I made 4 loaves of this wonderful bread (1 to keep, 3 to give away) to go with the Beef & Barley Soup I make. It was just like being in Ireland! I had been hoarding my steel cut oats waiting for the perfect recipe to come along and I do believe this is it! It was a perfect soup night last night!

[VictoriaL]

Originally posted by sneezles
It was a perfect soup night last night!

So, in Texas that's what... 45F??? 40F???? ;)
sorry, just being a little silly... the temp made it the whole way up to 19 today and the winter "antsys' are setting in...

My Mom reported that she made the bread with regular oats and thought the bread was wonderful but, darn it, I'm still gonna hold out for finding those steel-cut oats;)

[cniles]

When kneading the bread I had little oats all over the place... on my counter, on the floor. I tried to knead them back into the dough but I still had runways oats!!! Strange - Oh well, it's rising right now - can't wait to bake it!!

Charisse

[cniles]

Vicci - do you have a Giant in the Elizabeth area? They have the McCann tins in the cereal aisle. A bit expensive but sounds like it will be worth it.:p

Charisse

[VictoriaL]

Charisse,
We have a Giant Eagle! :) Not the same, because closer to Pittsburgh the "Giant" supermarkets are called "Martin's" (and a darn cool grocery store they are, too!)because of the proximity to Giant Eagle. Okay, Pennsylvania Grocery Stores 101 is over... ;)

I actually saw the McCann tins of steel-cut oats at Giant Eagle (not the Elizabeth one, that's a tiny store, but one closer to Pittsburgh), but I didn't buy it because I thought that $7.50 for 28 ounces was a bit much. I'm going to try another place this week.

Runaway oats! What a silly mental-image I got from that!!! I plan to use my Kitchen Aid to knead the dough so I probably won't get to experience it... :)

[sneezles]

Originally posted by VictoriaL


So, in Texas that's what... 45F??? 40F???? ;)
sorry, just being a little silly... the temp made it the whole way up to 19 today and the winter "antsys' are setting in...

Yeah, 40º with wind gusts of 20mph! Not what you're dealing with http://www.vfb-zh.ch/gaestebuch/images/smilies/shudder.gif but DH is a bit cold-natured http://www.vfb-zh.ch/gaestebuch/images/smilies/cold.gif(that and I won't allow the heat above 70º during the day and it's off at night)! :p

[VictoriaL]

I guarantee that if it were 40 here there would be guys dressed in shorts washing cars in their driveways! Guess it's all in the perception. ;)

[Jonie]

uhh.. Charisse...did you soak the oats in the boiling water?
:rolleyes:

I'm not sure why that happened... after the oats/brown sugar, etc mix sat in the boiling water .. the mix looked like.. oatmeal! :)
& then after all the rest of the stuff was added, it did form a nice dough ball...

how did it turn out?

[cniles]

Too funny! Yes I did soak the oats in the boiling water.. I microwaved the water and the water was rolling so I assumed it was boiling.. maybe it still wasn't hot enough! (I don't have a kettle) Mine didn't look like oatmeal - still pebbley.

But I just ate a piece of it - still yummy but grainy not oatmealy. I think I got a different result than the rest of you guys. I may have to try this one again.

Vicci - I paid close to $7 for my can - splurged! But felt better when I saw it in a specialty kitchen shop for close to $9.50!!! (I'm still stepping on my little grainy pebbles of oats!! Can't wait to explain this one to my DH!):p

Charisse

[Jonie]

ok! I nuked my water too... took out when it was "rolliinngg"!!... :D
You described it perfectly... grainy w/a "chew"...I wouldn't describe it as "oatmealy" either..

now.. it sounds like you need a swiffer! :p

nitey night!

[Varaile]

Bumping this thread up to add that I just made this recipe this weekend and it turned out fantastic! I don't know if I've ever made homemade bread...if I have it's been a loooonnnggg time!

I followed the directions as written, used my electric kettle to boil the water, and did the main rising in a preheated/turned off oven (I have a chilly house ~ tends to be around 66*-68*). I think I should have let the loave rise a bit longer for the second rising, but they still turned out.

I did the kneeding with my KA mixer (just 'cause I wanted to see what would happen/how it would work).

I buy my steel cut oats bulk from the co-op for something like .80 cents a pound. I usually get about 6 lbs at once because I eat it daily for breakfast.

Now I'm hooked on making bread and I just finished reading the entire bread thread! :eek: ;) :D Come payday I think I'm going to get the Bread Maker's Apprentice! :D

[Sami]

I made this, also only doing 1 bread. I made the dough in my Breadman and then put it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning I let it sit on the counter and then rolled it, and let it rise again. I did use an egg wash, but it doesn't need it.

I thought the texture was wonderful but the bread needed more salt. I probably would try another bread before I repeat this one.

Sami

[Terrytx]

This was a hit here. I halved the recipe and shouldn't have. The DH almost ate the whole loaf by himself. We had some with soup Fri. night. He had 2 pieces at breakfast the next morning, then made a sandwich at lunch, and we proceed to finish it off with breakfast Sun. morning. :D :D

[TerriAb]

I really liked this bread, too. I've only made a few attempts at making bread, and this was definitely the easiest one I've tried. I just finished off my first loaf (it took me a week) and have the 2nd one in the freezer to take out. Great bread to go with soup and sandwiches.

[Chris415]

I too made this over the weekend. I found it very easy and really good. It makes great toast, yummy! I don't have a stand mixer so I used good old fashioned elbow grease. (I never use a mixer to make bread anyways.) I had no problems. So don't shy away from this recipe because they said to use a stand mixer!
Chris

['lil cooker]

The flavor of this bread was very good, but it was a tad bit dry. I thought the dough was very stiff (as the recipe indicated it would be), and I really never went thru that "sticky" stage where I usually add a little bit of flour at a time. I added NO additional flour after mixing the first time. Next time, I will start with less flour, as I felt the dough was a bit "tough". I think this could be a really fine recipe - I'll just start with less flour next time.

[Vicanddi]

I really liked this bread! The recipe was fairly easy to put together, even though it requires several extra steps. My bread came out nice and crusty with good flavor. I did not use the last 1/2 cup of AP flour. It was very easy to work with the dough and it just rose so beautifully. I sure wish all bread was as fun to work with!

[lschroth]

I read through this whole thread, getting hungrier and hungrier as I read!, but couldn't find any mention of where this recipe can be found. Is it a Cooking Light recipe? Can anyone post the recipe?
Thanks.
Linda

[Vicanddi]

Here you go...


Irish Oatmeal Bread

If you have oatmeal at breakfast and make a sandwich with this bread for lunch, you can meet the recommended 1 1/2 cups oatmeal per day. This recipe yields a dense dough, so use a stand mixer for mixing. Make sure the oatmeal mixture is cool before combining with the yeast mixture.


2 1/4 cups boiling water
1 3/4 cups steel-cut oats
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
Dash of granulated sugar
2 packages dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups whole wheat flour
Cooking spray
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Combine the first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a stand-up mixer, and let stand 25 minutes.
Dissolve granulated sugar and yeast in warm water; let stand 5 minutes or until foamy. Add to oat mixture. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Gradually add 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 3 cups whole wheat flour to oat mixture. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of the remaining all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide in half. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll each portion into a 14 x 8-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Roll up each rectangle tightly, starting with a short edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Place each loaf, seam sides down, in a 9-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350º.

Uncover dough, and brush egg evenly over loaves. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until loaves are browned on bottom and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pan, and cool on wire racks.

Yield: 2 loaves, 14 servings per loaf (serving size: 1 slice)

CALORIES 154 (15% from fat); FAT 2.5g (satfat 1g, monofat 0.7g, polyfat 0.4g); PROTEIN 5.1g; CARBOHYDRATE 28.9g; FIBER 3g; CHOLESTEROL 11mg; IRON 1.8mg; SODIUM 267mg; CALCIUM 15mg;

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2004

[lschroth]

Thanks Vicanddi! I just made a loaf of Grape-Nuts bread today, but when that is finished I will make this!