Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread

My kids think they are awesome because I take photos of them almost every day.  Gosselin kiddos, you've got nothin' on mine. ;-)

If Emma sees me snapping photos of Shiloh eating bread, guess what?  "Mommy!  Take a picture to me!"  That's exactly how she says it too.  Blogging has forced me into being diligent about documenting their lives, and motivated me to learn more and more about photography.  And I'm grateful.  Blogging has become my online scrapbook...little snippets of our life...but by no means encompasses the whole thing.  Blogs are weird like that.  

If you think we sit around all day and snap photos, craft, sew, bake, and work on projects, than I will let you down by saying: we are not that glamorous.  Yes!  We like to do all of those things, but it's not all in equal harmony like that every day.  {If you've got that figured out, send me an email.}  

Just remember, you get snippets!

Sometimes I'll be in the kitchen snapping photos of a peanut butter and honey sandwich and think, "I am SO weird." 

But I enjoy it.  So if I'm weird, I'm weird. 

This bread is worthy of getting photographed.  I really appreciate the fact it can all be done in my Kitchen Aid mixer.  And I really appreciate that no matter how bad I am at staying on top of things in the kitchen, it always turns out moist for me.  Have you ever put a ton of work into trying a new bread recipe and then it turns out dry?  Makes you want to go eat a half gallon of Breyer's strawberry ice cream, doesn't it?

But this recipe won't allow you to reach for ice cream.  Your house will smell so good you'll feel like you're right up there with Martha Stewart.  Then it'll turn out moist...and stay that way...and you'll think of trying out for the next Julia and Juliet sequel.  And...it's healthy!

Basically, you'll feel pretty special when you make this...top it with peanut butter and honey...and say, "Here honey.  I made this!"

Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread

:: yields 2 loaves

:: Ingredients::

2 cups boiling water

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons salt

1 (.24 oz) package of active dry yeast

½ cup warm water (110 degrees F)

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

3 ½ to 4 cups bread flour

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons honey

handful of rolled oats

1. In large mixing bowl (stand mixer bowl if you have one), combine boiling water to oats, honey, butter and salt. Let stand 1 hour.
2. In small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the oats mixture. Combine wheat flour and bread flour in separate bowl. Add 2 cups of flour mixture to oats mixture and combine well. Continue adding flour mixture to mixing bowl by ½ cup increments until dough pulls together. This will happen when between 5 ½ & 6 cups of flour has been added. You may not need the last ½ cup of flour.
4. When the dough has pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Or add your bread hook to your mixer and knead for a few minutes.
5. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hr. (I preheat the oven for about 5 minutes then turn it off, make sure it’s warm but not hot and put the bowl in there to rise, this seemed to work best because for this recipe is there is much more flour than yeast).
6. Deflate the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place in 9 x 5 greased loaf pans and cover with damp cloth & let rise again until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. (I return the pans to the oven for this step too.)
7. Preheat oven to 375. While oven is preheating mix milk and honey together in mug and microwave for about 20 seconds. Brush warm milk mixture over loaves and generously sprinkle with rolled oats.
8. Bake loaves at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool before removing from pans.

Does anyone else have children that dance and sing with their food?
I swear my children love food enough to marry it.