Oatmeal Recipe - Brown Sugar Oatmeal Raisin Bread -

So my kitchen is an absolute disaster pit right now. But! I have found lots of new, yummy oatmeal bread recipes to share! I seem to find the same ones over & over again and have found lots of great new blogs because of all the searching. :)

The first one I wanted to share was brown sugar oatmeal raisin bread. This bread was a bit time consuming, but so worth it! I made three smaller loaves instead of two larger ones & froze two. They seem to have done well with the freezing too! I used only what I had on hand, so I substituted craisins for raisins & regular flour for wheat flour (we don't have a grinder yet, they are expensive!). The bread itself is rolled a bit at the end with a mixture similar to the cinnamon rolls I make, so it makes for a yummy strip of sugary goodness through out it. It is so yummy & I've definitely added it to my food storage recipe box. I'm really excited to try out more of this guy's recipes, yum-o!

And a tip for using your food storage more. I always keep a pre-mixed up container of my powdered milk in the fridge & substitute it whenever a recipe calls for milk. I notice I'm using about a gallon or so a month, and just finished up my first can of powdered milk since the move. :) Just check the can for instructions, but the brand I have calls for a quart of water to be mixed with 2/3 c. of powdered milk. Powdered milk also doesn't have to be scalded as called for in many recipes.

You can make buttermilk for your bread (like I did in this recipe) by adding 1 tbsp. of vinegar to 1 c. of your pre-mixed powdered milk.

Food Storage ingredients used in this recipe: oatmeal, whole wheat flour, oil, yeast, powdered milk.

Here's his recipe adjusted for using your food storage(since a lot of things I link to get moved around I've noticed). I would definitely recommend checking out his site for pictures to show you what to do exactly.

Dough:
2 1/4 c. buttermilk (or 2 1/4 c. pre-mixed powdered milk with 2 1/4 tbsp. vinegar pre-mixed together)
2 tbsp. butter
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast (this is the equivalent to one yeast packet)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/4 c. rolled oats
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. bread flour
1 c. raisins

Filling:
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. butter (melted)

Warm up your pre-made buttermilk to 105 - 110 degrees (that's the temperature to help grow your yeast). Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl. Now add in the brown sugar, salt and butter. Mix till well blended and allow to cool down. Add the beaten egg & mix well.

Now add in these dry ingredients: the rolled oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon and yeast. Mix for a few minutes until well mixed and allow to rest uncovered for 10 minutes.

Start to add in the bread flour. When it becomes to hard to mix in your bowl, pour it out onto a flat surface and continue to add the flour slowly. Knead for 8 minutes so the dough can become smooth and elastic.

Allow the dough to rest again for 5 minutes. This will help the dough to relax. Add in the raisins and knead again until all the raisins are incorporated into the dough.

Add a little oil to the bowl and place the dough into the bowl. Flip the dough over a few times to lightly coat on all sides & cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest until dough has doubled in bulk, about an hour.

Cut the dough in half and take one piece of dough at a time and roll it out to a 16 x 7 rectangle. In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon to make the filling. Brush half of the melted butter onto the dough. And sprinkle half the sugar cinnamon mixture on top of the butter.

Roll the dough like a jelly roll and pinch the seam closed. Place onto your baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to allow to double in bulk again, about one more hour. After that take a wooden spoon and press down the middle of the dough, all the way to the bottom.

Preheat your oven to 375 & allow the dough to rest and rise some more for about 15 more minutes. Place a pan on the bottom shelf with water in it to create steam & place the bread loaves on the top of the oven. Bake 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown.