Mountain Bread

I cannot sing the praises of this bread enough.  It is my go-to recipe and I make it weekly.   It is substantial, yet light, and it holds together well when sliced. It has a wonderful nuttiness in flavor that does not overpower the wheat. It's just about perfect, I think.  

I start this bread early in the morning by making a pot of oatmeal for the family, adding a little extra oats and water for the bread.  While cleaning up the breakfast dishes, I begin the sponge for the bread. Later, I add the flour and make the dough.  After lunch, I shape the loaves.

Usually I make the bread in my beloved KitchenAid mixer, but today I decided to go fully traditional and make it by hand.  So no matter what equipment you, dear Reader, have in your kitchen, you can make Mountain Bread, too.

Ok, then let's get started.

First, gather and prep the ingredients:

You will need:

1 cup old-fashioned or instant oats

2 c. boiling water

1 and 1/2 tbsp. yeast

3/4 c. water

2 tbsp. oil

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp. salt

Dissolve the yeast in 3/4 c. tepid water.

Add the oats to 2 c. boiling water. (As mentioned, I make a double batch....enough to serve half of this as breakfast).   Let cook 5 minutes, then cover and let stand 10-15 minutes.

Make a sponge in a medium bowl or the bowl of your mixer:

Add 1 cup flour to the yeast mixture.  Mix well.  Add the cooled oats and mix well. Place a thin towel over the bowl.

Let this "sponge" for an hour or so while you go off and do something else, like have coffee by the wood stove and catch up on your news feed.  Or read aloud with your children.  Or clean your kitchen.  Leave the sponge alone and just let the yeast grow and develop and mature.  This step will add wonderful flavor to your bread.

Doesn't this look fun and easy?  No stress, no fuss. You should be relaxed and domestic when making Mountain Bread. Just take it by steps. Now when you are ready...

Mix and knead the dough:

This step takes about 30 minutes. Add to the sponge and mix well:

1/2 c. honey

2 tbsp. oil

1 tsp. salt

(Put the oil in the measuring cup before the honey and the honey will slide right out... easy peasy)

Begin stirring in the remaining flour  (4-5 cups) until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  Don't add any more flour than you have to.  The less flour, the moister will be the bread.

If using a mixer, using the dough hook, continue to knead the dough. 

If you are kneading by hand you will need to dump the dough onto a floured board at this point and knead until smooth and elastic:

4-5 c. bread flour (2-3 c. whole wheat flour may be substituted)

Go here to learn How to knead bread dough.  It's a short video and worth the time to watch the movements of kneading.

After a few minutes of kneading, notice that the strands of gluten are starting to form.  You are almost there! Keep adding flour and kneading until it is very smooth and elastic...like a baby's bottom!  Now just knead and daydream.  So relaxing. And something of a workout, too.  Maybe listen to your favorite music or a podcast.

After about 10 minutes of kneading and the dough is smooth and elastic, form it into a neat ball. Beautiful!

Now oil a large bowl and place the sweet ball of dough in it with the smooth side facing upwards.  Cover with cellophane or a moist towel. Let this rise until it is doubled.You can let it rise several times.  Actually the more it rises the more flavor the dough will develop.  Just punch it down if you are not ready to form the loaves yet and let it rise again.  You can do this all day if you wish.  See...it suits the wonderful slow pace of the Mountain lifestyle.

When you are ready to bake, go ahead and grease two breadpans.  Divide the dough into two lumps.  You can form the dough into simple loaves and place in the bread pans....like so....

...OR you can get fancy and make a beautiful braided loaf.  Divide one of the lumps into three pieces.  Then squeeze and roll the pieces into ropes about 14 in. long.  Place the ends together and then braid them.  Tuck the ends of the braid under and place in the pans.

 

Not really all that hard, but makes an impressive loaf.

Brush the loaves with melted butter. Sprinkle with some chopped rolled oats, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees while the dough rises. 

This is a fast rising dough, so you might want to set a timer for 45 minutes.  You don't want it to rise too much ...just until the dough has doubled in the bread pan (I kind of did this, but it's ok). The top of the risen loaf should be just above the sides of the pan.

Now bake these beauties at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Again, set the timer.

Loaves are done when the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.  You can thump them and if they sound hollow they are probably done, but I prefer to use a thermometer to take their temperature before I take them out of the pans just to make sure they are done. I do not want a loaf with a gooey interior.  No ma'am.  No sir.

Brush them again with melted butter.  Stand back and admire.  I usually have to take a picture.  Every time.

Let them cool just a bit before slicing if you can.  But most likely you will succumb and immediately slice and eat.

Enjoy these with your family.  They go wonderfully with just about anything, but I think they are particularly nice with a simple soup.  This bread also makes very good sandwiches and toast.  

And you see why I love it so much.  I hope you will, too.


Thanks for stopping by!  

Mountain Bread 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old-fashioned or instant oats
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp. yeast
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5-6 cups all-purpose or bread flour (2-3 c. whole wheat flour may be substituted)

Instructions:

• Proof 1 and 1/2 tbsp. yeast in 3/4 c. water.
• Add the oats  to 2 c. boiling water. (As mentioned, I make a double batch....enough to serve half of this as breakfast).   Let cook 5 minutes, then cover and let stand 10-15 minutes.
• Add 1 cup flour to the yeast mixture to make a sponge in a large bowl or the bowl of the mixer: Mix well.  Add the cooled oats and mix well. Let sponge for 1-2 hours.
• Add honey, oil, salt to the sponge and mix well. 
• Begin stirring in the remaining (4-5 cups) flour until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. 
• If using a mixer, using the dough hook, continue to knead the dough. If you are kneading by hand you will need to dump the dough onto a floured board at this point and knead until smooth and elastic.
• When the dough is smooth and elastic, form it into a neat ball and then place in an oiled bowl to rise. Let it rise until it is double.  

• Grease two bread pans.
• Form two loaves and brush the loaves with melted butter.  Sprinkle with some chopped rolled oats, if desired.  Let rise till doubled.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees while the dough rises about 45 minutes.
• for about 25 minutes.
• Loaves are done when internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.  
• Brush them again with melted butter.  

To make three loaves, use the following measurements:

• 4 cups water
• 2 cups oats
• 2 tbsp. yeast
• 1 and 1/3 c. water
• 1 cup honey
• 4 tbsp. oil
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
• 10-14 c. flour