So you're a single guy... or a super busy mom with toddlers and infants... or a 2 income family who really struggles to get healthy food on the table before you cave and bring home a pizza after work. Most of these types of people think that bread is waaaaay out of their league. Takes too long, too messy, too finicky. NO MORE!
This recipe is straight from one of my favorite food bloggers - Heidi Swanson over at 101cookbooks.com. Se makes incredible stuff, and this recipe is no exception. This is a batter-type yeast bread. That means is a "real" bread (not baking soda like biscuits) but there is no kneading. Also, most of the ingredients are pretty "normal". Buy some yeast and flour, and the rest of the ingredients you probably already have. It takes about 10 minutes to prep, 30 min to rise, 40 min to bake. Hot and fresh bread on your table in less than 1.5 hours, and you didn't have to learn anything new, or mess up the kitchen! Most of the time is waiting (to rise, to bake...) so you can finish prepping dinner, clean the kitchen, and have good homemade food for your family. Ready?
Here is Heidi's recipe, copied straight from her site. There is a link over there to subscribe to all her wonderful goodness!
Easy Little Bread Recipe
1 1/4 cups / 300 ml warm water (105-115F)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
1 tablespoon runny honey
1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 g unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup / 5 oz / 140 g whole wheat flour
1 cup / 3.5 oz / 100 g rolled oats (not instant oats)
1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted, for brushing
Below are the amounts for a 1.5x batch - perfect for my Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pan!
- 1 7/8C hot tap water
- 3 teaspoons yeast
- 1.5 T honey
- 1.5C white flour
- 1.5C wheat flour
- 1.5C rolled oats
- 2.75 teaspoons salt
- EVOO spray for pan (works great!)
In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast onto the warm water and stir
until the yeast dissolves. Stir in the honey and set aside for a few
minutes, until the yeast blooms and swells a bit - 5 - 10 minutes.
In the meantime, mix the flours, oats, and salt in a large bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir very well.
Brush a 8-cup loaf pan generously with some of the melted butter (I used my pampered chef pan, and it had room to spare - a metal grocery store pan should be fine).
Turn the dough into the tin, cover with a clean, slightly damp cloth,
and set in a warm place for 30 minutes, to rise. (the back of the stove while it heats...)
Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C, with a rack in the middle. When
ready, bake the bread for 35-40 minutes, until golden and pulling away
from the sides of the pan. I finish things up by leaving the bread under
the broiler for just a heartbeat - to give the top a bit deeper color.
Remove from oven, and turn the bread out of the pan quickly. Let it cool
on a rack so it doesn't steam in the pan. Serve warm, slathered with
butter.
Makes 1 loaf.
