Last week a few of you asked for my bread recipe that I had shown. Why I’d be happy to share. However that isn’t the bread I make most of the time, mostly I make another kind of bread (above), so I’ll share that recipe too. The one you asked for is a dark whole wheat molasses bread that is great for morning toast. I got the recipe from a booklet called Old Fashioned Bread Recipes we bought at the mill we visited last year, remember that beautiful place? The booklet is filled with sorts of amazing early American bread recipes like Vermont Maple Syrup Bread, Cracklin’ Bread, Butterscotch Biscuits among others, totally worth the $3.50 I think! Anyway, I’ve adapted their Gingery Wholewheat Bread to work in my bread machine and I also leave out the ginger, because I dunno, ginger first thing in the morning in toast doesn’t sound like my cup of tea.
The other recipe I got from the back of some Bob’s Red Mill package and again I’ve adapted it too over the years. But this recipe is our very favorite. It is the kind of bread recipe you can use everyday. Partly because it works great both as toast and for sandwiches but also because it’s so flexible. I substitute out things in it all the time and it always turns out great. I don’t know about you, but we always have all sorts of strange types of flours in our pantry. Rye, spelt, graham, wheat bran, wheat germ etc. from various projects. Lately in place of the 1 c. of whole wheat flour I’ve been mixing a third of a cup of various flour like substances to use up those odds and ends and the results have been fantastic! The bread picture at the top there is what I made the other day using wheat bran and Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal
In most cases, when I bake bread I try and take an extra minute before I stick it in the oven to brush a little milk over the top and sprinkle oatmeal on if it seems appropriate. It’s a tad fussy, but half of eating is with your eyes, right? And us, being bread lovers, always look so forward to cutting into a beautiful loaf of bread.
A note about the recipes, these are notes for folks who have bread machines. If you don’t have a bread machine and you bake by hand, I think you’ll easily be able to figure out how to adjust the recipe accordingly. I’ve even doubled both recipes before and mixed and ‘kneaded’ them in my kitchenaid successfully.
Gingery Wholewheat Bread (without the ginger)
put into bread machine in this order:
1/4 c. water
1 c. milk
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 stick room temperature butter (1/8 c.)
1 T. brown sugar
3 c. unbleached flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t. salt
(1/2 t. ginger – optional)
2 1/2 t. yeast
Set on dough setting. When finished take out and form. Put into a greased loaf pan and let rise 40-ish minutes. Brush top with milk, slice top with serrated knife. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
Everyday Oat Bread
put into bread machine:
1 1/4 c. water
1 1/2 T. sugar (either white, brown, turbinado even honey has worked)
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 T. vegetable oil or butter
1/4 c. oatmeal
2 c. unbleached white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour (or various other flours that you find at the back of your pantry)
2 t. vital gluten (or if you don’t have use flour instead)
2 1/2 t. yeast
Set on dough setting. Take out and form. Put into greased bread pan. Let rise 40-ish minutes, brush top with milk and sprinkle with oatmeal. Slice top with serrated knife. Bake for 25 minutes at 425 degrees.
Happy Baking!
What bread machine do you have?
happygirl, we have a breadman pro. I tried to look on Amazon to find it, but apparently now ours is a vintage! We got it about five years ago.
Thanks for the recipes, I’m always on the look-out for a tasty bread I can make at home. And yes, my eyes are totally devouring the pictures of those loaves, YUM!
I love ginger at breakfast – my favourite marmalade has ginger in it so ginger in bread – no problem. Have been experimenting with sourdoughs lately (including pancakes and just waiting for my waffle machine to arrive to help use up surplus sourdough). Will definitely try this – not in a bread machine though I use a heavy duty stand mixer. Will share the one I’m working on at the moment once it has been tested by a few more friends!!
These sound fabulous, I am always looking for great bread recipes for the machine, Thanks!
Do you know if I could substitute the molasses with honey or maple syrup?!
Sure, why not? Give it a try!
great! that way I have everything at the house. I can start kneading right away 😉
What’s i that jam jar? Looks yummy!
Yum.. sounds & looks great!
Hi, thanks for the visit. Am I glad I met you! Gardening is my all time passion, baking is on the list…although I want to learn more.
I’m just too happy to have found your Everyday Oat Bread recipe, it looks so much better than the recipe I’ve been making. I can’t wait to give it a try on a cold day what with snow coming up in the forecast… My husband is going to be happy to smell fresh bread when he comes in from the cold! Thank you!
Hmmm … they sound lovely. Makes me want to ask if you have tried these in a wood fired oven, or have a recipe you might recommend for one?
Your photos are beautiful. I can understand photos of the garden and children coming out beautiful. You made the bread look wonderful with the lighting just so. thanks
I made the every day oat recipe, I love it! I dont have a bread machine but I did knead it in my stand mixer.
Thank you!
p.s my bacon was wonderful!
Do you think I could use 2 c. white whole wheat flour, instead of the 2 c. unbleached white flour and it would still turn out okay? And does that mean to use a self-rising flour if I can’t find vital gluten? I have never made bread before, but it looks so amazing I have to try it. Thanks you so much for sharing!
Heather Mariee, yes, go ahead and use that white whole wheat. If you can’t find vital gluten, just use regular flour. Good luck!
Hi, your bread looks beautiful, I would like to know what kind of yeast do you use?
Thanks,
Darlene