Molasses oat bread

This weekend was fully of just about the crappiest weather we’ve seen so far this winter. First it snowed a bit on Friday night, then proceeded to rain, and rain, and rain, and then rain some more on Saturday. Then the temperature dropped off again Saturday night and it snowed, leaving approximately two feet of ice over every possible surface, which was then covered in 15 cm of snow. Imagine how happy I was on Sunday afternoon to spend almost two hours chipping my car out from its ice bubble, and then shovelling and clearing away shards and boulders of ice and snow from just about everything else.

This is the snow pile in front of my house. There's a complete shrub buried in there somewhere!

Needless to say, it was a good weekend to stay indoors and avoid anything that might be falling from the sky. And what could be a more perfect complement to a hibernation weekend than freshly baked bread?

In addition to the weather, a conversation with my Dad on Saturday where he mentioned how much he likes molasses inspired me to make this.

The molasses imparts a bit of sweetness to the loaf, and also turns it a soft brown colour. This is useful for fooling yourself into thinking this is actually a healthy, whole wheat loaf, when in fact it’s the kind of light and fluffy mix you only get with white flour. I let my loaf rise in the pan a bit too long (blame a nap), but it still turned out well. It’s great fresh, and warm from the oven, but also nice toasted with some honey drizzled on top.


Start by soaking your oats in some warm water.

And get the yeast started. Make sure it's fresh and the water's plenty warm.

Then add in the butter and molasses to the softened oats. The recipe calls for the butter to be at room temperature, but I wasn't convinced it would incorporate very well that way. So I ended up fishing it out and nuking it 'til it was melted.

Start kneading. This is a pretty sticky dough, so you'll need lots of flour.

Knead until everything comes together and it looks something like this.

And then it will look like this after an hour or so of rising. I covered the bowl in plastic and let it rise in the microwave (turned off) with a cut of hot water in it.

And then, by the second rise, it should look like this. I let this rise a little too long, but it didn't collapse.

And here it is fresh from the oven, smelling great. I found it didn't take quite as long to bake as the recipe said.

Want a slice?

Molasses-oat bread
Adapted from Bon Appetit, 1994 and found here

1/2 cup packed old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope dry yeast
6 tablespoons lightly unsulfured molasses
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
4 cups (about) unbleached all purpose flour

Place 1/2 cup oats in large bowl of electric mixer fitted with dough hook; pour 3/4 cup boiling water over.

Let stand 30 minutes (water will be absorbed and oatmeal will be very soft).
pour 1 cup warm water into 2-cup glass measuring cup. sprinkle yeast over; stir to blend. let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes.

Mix molasses, 2 tablespoons butter and salt into oat mixture in bowl. mix in yeast mixture.

Add enough flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form medium-soft dough, mixing at medium speed until well blended, about 3 minutes.

Turn out dough onto floured surface. knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough is too sticky, about 5 minutes.

Form dough into ball. butter large bowl; add dough, turning to coat. cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel.

Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F.

Butter 9×5-inch loaf pan.

Punch down dough; turn out into floured surface and knead 3 minutes.

Form into a loaf. transfer to prepared pan.

Cover with plastic, then towel; let rise in warm draft-free area until dough has risen about 1/2 inch above rim of pan, about 45 minutes.

Bake bread 10 minutes; reduce temperature to 350°F.

Bake 25 minutes longer. brush top of bread with glaze; sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats over. bake until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to rack to cool.

Oatmeal raisin cookies

I've been on a bit of a library streak lately. Like a serious one. I'm talking about a once a week habit, my friends.

I'm not sure if it's because summer's here and there's not as much on TV, or if it's because I've been making more of an effort to read at lunch and before bed, but I've been plowing through the reads. Part of the reason for the weekly visits is because I've been using the OPL's Express Reads program, whereby you can take out a book for only one week, as opposed to the usual three. Express Reads are usually popular, in demand titles, so the library limits the amount of time you get with the book, meaning more folks can enjoy it. It's a good system, but also pretty stressful, because if you're late with your Express Read, you have to pay a hefty $2 a day fine. But the thought of that rapidly increasing tab also spurs on some pretty fanatical flipping of pages, which really can't be a bad thing.

A few weeks ago I happened upon the new Barefoot Contessa book on the old Express shelf. I usually tune into Ina Garten's show on the Food Network, partly for her tasty-looking recipes, but also for the cast of 'colourful' characters, with more money than acting sense, who seem to traipse around the Hamptons, with no evident day jobs, spending inordinate amounts of money on produce that always seems to be in season, and ridiculously creamy milk that only seems to be sold in glass bottles. How could I not pick up the book for a look inside that unrealistic lifestyle?

The book is very nice looking, and it's basically a mirror image of the TV show by the same name. If you've watched the program, then you've seen the recipes, and there's not much additional content worth mentioning. Still, I like Garten's approach -- it's straightforward and her ingredients and instructions are fairly ordinary and accessible.

I stopped on the recipe for Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies, because the picture looked fabulous, and Garten proclaims it was her ultimate recipe find, after years of trying to perfect the ultimate oatmeal cookie. As I happened to have all the ingredients on hand (sometimes stocked cupboards can be a dangerous thing), I decided to give them a try.



Don't these pages beckon to you, too?

Start by toasting a cup and a half of pecans. I didn't even bother chopping them once they were done, I just broke them up with my fingers.

Creaming the butter and sugars together until light in colour and you can't feel any grains of sugar between your fingers.


Mix up the dry ingredients and add to the wet.

Use a small scoop to form the cookies on the pan.

And here they are, cooling from the oven.

Yummy with a glass of iced coffee!

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies (recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics)

These make chewy, slightly salty cookies, full of raisins and toasted nuts.

1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop very coarsely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix just until combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

Sunday pancakes

I'm not really a pancake fan -- I'm more of a French toast kinda gal. But I read this recipe recently and thought I should give it a try. Result? These are the best pancakces I've ever had! The addition of the oats and whole wheat make them really hearty, and because they use so much baking powder, they plump up to some tasty little cakes. This will be my go-to recipe from now on.

(I'm not sure about the nutritional claim advertised in the original recipe, especially given the syrup and butter I added after this picture was taken. In a mild attempt to up the healthful content, I served them with a sliced apple, which I sauteed for a minute in the same pan.)

Whole Grain Pancakes (from Michael Smith, originally printed in the Globe and Mail)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat, grain or almond flour
1 cup oatmeal flakes
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk or water
1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
2 tablespoons honey
2 eggs, or 4 for added richness
1 teaspoon or more of pure vanilla extract

While you mix the batter, preheat a heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, and then pour them into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir the batter until it is smooth, but don't overmix.

Cook until bubbles form, then flip. Keep the cakes warm in a low oven until ready to serve.

Serves 4. I quartered the recipe just for me.