Oatmeal bread

After   a  fortnight of feasting on coconut laced kuihs to test out various recipes, I decided that, for my health's sake,  all good things must come to an end.

It is time for some 'detox'.

And so out comes the oatmeal bread, lean and healthy without added  fat,  to undo all the calorie laden kuihs circling in my system. This feel good bread pick me up bread  is  suitable for breakfast, given its low GI properties and robust enough to go with a chowder for dinner. Slap some ham and wild greens and there you have it - a rustic lunch.

If you like a mildly sweet , moist and nutty  bread with an interesting texture, this should be one on your to-bake list.

Ingredients :

Oat soaker :

70g water

48g rolled oats

Final dough :

180g water

118g oat soaker

34g honey

286g bread flour

4g instant yeast

1/4 t fine salt

50g rolled oats, lightly toasted

Oats for coating

Combine ingedients for oat soaker. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Combine water , oat soaker, honey and stir to break up oats.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, yeast and salt.

Transfer flour mix to liquid component. Knead 7 minutes. Dough will be quite wet with gluten formation.

Add toasted oats. Knead another 1 minutes.

Let the dough ferment, 60 minutes until almost double on bulk or when poked, the dough springs halfway back.

Prepare a bread tin, oiled and floured.

Transfer risen dough to a lightly floured worktop.

Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter.

Mist  spray dough and roll it to coat with rolled oats.

Transfer oat coated dough to tin. Let it proof for 60 minutes, in a moist, enclosed space.

Preheat oven to 250C, with a dish of water under the baking rack.

10 minutes before baking, mist spray dough, sprinkle some more oats .

Use a very sharp knife to make a deep cut along the middle of the dough, at 45 degrees.

Just before baking, mist spray again.

Bake at 220C for 20 minutes.

Remove bread from tin to cool completely before serving.