Yesterday was a cool, rainy, dismal, very un-summer-like day here. It made me want to bake something. I was dying for something ooey-gooey and chocolatey, but logic took over. I decided to be a bit more practical and bake something healthy that I can take to work for breakfast. After poring over several cookbooks, I went back to one of my favorites, "Oat Cuisine" by Bobbie Hinman (you may remember this book from my "sweet, tart, and crunchy" post two weeks ago). Once again, I was craving the crunch of cornmeal. Somehow, though, I ended up making Toaster Oat Bread. I had made it once before, with good results, so it seemed like the thing to do. Plus, it would give me something new to blog about. =) It's described as a "heavy, crusty bread... really enhanced by toasting."
It is heavy, and it is crusty, and it's fantastic. I love dense bread you can really sink your teeth into. And this is so healthy, too, with 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per serving! And, of course, it is, as advertised, greatly enhanced by toasting. I like it with just a touch of butter (I am addicted to European style cultured butter!) and a good bit of honey (locally produced, of course). Here's the recipe, as printed in "Oat Cuisine:"
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup oat bran
1 cup rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups skim milk
1 tablespoon honey
Preheat oven to 375.
Lightly oil a 5x9 inch loaf pan or spray with a nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, mixing well.
In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and milk and let stand 1 minute. Stir in honey and add to dry mixture, stirring until all ingredients are moistened.
Place mixture in prepared pan. Smooth the top lightly with the back of a spoon.
Bake 35 minutes, until crusty and brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
Remove to a rack to cool.
Cool completely, then slice and toast.
It's really easy, and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand. I didn't make any changes to this recipe at all... except for inadvertently leaving out the baking soda. I left something out of my banana cake a couple of weeks ago, too, didn't I? Must be old age. It still turned out great, though. Maybe it would have risen slightly more if I'd remembered the soda, but no one will ever know if I don't tell. =) Oh, and I used 1% milk, because that's what I had in the fridge!
And in case you were wondering -- I took care of my cornmeal craving this morning with some multi-grain pancakes!
