Oatmeal Bread – Haferflockenbrot

Two kinds of flour, steel-cut oatmeal, diastatic malt powder, yeast, and spices turned this homemade Oatmeal Bread into a healthy side dish. It is helpful to have the right gadgets and prepare ingredients before starting to make the bread.

Gadgets and Preparation:

• silicone baking mat
• kitchen scale
• bread dough basket, to let the bread rise a second time into its shape
• hand press sifter or fine-meshed wire sieve
• bread slashing tool (razor blade with handle) or sharp knife, to make the cuts into the bread
• stainless steel or plastic dough scraper
• coffee grinder, to grind the oatmeal, steel-cut
• 1 teaspoon of bread flour mixed with 1 teaspoon of potato starch to flour the breadbasket

Sift the bread flour/potato starch mix evenly into the bread dough basket. Place aside.

Ingredients for the Oatmeal Bread:

• 250 g (8.8 oz) of Navajo Pride flour, all-purpose
• 200 g (7.05 oz) oz) of rye flour
• 100 g (3.52 oz) of oatmeal steel cut, ground
• 1 pouch of yeast, rapid rise = 7 g = ¼ oz = 2 ¼ teaspoons
• 2 tablespoons of diastatic malt powder OR 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon fennel, ground (optional)
• ½ teaspoon anise, ground (optional)
• ½ teaspoon caraway, ground (optional)
• ½ teaspoon coriander, ground (optional)
• 375 ml (12.68 oz) of water, lukewarm
• 50 g (1.76 oz) of oatmeal rolled, for the top of the bread
• 1 egg white mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt to brush the bread

Preparation of the dough:

Add the flour, ground oatmeal, yeast, salt, sugar, diastatic malt powder, and spices into a stand mixer bowl and mix the dry ingredients with a spoon. Add half of the water to it and knead in the stand mixer on low while slowly adding the rest of the water. Make sure the water is not too hot, just lukewarm.

Knead for 6 minutes until the ingredients are combined, and the dough is not sticking to the bowls’ wall. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 60 minutes or until it has doubled. Flatten the dough with the fingertips, place it on the floured surface and knead with the hands to soften the dough.

   

Shaping the Oatmeal Bread:

The shaping of the bread creates the tension of the surface. Therefore flatten the dough a little with a rolling pin to a circle and start folding one edge to the center. Continue with the outside edges while turning the dough in one direction.

   

Pick up the dough ball in the center and turn it around with the seam down. Use both hands and stretch the outside of the ball while turning. If the dough sticks to the surface or your hands, flour lightly.

Place the bread with the seam on top into the floured breadbasket, cover with a kitchen towel, and let it rise for 50 – 60 minutes.

    

Baking of the bread:

Take the bread out of the basket and make the cuts on top. Brush the bread with the egg white and water mixture and sprinkle the rolled oatmeal on top. Press them slightly against the surface of the bread.

Place the homemade flavored bread on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, cover with a kitchen towel, and let it rise for 15 more minutes.

                    

In the meantime, place a heat-resistant pot of water on the bottom of the oven and preheat to 205°C – 400°F. Add 3 ice cubes left and right of the pot on the oven’s bottom to create more steam and place the bread on the second rack. Turn the heat down to 200°C – 390°F and bake the bread for 60 – 65 minutes. Open the door completely after 20 and 40 minutes to release steam and close it again. I leave the pot with water in the oven during baking time, but you also can take it out after opening the door.

Brush the bread right after baking with water before letting it cool down on a cooling rack. If you want to try the German Honey Cake Recipe, click here, Homemade Flavored Bread, click here, and for the Homemade Kaiser Rolls Recipe, click here.