Monday, May 4, 2009

Ummm Bread

A while ago I had posted  a picture of my home-made bread.  A few of you commented and said that you wanted some.  I'd mail you your own loaf but 

A) I am too cheap to pay for the postage
B) it is preservative free so unlike Wonderbread it does not have an infinite shelf-life
C) my kids love this stuff and you'd have to wrestle them for it.  Spud is deceptively strong and eats anything that is not nailed down.  If you took his food he'd take you down in a heart beat.

SO, 
Being the altruistic sort that I am, I'm gonna do the next best thing and give you all my favorite recipe for bread.

Now bear in mind, I'm really not all that granola.  So, I cheat and make the dough in my bread maker then pull it out and shape and bake it myself.  I find doing it this way the bread has a texture that is closer to store bought and the size is more conducive to sandwiches.  

One more note.  This recipe will work best on the North side of the 49th parallel.  I don't know how to tell you this kindly, my wonderful American readers, but your flour, it is weird.  I discovered this firsthand when we moved to Texas and all my recipes flopped.  Repeatedly.  Our wheat is much harder than yours and this affects the bread chemistry somehow.  I passed chemistry simply by the grace of God so there is no way that I can ever explain it, just be forewarned, it may not work quite as well if your wheat wasn't grown in Saskatchewan.

Yes, indeed, Saskatchewan is good for something after all.  I'm kidding.  Saskatchewan is good for lots of things.  Mosquitos.  Snow.  Incessant wind.  

And now that I've riled up the entire population of our neighbors to the East (all 17 of them) I will share with you the recipe.

Double Oat Bread
(Taken from the Rogers Bread Machine Cookbook 2nd Edition.)

This recipe makes a 1.5 pound loaf.

1 1/4 cup water
1.5 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp skim milk powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp oat bran
3 tbsp quick oats
3 cups white flour (I use the Robin Hood all purpose)
1.5 tsp instant yeast

Measure ingredients into pan in order given.  
Set bread machine for dough cycle.
When cycle is complete, shape bread into 2 loafs and place into greased 9x5 loaf pans.  

Let rise 30-40 minutes until bread is double in size.

Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes until golden and bread sounds hollow when knocked on.

One last thing.  This is truly yummy, so it shouldn't last long, but if you do find it kicking around for more than a day or two stick it in the freezer.    Unlike Wonderbread which will last longer than most celebrity marriages this bread doesn't have preservatives and it will stale very quickly.





7 comments:

momofthecrazies said...

I can attest to the fact that this is super yummy bread! I blame HG for any weight I've gained since she got me started making my own bread.

granola_granny said...

This recipe couldn't come at a better time for me HG. I just came home from helping our kids move, toting my daughter-in-law's dormant bread maker. I'm excited!

Middle-Aged Moi said...

Tee hee. Good post. I am SO telling my friend from Saskatchewan about your prejudice.

Heather of the EO said...

I have a very strong feeling mine would NOT turn out like yours. So I'll just keep pretending I can taste yours from here. (;

a Tonggu Momma said...

Gee... thanks, I think. Weird flour, huh? Yeah... well... you have weird... um... er... BBQ. Yeah. So there.

Knittinchick said...

ohhhhhh you are so dead with my mom. She faithfully reads your blog (and comments!) ha hah.... you knew better. oh well, it was nice knowing you.

Seriously, your bread would make the most anorexic person go on a Carb-Lovers Spree!

Bargainista said...

Indeed you will hear from me! A week ago i was in your 'fair' province and had to don the few winter clothes we had brought along. Coming back home we hit the border and almost immediately we began shedding our woolies and pulled out the shorts.
Saskatchewan has such diverse terrain and scenery. Almost like you could find something from all across Canada in one great province.
Actually it's quite amazing the number of people from the different provinces who are flocking to SK these days.
Give us another try. We'd love to have you come visit. One block from our home is the longest pedistran bridge in Canada. You and your boys would love it.