Bread and Biscuits from Scratch

Though I haven’t had time to watch a complete game all year, I plan to watch the Super Bowl. Not that I have a dog in the fight, but just because. This will likely preclude my doing a Political SitRep for Monday. So sue me. Instead, I’m leaving this to post.

Due to my marital statue, age, health and finances, chasing women, drinking and gambling are pretty much a thing of the past. So lately my new hobby has been baking from scratch, trying to use healthier ingredients than you get in the store. I started with cakes and cookies, have graduated to biscuits and bread. Bread is labor and time intensive, but tastes great and makes the house smell wonderful. The below four recipes have all turned out well. The oatmeal bread is perhaps the best. Toasted with (lite) butter, it can’t be beat.

Multigrain Bread by Bob

(I used two similar recipes to make this, one from my friend Gloria, who makes great bread, the other from the Net.)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup (6 1/4 ounces) multi-grain hot cereal mix (I used Red Hill 10-grain)

1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats
2 1/2 cups boiling water
3 cups (15 oz) all-purpose flour or bread flour (I used bread flour per Gloria)
1 1/2 cups (8 1/4 oz) whole wheat flour
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 tablespoon salt

Directions

Pour boiling water over cereal and oats in a large bowl. Let stand until lukewarm. Add butter and honey. Then add flours, yeast and salt. Mix well and knead until smooth. Put into a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double. Shape, divide and put into two greased loaf pans and let rise ½ hour.  Put into pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Let cool 5 minutes, remove from pans and let cool a while longer before slicing and serving. Makes two loaves of heavy, meaty bread, good with soup. Cut recipe in half for one loaf.

Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 2 - 9x5 inch loaves

2 cups boiling water

1.5 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons salt

1 (.25 ounce) package or 2.25 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

4 cups bread flour (add more if dough is too sticky)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine boiling water, oats, 1/2 cup honey, butter and salt. Let stand for 1 hour.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Pour the yeast mixture into the oat mixture. Add 2 cups of flour; mix well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 20 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Bob’s Healthy Biscuits

Ingredients

2.5 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1.5 tablespoon Splenda

1/3 cup Canola oil

1 cup skim milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the oil and mix. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick.

Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used.

Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits on a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 16 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges brown.

Bob’s Oatmeal Biscuits

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup boiling water

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon Splenda

1/3 cup Canola oil

1/2 cup skim milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Pour the water over the oats and allow to sit until lukewarm, about 15 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the oats and oil and mix. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick.

Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used.

Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits on a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 16 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges brown.