Honey Oatmeal Bread #BreadBakers

This honey oatmeal bread is baked with all-purpose flour, wholemeal flour and oats, with just enough honey to slightly sweeten it. It has a tender crumb and a crunchy golden crust.

This month my Bread Bakers are here to support your efforts to eat healthier, if indeed, you are making an effort. I know there are a lot of people who make resolutions of such things this time of year. You might well be one of them. Here’s what I can promise you, even if you are not: The Bread Bakers are a talented, creative group. The breads they bake will be delicious, whatever the theme.

Our host today is Pavani from Cook’s Hideout and so "healthy breads" for January is her chosen theme. Since my co-creator of Bread Bakers stepped down a few months ago, Pavani has been a big help behind the scenes and I am grateful to her for stepping forward to take the first month of 2017. In fact, thanks to lots of members volunteering to host, we’ve got some great themes coming up for you this year! Stay tuned for February when we will take on pancakes.

Perhaps this could be the year you start baking homemade bread! Think about it. This may be a much easier resolution to keep than most. You can start with this easy honey oatmeal bread.

Ingredients
1/4 cup or 60ml warm water
2 teaspoons active dried yeast
1/4 cup or 60ml honey
1 cup or 240ml milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the bowl/pan
2 - 2 1/2 cups or 250- 312g flour
1 cup or 120g wholemeal bread flour
3/4 cups or 70g oats - quick cooking, but not instant
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Optional - to decorate before baking:
2 tablespoons runny honey
2 tablespoons rolled oats

Method
Honey has antibacterial properties and, depending on how the honey was processed, these might kill your yeast. So we start this bread by proofing our yeast in a bowl with the warm water and a generous heaping teaspoon of the honey. If it bubbles and foams after a few minutes, you are good to go. (And you don’t have to do this step with that particular jar of honey again. It’s safe for future baking.)

Note: This recipe can be made by hand, however, the dough is fairly slack so kneading it will be a sticky challenge.

In a microwave-proof measuring jug, heat your milk and butter until the butter just melts. Allow to cool until warm. Pour in the rest of the honey. It will sink to the bottom so stir until the honey has dissolved into the milk.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the yeast mixture to 2 cups or 250g of the all-purpose flour, the wholemeal flour, the oatmeal and salt.

Pour in the milk/butter/honey liquid and mix until it comes together as a soft dough.

Switch to the bread hook and knead for about 5-7 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Add the extra flour, as needed, by the teaspoonful as it kneads. I ended up using about half of the additional flour for this particular loaf.

Form the dough into a ball. Use a little butter to grease the bowl, moving the dough ball around the bowl as you butter. Cover, put in a warm place and leave to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes or one hour.

Line a standard bread pan with parchment paper or grease it liberally with more butter. My pan is not in the best condition so I always choose the parchment paper route.

Punch the dough down and give it a few more turns of kneading. Form it into a log and put it in your prepared loaf pan.

Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled again, another 45 minutes or 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C, placing an iron skillet or other heavy cooking pan on the bottom shelf.

Boil your kettle with about 2 cups or 480ml water.

Once the dough has risen sufficiently, drizzle it with the extra honey and sprinkle on the rolled oats.

Put the loaf pan on the middle shelf in the oven and pour the hot water into the heated skillet or baking pan on the bottom shelf. Quickly close the oven so the steam does not escape.

Bake the loaf for about 40-45 minutes or until it’s brown all over and cooked through. If you have a instant read thermometer, the internal temperature should be 200°F or 93°C for an enriched bread made with milk and butter. If your loaf is browning too fast, cover it lightly with a tent of foil.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing.

Enjoy!

Check out the Healthy Breads that our fellow Bread Bakers have baked this month:

• Amaranth Flatbread from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Beet Rye Bread from What Smells So Good?
• Blueberry Almond Bread from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Brain Booster Pancakes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Banana Flax Almond Meal Muffins from Spill the Spices
• Eggless Whole Wheat Brioche Buns from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Grain-free Nutty Carrot Flatbread from A Baker's House
• Healthier Applesauce Spice Bread from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Healthy Whole Grain Bread from The Bread She Bakes
• Honey Almond Brioche from Kidsandchic
• Honey Oatmeal Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Multigrain Pesto Swirl Bread from Herbivore Cucina
• Oatmeal Crispbread (Oatmeal Knäckebröd) from Baking Sense
• Organic Honey Whole Grain Bread from Hostess At Heart
• Quick Whole Wheat Bread from Ambrosia
• Spiced Besani Paratha from Sneha's Recipe
• Sprouted Wheat Bread from Palatable Pastime
• Sweet Potato Bread with Honey from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Sweet Potato Millet Bread from The Schizo Chef
• Ten Grain No Knead Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Whole Wheat Carrot Apple Walnut Quickbread from A Salad For All Seasons
• Whole Wheat White Bean Bread from Cooks Hideout

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin it! 

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Gin Lime Coconut Truffles #GalentinesDay

Tart and sweet with the zip of a little gin, these white chocolate and lime truffles are rolled in coconut for a little trip down the islands.

Happy Galentine’s Day! Yep, you read that right. Galentine’s Day: The day women celebrate women, breakfast style, inspired by this scene in Parks and Recreation.

Our smart and lovely organizer, Nancy from gotta get baked, is in charge once more this year, along with her co-host, Courtney from Neighborfood. Their invitation to join the fun said we must also write about a woman who inspires us. I’d like to write about 43,990,000. Give or take a few.

Many years ago, when I was living in Brunei with my father, we had a sweet lady from the Philippines working for us. She cooked, she cleaned and she helped look after my little baby half sister. I was surprised to learn that she had been a schoolteacher in her home country but could make more working as a housekeeper in Bandar Seri Begawan than she could teaching school in her village. So she applied for a job through a maid service, left her own children behind with their grandparents and moved to a foreign country to raise other people’s children.

Lirio was one of an estimated 83 percent of 53 millions domestic workers worldwide, who are women. (Source: International Labor Organization) Millions of whom leave their own families behind, to make a better living elsewhere, so that their own children will have better lives. The sacrifices they make, living with strangers, in strange lands, caring for families other than their own, are deemed worthwhile, because the support money they send home each month is crucial to the wellbeing of their families.

Here in the UAE, it is common practice to hire maids from overseas. I see them in flocks at bus stops on Friday morning, often their only day off, headed to the malls or beaches, to spend time with friends. They are laughing and smiling, enjoying their freedom and a day of rest and recreation. But I know they must miss their children, all the day-to-day milestones of skinned knees and spelling tests, afterschool snacks and goodnight kisses. I admire their work ethic, their dedication and their sacrifice. It’s never an easy job but they are doing what mothers the world over want to do, care for their children, in the best way they know how.

To read about the women who inspire the rest of our Galentine’s Day group and to check out the other wonderful recipes, make sure to scroll down to the link list below.

Ingredients
For the truffles:
10 1/2 oz or 300g good quality white chocolate – I use Lindt bars.
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup or 150g butter
Zest 1 lime
2 tablespoons lime juice
5 tablespoons gin

For rolling the truffles:
1 cup or 85g desiccated coconut (Not sweetened coconut flakes)
Zest 1 lime

Method
Zest your limes and then juice them, keeping the zest and juice separate.

Add the cream and the white chocolate, broken up into squares, to a heat resistant mixing bowl. Place the bowl on top of a pot about one quarter filled with water. Bring the pot of water to a slow boil, stirring the chocolate and cream in the bowl above, until the chocolate is completely melted.

Add in the butter, cut into pieces and stir until it is melted.

Remove the bowl from the heat and add in the zest of one lime, 2 tablespoonf of lime juice and the gin. Stir until completely combined.

Leave the mixture to cool and then place it, covered, in the refrigerator until it turns solid.

Mix the zest from the second lime with the desiccated coconut.

Use a teaspoon to scoop out small amounts of the firm mixture and roll them into balls between your clean palms. Place the balls in the dry coconut and roll them around until they are well covered.

Place them directly on a serving plate or use little paper candy cups. If you are living in a warm climate, keep the truffles refrigerated until you are ready to serve. These also freeze beautifully!

This made 33 truffles but you would probably get more if you can control yourself and make them all as small as the first ones. Mine tend to get bigger and bigger as I go along.

Enjoy!

And now, as promised, the other Galentine's Day recipes with inspiring stories. Make one for a special woman in your life! 

• Caramel Cheesecake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cherry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
• Chocolate Frosted Fudgy Brownies with Strawberries from Pineapple and Coconut
• Gin Lime Coconut Truffles from Food Lust People Love
• Hula Pie from Heather’s Dish
• Lavender Ice Cream from NinjaBaker
• Nutella Layer Cake from gotta get baked
• Pecan Sticky Buns from The Cooking Actress
• Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies from Wallflour Girl
• Red Velvet Donuts from Blahnik Baker
• S'mores Waffle Sticks from A Cookie Named Desire
• Strawberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes from NeighborFood

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Campari and Passion Fruit Sorbet #GalentinesDay

This refreshing sorbet of fresh passion fruit and Campari is perfect as an aperitif, between courses or at the end of a meal. The tart passion fruit and bitter Campari will wake up your taste buds! 

First, a confession. When I was invited to take part in this Galentine’s Day celebration, I thought it was a typo. I don’t watch Parks and Recreation, although I do love Amy Poehler. But, once explained, I was completely on board, because women celebrating women, breakfast-style, sounds like the very best way to spend a morning. So, I say unto you, and with all the sincerity and fervor of the recently converted: Happy Galentine’s Day!

For anyone else who is as ignorant as I was, I found this very short YouTube clip that lets Leslie Knope explain it better than I ever could.

Along with sharing a frou-frou dish or beverage, event organizer, Courtney from Neighborfood and her very capable co-host, Nancy from gotta get baked, said that we should share a story about a girlfriend or even a public figure, who inspires us.  The Campari and passion fruit sorbet was an easy decision – I love that stuff - but choosing just one woman was the hardest part! I am blessed with so many fabulous women in my life! I dedicate this recipe to my friend, Naszreen, who has fulfilled her dream of many years by opening a tea shop. She is an amazing woman, mother, sister, friend, and now I can say, successful entrepreneur.

Ingredients
1 cup or 240ml water
1 cup or 200g  sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 passionfruit (Mine weighed 690g whole and yielded 1 1/2 cups or 350g pulp.)
1/2 cup or 120ml Campari
Several sprigs fresh mint, plus some tops of sprigs to serve

Method
Place the water, sugar and salt in a pan and warm it just enough for the sugar and salt to dissolve and then remove from the heat.  Allow to cool for a while.

Stack and roll the mint leaves up and slice them finely. Don't forget to save a few tips for garnish.

Halve the passion fruit and scoop out the flesh, seeds and juice using a spoon.

Strain out the passion fruit seeds, pressing them into a sieve to remove more juice. Reserve about one-third of the seeds to add back into the sorbet.

Mix the passion fruit with the Campari, sugar syrup, mint leaves and all but a few of the sieved passion fruit seeds, in a plastic tub or earthenware dish and place in the freezer to chill.

If you have an ice cream maker, you can put the mixture into it after about half an hour of chilling and follow the manufacturer’s instruction till it is soft set.

Top with a few of the small mint springs and the few remaining passion fruit seeds, then put it in the freezer in a sealed container till ready to serve.

Otherwise, leave it in the freezer-proof vessel and stir it around at least every half hour until it’s set. This could take more than two hours. When it's just about set, top with a few of the small mint springs and the few remaining passion fruit seeds and pop it back into the freezer until you are ready to serve.

Ready to serve!

Scoop into a pretty bowl and top with a small sprig of mint to serve.

Enjoy!

I genuinely hope you are celebrating today with your gal friends or are planning a celebration. We are here to help with a bunch of great recipes for your Galentine’s party!

• Anise-Scented Ice Cream with Candied Fennel Seeds from girlichef
• Boston Cream Trifles from gotta get baked
• Brownie Batter Chocolate Tarts from Melanie Makes
• Campari and Passion Fruit Sorbet from Food Lust People Love
• Cheesecake Milkshakes from Chocolate Moosey
• Chocolate Cheesecake from NeighborFood
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cream Puffs from The Redhead Baker
• Chocolate Honey Bombs from The Live-In Kitchen
• Coeur a la Creme with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Strawberries from Heather’s Dish
• Ganache Topped Truffle Brownies from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Grilled Cheese & Chocolate Sandwich with Ganache Dipping Sauce from Climbing Grier Mountain
• Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Mini Heart-Shaped Chocolate Cakes with Raspberry Whipped Cream from A Cookie Named Desire
• Nutella Fudge with Raspberries from The Food Charlatan
• Orange Yogurt Waffles from Savvy Eats
• Red Wine Ice Cream Floats from Mind Over Batter
• Strawberry Covered Dark Chocolate Truffles from Girl Versus Dough
• Wicked Waikiki Sour from Pineapple and Coconut