# Oatmeal Bread for Chaus



## ChefJune (Aug 27, 2006)

This is one of my all-time favorite breads.  Remember that you cannot knead whole wheat bread too much, and that, as with any other, you want the texture of thedough you put to rise to resemble a baby's bottom.

*Hearty Oatmeal Bread*

What a yummy bread this is!  My dear friend Jemetta Hunt got this recipe from her Aunt Bridget who got it who knows where!  I used to make this bread every single week.  Because it was time consuming, I enlarged the recipe to make 4 large loaves, and because it’s so moist it freezes well.  It is so delicious it can turn an ordinary sandwich into a banquet!

makes 4 9 x 5-inch loaves

1 quart + 1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups rolled oats – NOT the quick kind
1/2 cup raw wheat germ
2 teaspoon sea salt
10 ounces unsulphured molasses (Grandma’s yellow label)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons dry yeast 
about 12 cups whole wheat flour

1.	Pour boiling water over oats, wheat germ, molasses, oil and salt.  Cool to lukewarm.  Stir in yeast to dissolve.  Then add flour to form a stiff dough.  Knead well.
2.	Place in greased bowl and seal the top with oiled plastic wrap to rise until double (at least 1 hour).
3.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  When the dough has doubled in bulk, punch down (get most of the air out).  Form into four equal loaves.  Put into 9x5-inch loaf pans.  Let rise until nearly double.  (Unless your kitchen is exceptionally warm, this will take about 40 minutes to an hour – but watch them.)
4.	Bake for 1 hour -- until the loaves “tap hollow.”

_Teacher’s Tips:_	1.	This bread will take a LOT of kneading, so be patient.  The longer you can knead it, the more fabulous the texture will be.
2.	For a softer crust, put a pan of water on the lower shelf and cover each loaf with a “tent” of aluminum foil (shiny side in).


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## Chausiubao (Aug 28, 2006)

Hm, a few questions.

First you say that I shouldn't over knead whole wheat bread, then you say that the longer I knead it, the better the texture will be. So what exactly are you saying?

Should I knead it as long as possible while keeping in mind that there is such a thing as overkneading? Or do you have another meaning in mind?

What is raw wheat germ? It would appear that it isn't merely flour. 

What kind of yeast is dry yeast? 2 tablespoons seems to be a lot of yeast, so is this fresh yeast?

Clarification would be much appreciated, as much as you posting this recipe!

--Chausiubao


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