Oatmeal Batter Bread

 

The recipe I am sharing with you today is for an Oatmeal Batter Bread and it is one I adapted from Better Homes and Gardens: 365 Comfort Foods, and I will tell you up front, this is a real winner of a recipe!

 

I have always had a fondness for batter breads.  They are so much easier to make than regular breads. You can make them simply with a mixer and a bowl.

 

The mixer does all of the hard work of kneading and helps to create a bread that is both light in weight and in texture. Because these breads are not kneaded it is important to beat the initial batter with a mixer until it comes away from the sides of the bowl and appears stringy.

 

The remainder of the dry ingredients is mixed in by hand with a wooden spoon and it can be a real work out getting it all incorporated, but do persevere!  Its worth the effort!

 

Since batter breads use less flour than regular breads, they form a batter rather than a dough and it can be a rather sticky batter!

 

One thing I really have missed over here in the UK is the Oatmeal Bread from back home.  I adore Oatmeal Bread.  Slightly sweet, and tasting of molasses and oats, it is one of my favourite yeast breads.

 

When I saw this recipe for Oatmeal Batter Bread I just had to try it!  The one kind of bread that I can make that has always turned out for me is batter bread!

 

One reason I love batter breads is that it doesn't take a lot of faffing about to have success with them! I do a Brown Batter Bread that is pretty amazing . . . we like it with baked beans  . . .

 

I also make some White Batter Rolls that are pretty darned good . . .  but I have to tell you, this Oatmeal Batter Bread bats a homerun right out of the ball park!  It is amazing! Look at the beautiful texture of it.

 

It also only requires one rising.  It rises right in the loaf tin, so it is also very quick to make.  I had this stirred together and rising in the loaf tin before Todd even got up this morning  . . .

Of course the child in me cannot help but enjoy a slice of fresh homemade bread with just butter and jam on it  . . .  tis pure bliss to me and I know I will suffer the rest of the day for this small indulgence . . .

 

Diabetics and jam don't go together very well and I will confess . . . I do not care much for the taste of artificial sweeteners . . .

 

This is worth every minute of discomfort it might cause me later on, and is a rare, rare treat  . . .

  

Oh boy  . . . but you just cannot beat a slice of good homemade bread, buttered and spread with a smattering of lovely sweet jam  . . .

Oatmeal Batter Bread

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Yield: Makes one medium loaf

Author: Marie Rayner

This amazingly tasty bread needs only one rising and bakes up beautifully light.  Its also  incredibly low in fat

Ingredients:

• 240ml warm milk (whole or 2 %) (1 cup)
• 60ml honey or molasses (1/4 cup)
• 1 packet of active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 245g bread flour (1 3/4 cup)
• 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
• 1 TBS vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 105g whole wheat flour
• 50g old fashioned oats, plus more to sprinkle

Instructions:

1. Combine the warm milk, molasses and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to dissolve the yeast.  Let the mixture rest for five minutes.
2. Spray an 8 by 4 by 2 inch loaf tin with cooking oil spray.
3. Add the bread flour, egg, oil and salt to the yeast mixture.  Beat on low for a minute to combine, scraping down the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes. The dough will be very sticky.
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the oats and whole wheat flour and work it in until well incorporated.  Spoon into the loaf tin and spread it out evenly.  Sprinkle more oats on top.  Cover lightly with a sheet of buttered cling film and leave to rise for an hour until double in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 180*D/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Bake the loaf for 15 minutes.  Loosely tent with aluminium foil and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes until done. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
6. This bread will keep for up to three days at room temperature, or you can freeze it for up to a month.

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Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

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Please, please, PLEASE make this bread!  You are so, so, so going to love it!  Trust me on this.  It is truly amazing! I've truly been waiting for this bread all of my life.

 

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Traditional Cornish Splits

 

If I was a much better, more dedicated to my craft blogger, you would never see photos like these.  I Would take the time to pipe the cream into the buns so that everything looked all nice and pretty, setting the shot up perfectly with teapots and cups and tea clothes, etc.

 

That's not me.  I tend to just show you things as they are.  Simple without too many frills and not overly fancied up. Not that there is anything wrong with fancying things up a bit. That's just not me.

 

Besides today, by the time I got these done, it was getting late, I was losing the light and to be honest I was beat, beat, beat.  I actually started these about 6:30 this morning.  I had three other recipes to do for another site and so I had to fit them all in while I still had the light with me.

 

But you don't want to know about all of that . . .  you want to know about these tasty buns.  Cornish Splits.  I am sure you have all heard of Cream Teas, or Cornish Teas/Devon Teas.

 

A delightful repast of  fresh scones served with butter, jam and clotted cream, washed down with cups of hot tea.  Well, before they ever included scones,  these lovely light yeasted buns were the original stars of a Cream Tea.

 

I am not surprised.  Light as air, only slightly sweetened, like soft yeasted pillows of deliciousness . . .  perfect for spreading with soft butter and jam, and topped with lashings of clotted cream . . .  a slight dusting of icing sugar garnishing the tops.

 

I can well imagine how delightful they would be with hot cups of tea.  We don't drink tea for religious reasons, and somehow I don't think herbal tea would be quite the same.

 

These are such a simple make/bake. Seriously.  One kneading and rising.  Shape into balls, a quick rise and then bake.

 

The rolls are lovely and light textured and I imagine very nice just on their own, split, toasted and spread with butter  . . . and maybe some jam . . .

 

You can eat the while they are still slightly warm if you wish, in which case I think the butter would melt into the beautiful texture of those light airy buns  . . .

 

We enjoyed them cold, split and filled to the hilt with the strawberry jam and whipped cream.

 

We have not been able to get out shopping so there was no clotted cream.  The whipped cream was very nice however.

 

The jam,  Bonne Maman  . . .  not having any homemade jam, I used the next best thing . . . . which is Bonne Maman . . .

 

The French make beautiful jams . . .  and breads for that matter  . . .

  

Dusted with icing sugar, these were exquisite.

Traditional Cornish Splits

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Yield: 8

Author: Marie Rayner

Classically  Cornish teatime treats. Light and airy yeasted buns, served split, spread with butter and topped with lashings of jam and cream.  If you fill them with clotted cream and golden syrup, they become Thunder and Lightening, a real favourite with kiddies everywhere!

Ingredients:

For the buns:

• 305g strong bread flour (2 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 4 1/2 tsp easy yeast (bread machine yeast)
• 1 TBS white sugar
• 2 TBS butter
• 300ml whole milk (1 1/4 cup)

To serve:

• softened butter to spread
• Softly whipped sweetened cream, or clotted cream
• strawberry jam
• icing sugar to dust

Instructions:

1. Fit a stand mixer with a kneading hook.  Measure the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and sugar into the bowl of the stand mixer and mix to combine.
2. Warm the milk in the microwave with the butter for about 30 seconds. Just long enough to melt the butter. You don't want any of it to be hot, just blood warm.
3. Start drizzling the milk/butter mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer, with it turned on low, until it is all added and incorporated. Keep the motor running until you get a soft, slightly tacky dough. You may need to add a bit more flour. (Today I needed to add another 35g/1/4 cup).
4. Tip into a greased bowl and cover with plastic cling film. Set aside to prove for an hour or so until it doubles in size.  Turn onto a lightly floured  board and divide into 8 equal pieces. (I shape it into a circle and cut it into 8 wedges.)  Shape each piece into a ball and place onto a large baking sheet you have lined with baking paper. Dust lightly with flour, cover with a tea towel and set aside to rise for 15 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
6. Bake the buns in the preheated oven for between 15 and 20 minutes until a pale golden brown. If you tip one over it should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. If not, return to the oven for a few more minutes.
7. To serve. split almost all the way through on the diagonal.  Spread the bottoms with softened butter, top with plenty of strawberry jam and a nice thick dollop of whipped double cream or clotted cream. Dust the tops with some icing sugar and serve immediately.
8. These can be served slightly warm or cold. Best served on the day.  Don't fill until you are ready to serve them.

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Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

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I sent half of these next door to my neighbour. She and her son have been ever so good to us throughout this pandemic, always picking up bread and milk, even if we have not asked for it, and she won't take any compensation for it.  I figure the least I can do is to bake them treats every now and then! 

 

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English Muffins

 

In January I started writing on another site called Home Chef World.  I was hired to provide them with between 4 and 8 recipe posts a month.  This is in addition to what I share here.   I have really enjoyed doing it thus far and I hope this lasts a long longer than my other job did.  One never knows with the unstable world we are living in at the moment, but one thing is for sure, people will always want and need to eat.

 

One of the recipes I will be sharing on there over this next month required English Muffins.  Do you think I could find any?  None to be had anywhere, and I tried.  We are living in precarious times and I have realised that certain things have become very difficult to find.  One is flour (we won't talk about toilet paper). 

  

I am rationing my flour out very carefully because I don't know how long it will be before I can get any more.  It has become a very precious commodity in this house.

 

I did a lot of research before I picked a recipe to try.  I am not the most experienced bread baker and my results have always tended to be a bit hit and miss.  I found this recipe on a site called Bigger Bolder Baking.  It also had a video, and quite a few good reviews, so I felt fairly confident in using this recipe

 

It differed a bit somewhat in the English Muffins I am used to in that there is no cornmeal or semolina involved. Some recipes use this to keep the dough from sticking to things.  You do need to start it 18 hours prior to when you want to bake/grill them.

 

You do not need an oven for these. They cook entirely on top of the stove in a large non-stick skillet with a lid.  I found that my dough was a tiny bit drier than what hers looked like, so I was a bit worried that it wouldn't turn out, but my fears were completely unfounded.  It was perfect.

 

They cooked very easily in my largest skillet.  I was going to use my griddle pan until I realised I didn't have a lid to cover it. DUH. 

 

Using a lid to cover the muffins while they are first baking is integral to the success of the recipe.  This action allows them to rise higher and to cook thoroughly.

 

You might be interested to know that English Muffins are not really English at all, although they were invented by an English Ex Pat, living in New York City named Samuel Bath Thomas back in 1874.

   

Invented in America by an Englishman.  He owned a bakery known as Chelsea (could there be a more British name?) and were originally called Toaster Crumpets.

 

They were very quick to catch on and became very popular in Hotels and restaurants, soon taking on the name of "English Muffins."

 

The best way to open up an English Muffin is to run the tines of a fork into them all around the centre of the circumferance of the warm muffins.  Once you have done that. it is very easy to gently pull them apart.

 

This helps to prevent them from being squashed . . .  they are filled with lovely butter catching holes, nooks and crannies and separating them with a fork helps to create even more.

 

Oh my  . . .  I have fallen in love. Their texture was beautiful.  Todd enjoyed one later on, toasted on the open side under the hot grill and those little nooks and crannies, toasted up really nicely.

 

Just beautiful . . . . I enjoyed one warm from the oven with some cold butter thinly sliced over top . . . .

 

and some Bonne Maman Intense strawberry jam.  Oh boy, but this was sooooo good!

 

They were light and fluffy, beautifully golden brown on the outside and crisp at the edges  . . .

 

I could find no fault with them, no fault at all  . . .

  

In fact the worst thing I have to say about these is that once you have tried one  you will never ever be happy again with a ready made one. Never ever.

English Muffins

Yield: makes 8 to 10

Author: Marie Rayner

These are fabulous.  The worst thing you can say about them is that once you eat one of these you will be forever spoilt from ever enjoying a store made muffin again. You will need to start these the day before.

Ingredients:

• 350g strong bread flour (2 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 160ml milk (2/3 cup)
• 120ml water (1/2 cup)
• 1 TBS salted butter

Instructions:

How to cook English Muffins

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl.  Add the yeast on one side of the bowl and the salt on the other. Don't let them touch as salt kills yeast. Mix lightly together.
2. Measure the milk and water into a microwave safe jug. Add the butter. Cook for about 30 seconds in the microwave to melt the butter and slightly warm the milk mixture.  The temperature should be only blood warm.  Take care not to over heat.
3. Holding some of the liquid mixture back, stir it into the dry mixture, adding only enough to give you  a soft dough. It may be a bit sticky, and you may not need it all.  Cover bowl with a sheet of plastic cling film and then cover with a clean tea towel.  Set aside in a warm, draft free place for 12 to 18 hours.  (You can refrigerate the dough after 18 hours if you are not quite ready to griddle them.)
4. When you are ready to bake, dust a surface lightly with flour.  Scrape the dough out onto the surface.  Recover with the cling film and kitchen towel.  Let rest for 10 minutes. 
5. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
6. At the end of the rest time, gently pat out to a thickness of about 1 inch.  Using a  sharp 3 inch round metal cutter dusted in flour, stamp out rounds, removing and placing them onto the baking sheet as you cut them out, leaving plenty of space in between.  Continue until you have cut all the rounds out.  Any scraps leftover can be rerolled and cut into rounds, although they won't be quite as perfect in appearance as the others.
7. Cover the muffins with cling film and the kitchen towel and set aside to rest for 45 minutes.
8. At the end of that time heat a large non-stick skillet over medium low heat. It should feel quite warm when you hold your hand just above the surface.  Working in batches, carefully remove the muffins from the baking sheet, about 4 at a time, and transfer them into the heated pan.   Do not crowd them. Leave at least 2 inches between each muffin. Cover with a lid and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes until golden brown on the underside.  Having the lid on will create steam which will help the muffins to rise and cook thoroughly.
9. Once the underside is golden brown, carefully flip over and toast on the other side.
10. Set aside to let them cool slightly before eating.  I like to split them in half  using a fork, sticking it carefully into the centre of the muffins all the way around and gently pulling them apart.  This gives you lots of craggy bits.  Serve warm with butter and jam.
11. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.  Split and toast in a toaster or under the grill. You make also freeze the in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

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In fact these are so good thatI think that I may have to make some again really soon.  I highly recommend! 

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