Time to try a new path...

A lot of the bread I try is from the 

Mellow Baker's handbook - Hamelman's 'Bread'.

But I was curious.

There are a ton of bread recipes out there 

that have oat meal in them, 

but not so many that have oat flour.

I have a pantry full of oat flour.

I can't help it.

I go to the 'Hippie Store', 

and things like that just call to me. 

Hippie Store.  

Ten years after my mother's passing, 

and my she still finds a way 

to worm into the conversation.

The 'Natural Foods Cooperative' is just too much to type.

So anyway, I thought about what I like in bread.

So far, I really like Hamelman's 'Light Rye'.

A lot.

Seriously.

Ten pounds later, without using butter, and I am wearing the proof around my waist. 

There is really only about a cup of rye in that bread, but the pre-ferment is some sourdough starter and water and rye flour.  It really gets a lot of flavor out of one cup of grain.

See it coming?

Yep.  One cup of oat flour, one cup of water, two tablespoons of Gladass' best froth:

After about six hours it seemed like the levain was ready, so I added five cups of flour, a tablespoon of powdered milk, two cups of water, a tablespoon of Kosher salt, a teaspoon of yeast, and just a little drizzle of honey.

The dough worked up really nicely.

Sorry to leave this post inchoate, but I do not have access, right now, to the pictures for the rest of it.  This Bread came out with a great flavor, even if I did not proof it in the pan long enough.  

The rest of the pictures are coming, really!


Update:  June 9, 2010.

Not that impressed, but OK with it.

I had a dumb idea that it needed to be glazed in butter
which was tasty, but kind of took all of the decorative rolled oats away.  They were cleaned up my Emma, Phoebe, and me.
Actually, they were really nutty flavored after being baked and, drenched in butter, they were pretty tasty.

The first thought was that there was not a great
deal of oven spring, which should not have surprised me.  
The second opinion is that they were
pretty heavy in weight.  
It was good when it was still warm, 
but that is true of most bread.


Once it cooled, we toasted some 
and ate it with tuna salad.  
It was OK, but just OK, even when toasted.  
The flavor of the oat flour just was 
not that distinct or impressive. 

The Darling Bride noted:  
"You would not have to make that one again."


Followed by, 
"Yeah, I suppose you are gonna 
quote me in your blog again?"

I hate to disappoint her, so yeah, I did...