Now that I have this blog up and running, I suddenly feel like I have no time to cook. Rather than perusing recipes after work, I find myself researching WordPress plugins and photography tips, like this helpful article from Pinch of Yum’s Lindsay Ostrom. As a newbie to the food blogging world, it’s both exciting and overwhelming. On a positive note, I’ve already experienced firsthand the generosity of the blogging community.
Just the other day, I reached out to Lindsay with a question about something I read on her blog. I received a reply from her within 24 hours. And while she didn’t have the answer, she referred me to a designer/developer who might. So I reached out to that person, not expecting a response as a non-paying client. But she got back to me with the information I was looking for. Later in the week, I reached out to another blogger via Twitter with yet another question – and got the same quick feedback!
As a PR professional who’s used to pitching reporters and not getting a response, it was a pleasant surprise. Hopefully this is just a taste of what’s to come as I break into the blogging world.
But back to the bread. Until I have time to cook up something new for you, I’ll leave you with this honey oat loaf – one that’s definitely worthy of making again. (Yes, I said it.) It’s soft yet hearty, and slightly sweet. You can eat it plain, slathered with butter or as part of a sandwich. I turned a few slices into French toast and was pleased with the results.
Recipe adapted from Bakingdom.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cups rolled oats, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
- ¼ cup honey, plus 2 tablespoons (warmed) for topping
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, yeast and salt. I always make yeast breads by hand, but you could also mix everything in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- In a separate bowl, warm the milk until it's hot enough to melt the butter - a minute in the microwave should do. Stir in the butter, and then add the water and honey.
- Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, stirring everything until it comes together to form a shaggy ball. Then knead the dough by hand (or with a dough hook attachment) until it's smooth and elastic - this will take about 10 minutes (less if using a stand mixer). If you're making this recipe by hand, the dough may be very sticky at first, so flour your hands and work surface generously. Add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to your work surface. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled, 1-2 hours.
- Once doubled, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. With your fingers, flatten the dough into a 12"x9" rectangle. Starting at the short end, tightly roll the dough to make a loaf shape. Pinch the seam and ends to seal and place the shaped dough into a 9"x5" or 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan. Cover the loaf with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
- During the last 15 minutes of rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place an empty oven-safe dish or baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
- When the loaf has doubled in size, brush the top with the warmed honey and sprinkle with oats. Place the bread in the oven and quickly pour the boiling water into the empty dish or baking sheet. (This helps create a glossy crust.) Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown color.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing and serving.
YAY! So happy you’ve had a warm welcome to the blogging world, and so happy I could be a part of it! This sandwich bread looks unreal good, girl — so beautifully sliced, too. Excited to keep following you, Allison 🙂 and congrats on your beautiful new blog!
Cynthia – Thanks so much for the support and for stopping by!