molasses oat bread
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We don’t go to the mall all that often, but when we do you can be sure the first stop is the food court. Ian always seems to be in desperate need of lunch as soon as the car is parked. Of course the kids never disagree when fast food is being offered up. 4 people, 4 different stops. Burgers for Charlie. A smoothie or salad for Stella. Ian is crazy for a good noodle bowl, and I always opt for a chicken salad sandwich.
Our mall went through a renovation, and the food court changed a lot. My sandwich stop is now a steak and bbq restaurant.
So, I’ve started making chicken salad at home, but it turns out it’s actually the bread that made the sandwich. The sandwich at the mall was served on thick, sweet, molasses bread, and it’s just not the same when made with anything else. Believe me, I’ve tried.
I found a recipe for molasses bread in an old cookbook, but made a few changes.The bread at the mall had oats on the outside of the loaf, so I added oats to the dough. I meant to add them on top before baking, but forgot. I also replaced the water with milk. It adds a bit more sweetness to the bread and makes for a softer loaf. The end result was exactly what I was looking for, minus the oats missing from the top. Next time I’ll make sure to remember.
The bread was so delicious, I didn’t even need the chicken salad, just some butter.
molasses oat bread
Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup hot milk
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
Directions:
- combine the flour, oats, yeast, and salt in a large bowl
- whisk together the milk, molasses, and melted butter
- stir milk into the dry ingredients
- knead dough either by hand or with the dough hook of a stand mixer, until you have a soft smooth ball (about 8 minutes)
- place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover to let rise 1 hour (or until doubled in size)
- punch dough down, and place into a greased bread pan, cover and rise until the dough rises 1 inch above the rim of the bread pan (30 – 45 minutes)
- preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- bake bread for 35 – 40 minutes
- cool in pan 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack
If you don’t like the flavor of molasses, this is not the bread for you. It’s not overpowering, but the molasses flavor is definitely there. If you prefer a more mild loaf, reduce the amount of molasses to 1/4 cup, or try replacing it with brown sugar.
I am absolutely in love with this molasses oat bread (and think you will be too), and see many loaves happening in my kitchen this fall.
enjoy!
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This sounds like a winner! I adore the addition of both oats and molasses. I’m just afraid I would eat half the loaf smeared with butter in one sitting. Bread and butter is my crack. I might just risk it!
I have eaten the entire loaf by myself seriously. but it was worth every bite
Wow!! I would not have thought to use molasses in a bread like this. Love this idea. Your photos are gorgeous!
thank you so much Erin! it is by far my most favorite loaf ever!!
We just saw Diners Drive-ins and Dives make bread like this and I made a mental note to make some. Yours looks even better. I adore brown bread.
it really is heavenly! thanks Christie
This bread looks absolutely perfect! I love a dark, rich bread with lots of flavor and this one fits the bill!
thank you so much Cynthia! this is by far the best bread I have ever made
I made the recipe and loved it. But I do have one question. In other bread recipes using oats, I usually soak the oats first to soften them. This recipe doesn’t call for that, and I found I didn’t love the dry oats throughout the loaf. However, in your photo, I don’t see the oats in the sliced loaf. Any thoughts on that? Thanks
it could be the oats themselves – I always use Bob’s Red Mill, and I do think they are finer in texture. You could definitley soak the oats first, or pass them through a food processor to smooth the texture a bit before adding to the loaf
Has anyone tried this with whole wheat or white whole wheat flour?
I have not, but would love to hear how it turns out if you try it
But where is the chicken salad recipe! I’m going to make this bread and that sandwich sounds amazing
i’ve been working on one that is a bit ore weight watcher friendly ? thanks so much
What size bread pan do you use? They vary so much, I’d like to make sure I have the correct size pan. Thanks.
I use a standard 9 inch loa pan