President's Day All-American Weekend: New England Oat Bread

love breads! Whether it be a crusty European bread, a flat South American bread, a savory African bread or a steamed Asian bread -- when it comes to bread, the joy of eating takes on a whole new meaning. The bread I will share with you today is true Americana. It is a New England classic loaf bread called Oat Bread and it is one of my favorite sandwich type of breads. The texture is amazing and the subtle sweetness makes it absolutely perfect for tuna salad, chicken salad or a scrumptious thinly sliced roast beef sandwich.

Before we get to the recipe, I should give you a warning about this bread. The dough will be something totally new. Because the wetness of the dough is unlike most other breads (it is a little stiffer than a batter), you might think you have done something worng. You haven't! Even though this is a yeast bread, you can't really knead this dough because of its liquid content. What you will do instead is stir it vigorously in the bowl it will do its rising in. This bread does have three rising periods, so it does take some time from start to finish but it will be well worth the wait.

Ingredients for New England Oat Bread (makes 2 loaves):

• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups rolled oats (NOT the instant variety)
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 2 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt

Steps:

1. Into a large bowl pour the boiling water and stir in the rolled oats and the butter. Set the bowl aside about 10 minutes for the oats to cool.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the yeast, warm water and honey. Set the bowl aside for the yeast to proof (foam).
3. Stir the proofed yeast into the oats
4. Stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup of flour. Cover the bowl and let rise 1 hour.
5. Stir in the remaining flour and salt until well combined. Cover the bowl and let rise 1 hour.
6. Line the bottoms of 2 loaf pans with parchment paper.
7. Divide the dough in half and place each half into each of the prepared loaf pans (wet your hands while doing this to keep the dough from sticking).
8. Set each pan aside and let dough rise 1 hour.
9. Pre-heat oven to 350.
10. Place in oven and bake 45 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and let cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

Chef's Note: This bread also freezes quite well. Just wrap it in plastic wrap and then foil. If you want a real taste treat, make French Toast with this bread (using thick slices) and top it off with some whipped cream and fresh berries!

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