Honey Oats & Groats Bread

Buckwheat groats are very versatile. If you’ve never used them in your cooking, consider adding them for some variety. (They’re gluten-free.) You can use them in meatless (or even with meat) chilis, in place of rice in soups and stews, or just cook them up, add some milk, raisins, and cinnamon, and make a tasty breakfast. Groats have a nutty flavor, and what I used here are the raw buckwheat groats. Roasted groats are what is known as kasha, and you could use them in this recipe as well if you prefer them.

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Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 15 minutes (not counting rising time)   Cook Time: 25-30 minutes  

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup buckwheat groats
1 cup rolled oats*
4 cups all-purpose flour**

Directions

This is a Grandmother Bread recipe.

*The oats can be quick-cooking or regular.

**This is more flour than usual in a Grandmother Bread recipe because of the moisture in the groats after they’ve been softened. It’s also a very approximate measurement because the moisture in your groats will vary!

Bring a small pot of water, enough to cover groats, to a boil. Turn off heat. Add groats. Let groats soften for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey, and salt. Let sit five minutes. Drain groats; add groats and oats to the bowl. Stir in flour with a heavy spoon until dough becomes too stiff to continue stirring easily. Add a little more flour and begin kneading. The amount of flour is approximate–your mileage may vary, especially in this recipe as the amount of moisture left in your groats will vary. This is a sticky dough, because of the groats so beware of adding too much flour. Only add enough so that you can handle the dough.

Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled. (Usually, 30-60 minutes.) Uncover bowl; sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again before shaping dough into a loaf. Place in a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle more oats on top and lightly press into the dough.

Cover with greased wax paper or a wet paper towel. Let rise until loaf is tall and beautiful! (About an hour, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.) Bake for 25-30 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven.

Note: You can use straight all-purpose flour as I did here, part whole wheat, or make it all whole wheat. (Use homemade dough enhancer if you’re making it with all whole wheat.)

Categories: Breads, Yeast Breads

Submitted by: suzanne-mcminn on February 29, 2012