White Bread with Steel Cut Oats

In October 2007 we developed a process for making good tasting white bread with a nice open crumb and an arguably better nutritional profile than many of the commercial breads which are based on refined starches, often with a high content of white rice. During the past 3-1/2 years we've worked on methods to make the bread better in terms of greater loft and reduced fat. Below is an amended white bread recipe with an interesting optional addition - one serving of steel cut oatmeal leftover from breakfast. The oatmeal adds quite a lot of moisture to the bread, imparts a nice oat flavor, gives it a gentle toothsomeness and improves its second-day, room temperature edibility. The particular blends of flour are probably key to the bread quality because they contain ingredients—sweet rice flour and Expandex—that greatly enhance the stretch of the bread. We did not test the bread with other types of flour. The two different types of flour were used in 50% - 50% combination.

Because this is high-moisture bread, it should be cooked in small loaf pans, tuna tins, or mini-pie pans . This recipe is perfect for breakfast because the bread is slightly sweet.

White bread with steel cut oats
If you want to add steel cut oats, prepare oats as you would for a breakfast cereal, adding the amount of sugar, ground cinnamon and raisins you would normally use for oatmeal.
Amount (volume)	Amount (weight)	Ingredient
1/4 cup		Water - 110° F
1/2 teaspoon		White sugar
1 Tablespoon	1 package	Instant yeast

1-3/4 Cup	7 oz	GF Bread Flour (see below)
1-3/4 Cup	7 oz	GF Pizza Flour (see below) Alternatively, you could use your favorite GF all purpose flour. Ours is here.
3 teaspoons	0.6 oz	50% - 50% mixture of guar and xanthan gums or 100% xanthan gum if you don't have gaur gum
1 teaspoon	0.1 oz	Kosher salt
1 teaspoon	0.2 oz	Baking soda
2 Tablespoons	1 oz	White Sugar

2 Tablespoons		Olive oil (lite or extra virgin)
1 teaspoon		Vinegar
1 Cup		Water - 120° F
1/2 Cup		Egg whites (either fresh egg whites or liquid egg whites only in a carton at the dairy case). You could also use two whole eggs, instead.

1/2 Cup	1.25 oz	Raisins
		Cornmeal for dusting pans
		Margarine for preparing pans

Instructions

Add first three ingredients, mix well until yeast is dissolved and place in a warm location until the yeast mixture is very foamy. Under the light in the oven is a good place.
Mix the five dry ingredients in a bowl using a whisk to ensure even distribution.
Into the work bowl of a stand mixer add the warm, ready-to-eat leftover steel cut oat cereal. Mix thoroughly for 3 - 4 minutes. This will break up oatmeal clots and totally pulverize the plumped raisins.
Into the work bowl of a stand mixer add the liquid ingredients. Next add the dry ingredients except the raisins. Mix well for 3 - 4 on high minutes. If batter is too thick, add 1 Tablespoon of water.
Turn the dough out into baking pans that have been well greased with margarine and dusted with cornmeal. Use the back of a spoon dampened in water to make the tops of the bread even.
Spray lightly with olive oil before rising and then once again just before baking.
Raise in a warm location until doubled in bulk, approximately 1 hour.
Bake mini loaf pans or mini pie tins at 375° F in a convection oven (actually 350° F in a convection oven) for 30 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads above 200° F. Don't allow the thermometer to touch the bottom of the bread and read the temperature of the bread pan. The inside will be sticky but will become firm upon cooling.
Allow to fully cool before wrapping in plastic wrap for freezing.
Bread at room temperature is quite edible the next day. Allow the oatmeal bread to become very cool at room temperature or else it will be sticky. Bread without oatmeal will be less sticky when hot.
Makes about 14 servings.

**Gluten Free High Protein Bread Flour Recipe** (55% whole grain)
Amount	Ingredient
1 Cup	Bean Flour (White bean flour preferred. Garbanzo is OK but the bread will have a stronger bean flavor. Purchase from Barry Farm [Ohio] or Bob's Red Mill [Oregon])
1-1/2 Cups	Whole grain Sorghum flour (Bob's Red Mill, Barry Farm or other)
1 Cup	Corn starch
3/4 Cup	Tapioca starch
1/4 Cup	Expandex - If you cannot locate Expandex* then substitute 100% of the tapioca starch and Expandex in this recipe with 1 Cup Original Chebe Mix

* In Northern California, Expandex can be ordered from Gluten Free Specialties.

GF Pizza Flour Blend (63% whole grain)
Amount	Ingredient
1/2 Cup	Sorghum flour
1/2 Cup	Brown rice flour
1/4 Cup + 2 Tbs	Potato starch
2 Tablespoons	White rice flour
2 Tablespoons	Sweet rice flour
1/4 Cup	Millet flour
2 Tablespoons	Tapioca starch or Chebe Original Mix

Here is how we make steel-cut oats cereal:

Use a large enough pan. It cooks up in volume.
Put dry oats in the pan. use 1/4 cup for each serving.
Add 1 cup of water for every 1/4 cup of oats that you use.
Add some sugar
Add some cinnamon
Add raisins
A lot of people also add butter/margarine to the cereal but we haven't in years.
We always make at least 2 servings because it takes so long to cook and the extra serving will heat up the next morning.
Turn the burner on to medium high and cook uncovered until it boils gently. Then turn down the heat to a 2, or medium low, cover the pot, and simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes, depending upon how chewy you like your oats. Stir from time to time. It will get thick and creamy as it nears completion. If you like your oatmeal even more chewy, try using 3/4 cup water instead of 1 cup/per 1/4 cup oats.