What a gloomy Sunday in Chicago. Apparently they are talking about a huge snowstorm mid-week. Huge as in feet of snow! We shall see…
My mom gave me a bread machine for Christmas and I love it. I have had fun making whole wheat bread for sandwiches, fruit filled breakfast breads, yummy cinnamon rolls and the list goes on and on. The biggest reason why I didn’t make much bread previously was the fear of making dough. I think that’s the hardest part about making bread or anything with yeast. This bread machine has a “dough” function so it just makes the dough for you so that you can bake it in your oven if you chose to do that. The dough always come out perfectly – not too sticky and not too dry.
She got me this bread machine from Food Network.
I think most of them are pretty similar so unless you own a bakery or something, I’d just purchase one that does basic functions. Now let’s make some bread!
Rolled Oat Bread
Adapted from: All Recipes
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Directions:
1. Add ingredients to bread machine pan in order recommended by your manufacturer.
2. Put on regular or white setting.
Nutrition Notes: Let’s take a peek at rolled oats – soluble and insoluble fiber, slows digestion, good source of nutrients, high in protein, cancer-fighting properties, helps to lower LDL cholesterol levels. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine confirms that eating high fiber foods, such as oats, helps prevent heart disease. Have I convinced you to add rolled oats to your diet yet? 
So what’s the difference between rolled oats and steel cut oats? They are from the same plant, just cut differently. Rolled oats are steamed slightly to make them cook faster, but otherwise, they aren’t much different from steel cut oats. Steel cut oats have a nuttier flavor, the texture is much like mushy rice and they take a lot longer to cook. Their nutritional comparison is nearly identical but steel cut oats are less processed so many people tend to choose to eat them over rolled oats.
Taste Test: This is my favorite bread so far to come out of my bread machine. It’s soft in the middle and has a nice crust on the outside. It really tastes like fresh bakery bread! Enjoy!
