Just thinking about this oatmeal, cinnamon, and raisin bread makes me hungry. The perfect sweetened breakfast snack. And it’s kind of healthy too, so it should fit right in with the New Year’s resolutions.
It may be a simple recipe, but it packs a punch of flavour. The aromatic cinnamon, sweet honey and oats work together perfectly with the raisins and whole wheat flour. Savoury and sweet – the best of both worlds.
This makes the best toasted sweet sandwiches. Bananas, Nutella, jam and/or peanut butter – it’s all good. But if that is not to your taste, then it will work just as well with butter and cheese. Like the Caribbean Bun & Cheese I made a while back.
You may glance at the ingredients and think – that looks like a lot of yeast. And you’d be right. There is a good reason for it though and I only learned this recently. Cinnamon significantly slows down fermentation because it contains a chemical compound (cinnamic aldehyde) which impairs the yeast’s activity.
Other spies such as mace, allspice, and nutmeg will have the same effect. And I was wondering why my hot cross buns were taking so long!
Other than that, it is a pretty standard bread. You can make it as a free-standing loaf, or you can proof and bake it in a tin. The dough can also be divided into smaller rolls.
It will be sticky when you knead it. There is no way around it. The honey, oats, whole wheat flour, and the moderate hydration will all contribute to this. Do not get discouraged. Keep kneading and it will come together.
If you do not want milk in your dough, then replace it with 25g (0.9oz) water.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
300g (10.6oz) white bread flour
50g (1.75oz) whole wheat flour
60g (2.1oz) oat bran or oats
20g (0.7oz) honey
20g (0.7oz) olive oil or vegetable oil
7g (0.25oz) salt
5g (0.17oz) instant dry yeast or 6g (0.21oz) active dry yeast or 15g (0.52oz) fresh yeast
5g (0.17oz) ground cinnamon
110g (3.9oz) currants or raisins
35g (1.25oz) milk
220g (7.75oz) cold water*
*To learn more about dough temperature control click here.
Extra oats to cover the loaf (optional). You can also use seeds if you like.
Method
- Soak the currants. Cover with room temperature water and leave to hydrate for 30 minutes. Drain well and leave on the side for later.
- In a large bowl combine the water, milk, yeast, salt, cinnamon, oil, and honey. Mix well to dissolve the salt and hydrate the yeast. Add the oats, white, and whole wheat flours. Mix until there is no dry flour left.
- Tip the dough out on your table and knead for 7 minutes. It will be super sticky, but don’t get discouraged. Scrape the dough together occasionally and continue kneading.
- Spread the dough out and add the raisins. Fold up and keep kneading for another 2 minutes. *Desired dough temperature 26C (79F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust proofing time accordingly.
- Cover and ferment for 1.5 hours.
- Fold.
- Cover and ferment for 1.5 hours.
- Shape the loaf. You can leave it as it is, or you can do what I did and cover the loaf with oats or seeds. Rub the surface with water and roll the loaf in the coating to make it stick.
- Place in a proofing basket with the seam side up. Cover and ferment for 1.5 hours or until well puffed up. *During the final hour of fermentation preheat your oven and your baking vessel to 200C (390F) fan off.
- Invert the loaf on the hot pan. Score. Cover and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on.
- Remove the lid and bake for 20 minutes longer.
Cool down and enjoy!
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
Watch the video here
