So, I decided to actually try that recipe on the back of the oatmeal bag the other day. You know the one, it’s usually printed right there, looking simple enough. Thought I’d give it a whirl and see what happened.
Getting Started
First thing, I dug out all the stuff I needed. Found that bag of quick oats I was talking about. Grabbed the flour – just regular all-purpose, nothing special. Needed some yeast, sugar (just a touch), salt, some warm water, and a bit of oil. Had everything in the pantry, thankfully. Didn’t feel like running to the store.
Mixing it Up
I got out my biggest mixing bowl. Dumped in the oats, most of the flour, the yeast, sugar, and salt. Gave that a quick mix with a wooden spoon just to get it all acquainted.
Then I added the warm water and the oil. Started mixing it all together. It gets pretty sticky pretty fast, you know how dough is. Added the rest of the flour bit by bit until it started coming away from the sides of the bowl. It still looked like a shaggy mess, but that’s usually how these things start.
The Kneading Part (or lack thereof)
Turned the whole blob out onto my floured counter. Now, some recipes want you to knead for ages. This one felt simpler. I just folded it over on itself and pushed it down, turned it, folded, pushed. Did that for maybe five, eight minutes? Didn’t time it perfectly. Just went until it felt a bit more springy and less like a sticky monster. My hands were covered in dough, naturally.
Letting it Rise
Shaped it into a rough ball, plopped it back into the bowl (after adding a slick of oil so it wouldn’t stick). Covered the bowl with a clean tea towel. Found a warm-ish spot on the counter, away from drafts. Then, I just walked away. Left it alone for about an hour, maybe a bit more. You’re supposed to let it double, and it got pretty puffy.
Shaping and Baking
After it rose, I punched it down gently – always feels weird doing that. Took it out, shaped it into a sort of oblong loaf shape. Nothing fancy, just tucked the ends under. Placed it into a greased loaf pan. Let it sit there for another 30 minutes or so, just to get its second wind.
While that was happening, I preheated the oven. When the time was up, I popped the pan into the hot oven. Then the waiting game really began. The house started to smell really good. That warm, yeasty, slightly sweet oat smell. That’s honestly half the reason I bake bread.
The Final Result
Baked it for about 30-40 minutes. I tapped the top, sounded kind of hollow, which is the signal I look for. Took it out, turned the loaf out of the pan pretty quick onto a wire rack to cool. It looked like proper bread! A bit rustic, maybe not perfectly shaped, but definitely bread.
Waiting for it to cool is the hardest part. Seriously. But I managed to wait until it was just warm, not piping hot. Sliced into it. The texture was nice, soft but with a bit of chew from the oats.
- Grabbed some butter.
- Slathered it on a warm slice.
- Took a bite.
Yeah, it was pretty decent. Simple, honest bread. Nothing groundbreaking, but satisfying to make something yourself just from following the back of the bag. Definitely worth doing again when I have a lazy afternoon.
