Oatmeal molasses bread is still my favorite bread recipe in the entire world. My mom used to make it when I was little, and I’d eat it fresh out of the oven. It has a soft and chewy texture with a mildly sweet flavor.
Making the Dough
The older directions called for proofing yeast separately in a bowl, but that’s not necessary with instant yeast. Put all of the following into a mixing bowl:
2 1/2 c. warm water or milk (Powdered milk works well too.)
1 T. sugar
1 T. yeast
2 T. oil
2 t. salt
1 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. molasses
Stir until the ingredients are just combined. Add to the bowl and stir until a dough forms:
6 c. flour
If it seems too sticky, add about 1 more cup of flour.
Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour in a warm oven.
Spray two loaf pans and additional oil on the counter. Knead the dough a few times until it’s elastic, then divide it into 2 pieces.
Put the loaves into the prepared pans and let them rise a warm oven. I turn my oven on for 3 minutes, then turn it off and set a timer for 30 minutes. If the loaves haven’t risen enough by then, I set a timer for more time.
Baking the Loaves
When the loaves have risen to the tops of the bread pans, turn the oven to 350 and bake the loaves for 40-45 minutes, or until they are browned.
After removing the loaves from the oven, butter the tops by rubbing a cold stick of butter over the hot loaf. Each loaf will use about 1/2 T. of butter.
Wait 10 minutes before turning the loaves out onto a cooling rack. Oatmeal molasses bread slices much better once it’s cooled, but warm bread with butter is so delicious!
Oatmeal Molasses Bread: Mom’s Recipe
Equipment
- 2 bread pans
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups warm water or milk for a softer texture
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup molasses not blackstrap
- 6-7 cups flour
Instructions
- Add all but the flour to a mixing bowl and stir until combined.2 1/2 cups warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon yeast, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup molasses
- Add 6 cups of flour and stir until the dough forms. If it's sticky, add up to another cup of flour.6-7 cups flour
- Let the dough rise until doubled in size. In a warm oven, this takes about an hour.
- Grease 2 loaf pans. Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Knead to get the bubbles out and form 2 loaves.
- Let the loaves rise until puffy, about 30 minutes, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake the loaves for 40-45 minutes, or until they are well-browned.
- Optional: spread butter over the tops of the warm loaves while they're still in the pans. Let them sit for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack. For best slicing results, wait until they're completely cool.