Maritime Oatmeal Bread

Makes 2 loaves

Use half the molasses for a bread that's less sweet.

Charlotte

Maritime Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons lard
½ cup molasses
1 tsp. granulated sugar
½ cup lukewarm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast or 1 tbsp. (15 ml)
5 cups flour approximately

Instructions
Pour boiling water over rolled oats. Add salt, lard and molasses; mix well and let stand until lukewarm. Meanwhile, dissolve sugar in lukewarm water; add yeast and let stand for 10 minutes until frothy. Combine oats mixture and dissolved yeast. Gradually add enough flour until you have soft dough. Knead on a floured board for 5 to 10 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl; turn dough to grease all over. Cover and let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in volume, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Punch down dough and shape into 2 loaves; place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise again until doubled, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Bake in 350 F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on top.

Serve this hearty coarse-textured bread with your favorite chowder.

Maritime Oatmeal Bread Ingredients 

Yeast rising in cup and oatmeal mix cooling in bowl

Adding yeast to oatmeal mix

Adding most of the flour at once

Dough on floured mat

Dough in fully ready for bowl

Dough on greased bowl, cover today rise

Dough is double in bulk

Cut dough in half, shape and add to greased bread pan

Dough in greased pan, ready for second rise

Dough after second rise, before baking