Oatmeal Pan Bread

This is a Special Occasion Bread.

And by that I mean that this isn't going to be as "hands-off" as some of the other breads I've posted, like this one and this one. BUT that does NOT mean that this recipe is difficult! I only mean that this one maybe demands a slight bit more of your focus and attention. That's all. No special equipment, no crazy ingredients. Just your brain and your hands. Ok? Great!

Now, are you ready to make, and consume, the best bread you've ever had in your life?

Herbed Oatmeal Pan Bread
Recipe from my mother-in-law
Prep time: 20 minutes   Rise time: 1 hour total   Bake time: 25-30 minutes

Bread:
2 cups water
1 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp butter
3 3/4 to 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (two of those little packets)
1 egg

Herb Topping:
6 tbsp butter, melted and divided
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1. Grease a 9x13 baking pan (OR two 8 or 9-inch square pans if you want one tonight and the other for tomorrow). Set aside.

2. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in rolled oats. Remove from heat and stir in the 3 tbsp butter. Cool to 120-130 degrees F.

No thermometer? Touch it. If it's tingly hot, but you're not screaming in pain, it's good to go.

3. In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast; blend well. Add the rolled oats mixture and egg. Blend with an electric mixer at low speed until moistened; increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes. By hand, stir in 1 3/4 cups to 2 1/2 cups flour to form stiff dough.

Add in the oatmeal.

Sorry about that finger slipping into the shot.

Looking kinda soupy but we'll tighten it up!

Stir, stir, stir

Use those muscles!

4. On a floured surface, knead in 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape dough into ball; cover with large bowl. Let rest 15 minutes. Punch down dough to remove all air bubbles.

Nice and smooth and ready-to-rise

Cover and maybe tidy up the kitchen a bit.

A little bit bigger than before

Got any aggression you need to let out?

5. Press the dough into the greased pan. Using a sharp knife, cut diagonal lines 1 1/2" apart, cutting completely through the dough. Repeat in opposite direction creating diamond pattern. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and a cloth towel**. Let rise in a warm place until light and doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

The dough might take some coaxing to press into the corners.

Cut carefully.

We're getting closer! This is ready to cover and rise again.

**Get Ahead: To bake at a later time, at this point let stand at room temperature for only 20 minutes. Remove cloth towel and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. Remove plastic wrap from dough; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake as directed below.

6. Heat oven to 375 F. Uncover dough. Redefine cuts by poking the tip of the knife into the cuts until the knife hits the bottom of the pan; do not pull the knife through the dough. Spoon 4 tablespoons of melted butter over the cut dough. Bake for 15 minutes.

This pan stayed in my fridge for 24 hours before looking this pretty.

BUTTER

7. While the bread bakes, combine the cheese, basil, oregano, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Brush remaining 2 tablespoons butter over the partially baked bread. Sprinkle with the herb topping. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This little bowl will take this bread over the top.

Half-baked and ready for the fun stuff!

Omg it just keeps getting better!

I watched my mother-in-law make this bread for years, in awe, before I finally felt confident enough to make this myself.  I mean, come on, the need to measure the temperature of an ingredient?  Kneading??  Clearly this was some crazy Laura-Ingalls-Wilder-esque recipe that was much too difficult for me to handle.

I knew, after my first time making this, that I could not have been more wrong. This. Is. EASY.

Because after making some oatmeal (touching it to make sure it was hot but not too hot), stirring up some dough, punching dough, and watching a clock, I had the most amazing bread I've ever eaten. These rolls are light but hearty. Buttery golden, and pure herb-y deliciousness. I won't tell you that you'll stop at seconds. Rather, I'll just say that no one will judge you for having fourths.

And that's why this is Special Occasion Bread.

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Does anyone else have that problem when it comes to uber-ripe bananas?  I mean, sure, the classic use for those soft fruits is banana bread.  I like banana bread.  It's good.  It's fine.

It's boring.

So as easy as it is to use up my extra, ripe bananas in some bread, I'm always on the lookout for newer, different recipes.

Recipes like this one!

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Recipe from my mom
Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 5ish minutes per pancake

1 medium ripe banana, mashed

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 cup quick oatmeal

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons ground flax seed*

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 eggs

2 cups milk

*If you don't have flax seed you can leave it out but cut down on the amount of milk. You could also substitute some finely chopped walnuts for the flax seed but you would still need to cut the milk - about 1/4 cup.

1.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk briskly until batter is smooth. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2.  Drop by 1/4 cup measure onto hot griddle. Let cook until golden brown around edges and bubbles form in middle of pancake. Flip and let cook 1-2 minutes more. Makes 12 pancakes.

I. Love. These. Pancakes!!!  They are so tasty, and so easy, and just so good for you it makes me do a happy dance when I notice I have bananas getting a little too brown.  Not only do I love the taste of these golden disks of happiness, I love how much easier they make breakfast, snack time, or dinner.  Mix up a batch Sunday evening and you're set for breakfast for a week (yes, the batter keeps that long in the fridge)!  Use a couple tablespoons of batter to make silver dollar-sized cakes for a quick and simple snack at a play date.  Or make up the batter in the morning before work, and come home to the always popular Breakfast-for-Dinner meal ready and waiting for you!

And, if you've got a pancake pen, your life just got even easier.  Store the batter in this little gem and suddenly you're able to make pancakes in one hand while comforting a whiny but curious 2-year-old who just wants his Mama and to see what she's doing on top of that big, black stove.

Fruit Oatmeal Bars

I just love when Gavin's Snack Day rolls around.  It's my chance to play with recipes I otherwise probably wouldn't try!

And then I wouldn't know how awesome and EASY these bars are and that would just be a shame.

Fruit Oatmeal Bars
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman
Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 40 minutes

14 tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) cold butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 jar (10-12oz) jam or preserves of your choice

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.

I used old-fashioned oats because I wanted more texture.

2.  Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Hint: don't use fresh-from-the-fridge COLD butter.  Your arm will thank me.

Cool butter will suffice.

3.  Sprinkle half the mixture into the pan and pat lightly to pack it a little tight. Spoon the preserves evenly over the surface, then carefully spread it around. Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly again.

Use a flat-bottomed vessel to help get an even & flat bottom layer.

Very gently spread the jam around so you don't pull up the crust.

I could just eat this as-is.

4.  Bake until light golden brown on top, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan.  When cool, cut into squares and serve.

Still have a TON of jam from last summer's canning session?  GREAT way to use it up!

You'll probably see a lot more recipes in the next few months that use jam or preserves.  And it's all Gavin's fault.  No really, it is!  I embarked on a giant canning effort last summer because my darling older boy LIVES for PB&J sandwiches.  So I made a number of batches of jam last summer, while congratulating myself that I wouldn't have to buy jam for a year.  And then school started.  And then he began requesting his sandwiches with just peanut butter.  No jam.  No honey.  Just the PB.  Really Gavin?! Really???  *sigh*

At least this recipe used up an entire big jar of my yummy 3 Berry Honey Jam (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries)!  And these were soooo good that I might just have to make another pan on this later today for us to munch on at home.  Delicious!!!

Strawberry Yogurt Muffins

I am always on a quest for easy, tasty, HEALTHY breakfast items that could be enjoyed at home OR quickly grabbed as we race out the door.

Bingo!!

Strawberry Yogurt Muffins
Recipe from The Dashing Dish
Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 25 minutes

2 1/2 cups oats
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup strawberries

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with silicone or foil liners, (or just use a silicone muffin pan).

2.  Place all of the ingredients (except the strawberries) in a blender or food processor, and blend until oats are smooth. Pour mixture into a medium sized bowl, and stir in strawberries.

3.  Divide batter among cupcake liners, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Not only are these easy to make (dump in the FP and push a button),they are CHOCK FULL of healthy ingredients that I always keep around anyway!  And you could really use any fruit you happen to have on-hand.  I still have some strawberries from our jam adventures last summer, but blueberries, peaches, raspberries, or cooked apples would all be good.  If you're using a frozen fruit, just be sure to that them out first before stirring them into the batter.

Whole Grain Pancakes

Remember my meal plan for this week?  Yeah, you could probably disregard that.  It's just going to be one of Those Weeks.  Because right now I have a feverish 5-year-old quietly playing with Legos in the dining room.  And I have a feverish 19-month-old spread across my lap.  And apparently the only cure for whatever my 19-month-old has is constant Mommy Contact.  Constant.  As in all the time.  Poor baby. :(

But no matter what I make, or don't make, this week, I did make some pretty outrageous pancakes last week.  Like, awesomely outrageous.  So good that I'll just leave you with my Picky Eater's words about them:

"Mama, you made these 100% YUM."

Whole-Grain Pancakes
Recipe from Food Network Magazine
Prep time: 15 minutes   Cook time: 20 minutes

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup flaxseed
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tbsp butter, melted, plus more for the skillet
3 tbsp sugar
1.  Pulse the oats and flaxseed in a blender or food processor until finely ground; transfer to a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until combined.

I love how healthy this looks already

2.  Whisk the 2 egg yolks and milk in a separate bowl; add to the dry ingredients along with the melted butter and whisk until just smooth.

Yep, typical dense-looking batter.  But we can make it better!

3.  Beat the 2 egg whites and sugar in another bowl with a mixer until soft peaks form; gently fold into the batter until just combined.

Soft peaks still flop over.  Be patient; it will take a bit to get here.

Fluffy batter thanks to the air whipped into the egg whites!

4.  Lightly butter a nonstick skillet and place over medium heat. Working in batches, add about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake; cook until bubbly on top, then flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 3 minutes per side.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........

I made these for dinner but I totally can't wait to make these for Saturday morning breakfast.  What a fabulously tasty (& healthy!!!) way to start out the day!  Whether you choose to drown them in maple syrup or make up a quick strawberry sauce, your family will never know these are good for them.  All they'll taste is nutty, fluffy pancake-deliciousness.

Seriously 100% yum!

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

Those damn mini fruit pizzas are finally out of my house.  AND we're down to only two cupcakes left from Kieran's party.  WOO HOO!!! So what do I go and do today while my boys watch a cartoon?  I bake cookies.  Because I need more sweets in this house?!?!  Oy...

Anyway, speaking of cookies, I realize that I forgot to tell you about the pancakes I made last week.  Cookies as pancakes.  That means we can have cookies for breakfast.  Or dinner. Or lunch.  Or anytime we want!

Gloriousness :)

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes
Recipe slightly adapted from Rachael Ray

1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup, chopped walnuts
3/4 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 really ripe bananas, mashed up
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 stick butter melted

1.  Mix dry ingredients, the first 7, in a bowl.

The cinnamon totally makes these.

2.  In a another bowl, mix the wet ingredients, the next 4. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, then fold in the mashed up bananas and the raisins. Stir in the melted butter.

Another great way to use up ripe bananas!

3.  Heat a non-stick griddle over medium heat. Cook pancakes, each about 1/4 cup, until bubbles form on the top, then turn. (WARNING: these do not set up firmly as they cook, which makes flipping a trick.  Use a thin flipper/turner/spatula/whateveryoucallthosethings and slide it under the cake quickly.)  Cakes will cook in about 2 minutes on each side. Keep pancakes tented with foil as they come off the griddle to keep them hot. Serve with drizzled honey or maple syrup over the top.

See? Even I had some issues in flipping a couple of these.

Now, some of you out there may be wondering why, out of all the fantastic cookies out there, I chose to keep this recipe as oatmeal cookie pancakes instead of making it chocolate chip. Or peanut butter. Or snickerdoodle.  Why the oft-maligned oatmeal cookie?  Well, because they're my favorite.

No really!  It's true!!  Much as I love chocolate, I actually can fairly easily resist most other cookies.  When offered a soft oatmeal raisin cookie (because it HAS to have raisins in it), I pretty much turn into this puddle of goo.  I cannot resist a good oatmeal raisin cookie.

Bonus with these though... despite having the flavor of an oatmeal raisin cookie, these are quite good for you.  The oats, yogurt, raisins, and bananas all help me to feel much better about drowning my stack of pancakes in butter and syrup. ;)  Oh and they're also REALLY YUMMY with a healthy schmear of peanut butter and folded over, just in case you need to eat on the run. 

Crazy Oatmeal

This is totally the wrong time of year now for oatmeal.  I know that.  But try telling Gavin that.  He continues to ask for oatmeal most mornings, and this is one of his favorite versions.

For a long time I had no name for it but when Gavin kept requesting it, I finally just christened it Crazy Oatmeal.  Mostly because Rob thinks I'm absolutely looney for loving this concoction.

Crazy Oatmeal
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

1/3 cup quick cooking oats
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 heaping tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/4-1/2 cup plain yogurt (depends on much you love yogurt)
2 tbsp honey

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the oatmeal, water and dried cranberries.  Microwave on High for 1 minute.

Quick oatmeal is a 1:2 ratio.  So if you want less, use 1/4c oats and 1/2c water.

2.  Stir the peanut butter into the hot, slightly-too-soupy-still oatmeal.  Don't worry; the peanut butter thickens it up.

You don't want this too thick before adding the peanut butter

3.  Top with the plain yogurt and drizzle with honey.

Yes, I was generous.  We like yogurt here.

Yes, I love to eat a crazy concoction of oatmeal that a very famous cook developed for dogs.  And I'm not ashamed.  Because it's really good!  And ohmyGRACIOUS is it hearty!!  Eat this in the morning and I promise you will not be hungry for hours.  I've even been known to eat this at night.  It's just a hearty bowl of comfort and who doesn't love that?!

Whole Wheat Flat Bread

I am surrounded by Carbivores.  Don't get me wrong, I like bread as much as any living, breathing person.  But it's not something I hope for, look for, at practically every meal.  I didn't grow up seeing bread on the table all the time so it truly doesn't occur to me to have something for my own table.

Rob, bless him, does not make an issue AT ALL about the lack of carbs.  But I know he'd really love to see bread at the table more; it's comforting for him.  Also, what four-year-old doesn't want Mama to serve more bread with dinner?

When I do actually think to make something, one of the problems I run into is one I'm all too familiar with: BOREDOM!  I mean, how many times can I have our breadmaker spit out white bread, wheat bread, or oatmeal bread to complement the meal?  Cornbread only goes so far.  Tortillas pair with only certain things (in my mind).  And, much as I love them, brown & serve rolls can get old.

*sigh*

Thank God for bloggers like Joy.

Whole Wheat Flat Bread
Recipe from Joy the Baker


3/4 cup warm water, about 95 degrees [Don't freak out on me; more on the temp below]
1 package (about 2 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp uncooked old fashioned oats
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp olive oil

1.  In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup warm water, yeast and sugar.  How do you know it's around 95 degrees without a thermometer?  Stick your finger in it.  No, seriously.  If it's warm but you're not getting that "this is waaay too hot" tingly sensation, you're fine.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  The mixture will grow and foam and that’s how you know the yeast is active and alive.

Kinda looks like beer

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, salt and pepper.  Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the yeast mixture.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water.  Bring mixture together with a fork, until all of the flour bits are moistened, and the dough is shaggy.  Dump out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times to bring together.

Nope, it's not too dry.  I promise.

3.  Coat the medium bowl with a teaspoon of olive oil and place dough ball in bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.  Dough will double in size.

Shiny, lovely dough

4.  When dough has rested and risen, dump out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few turns.  Use a knife to divide the dough in half, then divide each half into six equal pieces.  Heat a non stick pan over medium heat.

"Roar!"

5.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each dough piece into a roughly 4 to 5-inch circle.  Place dough round in the ungreased, hot pan.  Cook on one side for 1 to 2 minutes, until browned on the bottom and slightly puffed.  Flip and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes.  Remove from pan and serve warm with whatever floats your boat.

FYI: You can totally cook these while holding a fussy baby

The bread can also be cooled and refrigerated for up to three days.  If you wait to eat them, reheat the flat breads in a warm skillet before serving.

These make a lovely, fresh complement to dinners, but don't stop there!  Smear on a little cream cheese and jam and you have breakfast-on-the-go.  I like to tear mine up to scoop out garlicky bean dip too.  Mmmmmm....

And oh yeah, in case you're thinking that yeast bread is too intimidating, you're too busy, there's no way you could make these.  YES YOU CAN.  I've made this recipe twice now, both times while managing a fussy 3 month-old.  The dough comes together in 10 minutes and then you get to leave it alone for an hour!  Sure, rolling them out requires both hands but after that, you can totally get away with this one-handed.  If I can make these while telling my baby he really should have listened to me and taken a nap earlier, you can absolutely pull this off.