Maple-Oatmeal Loaf
Last week we were plunged into cooler temperatures here when we got hit hard by heavy rain and hail for an entire week. (This is unusual for Colorado so those of you who live in wet climates no snickers please….) Lots of flooding resulted which caused a lot of devastation around us. Luckily we live in an area that was spared too much damage. My summer garden got flattened and my trees experienced major leaf loss. A huge pile of hail blocked my front door but that was soon removed by my neighbor's son who came over wearing a pair of shorts (The temp. had been in the 90°F just prior to the storm hitting.) wielding a snow shovel. The inside of our house stayed nice and dry. My sump pump has never worked so hard in it's life. It was pumping every 15 minutes around the clock all week…
Anyway, the cooler temperatures triggered a change in my baking. Suddenly I had the urge to add oatmeal and maple syrup to my doughs….Fall goodies conjuring up childhood memories of eating a warm bowl of oatmeal before heading off to school in the rain. ( I grew up in San Francisco so my memories are full of foggy rainy days….)
A couple of years ago discovered a wonderful formula for a loaf containing both of these ingredients on MC's site FARINE [1]. The oats are cooked/baked in a way that they turn into a maple granola of sorts that imparts maple flavor throughout the moist soft crumb. The best of two worlds.
The loaf I kept for us was gone within 2 days. The other was given to a friend who is trying to make it last as long as he can. ( He has fond memories of maple syrup having grown up in maple syrup country….) I love baking this bread; just a wonderful dough to work with at all stages of the mix so I have lined it up for several more bakes before my holiday bread baking season begins.
Happy Baking
Janet