No two loaves of bread that I bake are the same. When I am kneading I like to add this ingredient and that to change the flavour of my bread. However, the ingredients that I add are those that make the bread a healthy one. I never bake any white bread which consist of purely high protein flour.
The Oats and Bran Healthy Loaf is easy to bake. You can knead the dough either manually or using a stand mixer. I always double-proof my bread so that they remain soft as long as possible.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup wholemeal flour
- 1 cup special wholemeal flour
- 1/4 cup of high protein or bread flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup of wheat bran
- 2 tablespoons of brown or cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon of instant yeast
- 1 cup of warm milk
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons of oil (I use corn oil. Sometimes I use pure butter.)
The method:
- Grease and line a loaf pan 8 inch x 4 inch x 4 inch. Set aside.
- Put the flours, oat, wheat bran and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Put the sugar on one side of the bowl and salt on the opposite side of the mixing bowl.
- Start your mixer on low speed.
- Slowly add the warm milk into the bowl.
- Break the egg into a bowl and whisk it slightly. Add the egg into the mixing bowl.
- Add in the oil if you are using oil. However, if you are using butter, it should be added at a later stage of kneading process after the dough has formed into a ball.
- Increase the speed of your mixer to start kneading the ingredients into a smooth dough. This will take about 20 minutes or slightly more by machine. (It does not matter if you do not have a machine. You may do it manually.)
- When the dough has formed into a ball, add the butter (for those using butter).
- Grease a clean bowl with oil.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and put it into the greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap. Cover with a towel
- Leave the dough to proof until it doubles in size.
- Once it has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl onto a slightly floured table-top.
- Knead it manually for about 5-10 minutes.
- Then form it into a oval shape to fit the loaf pan. (You may also shape them into buns. Weigh the dough and divide it according to the number of buns that you wish to have. I usually divide my dough into 9 parts to obtain 9 buns.)
- Cover the loaf pan with a cling wrap.
- Let the dough double in size.
- While the dough is proofing, pre-heat oven to 175 degree Celsius.
- Bake the dough in the oven for 25-30 minutes. (If you have made into buns, bake for about 20-25 minutes.)
- If the top of your bread brown too fast, tent it with a piece of aluminium foil.
- Once the bread is baked, remove the pan from the oven.
- Remove the bread immediately from the pan and let it cool down on a metal rack. (For buns, let them cool down on the metal rack.)
- Slice the loaf only when it has completely cool down.
