Maple Oatmeal Bread

When I was a young child my mother decided we should test out vegetarianism.  We abandoned the meat eating, Sunday roast dinners of my parents youth and embark on a journey of meat-free living.  I was almost too young to remember much of this time in my life and I don't recall if my sister had been born or not and I can't quite remember where we lived or if my mother worked, but I do remember the food and the special outings that came with this new lifestyle we adopted.  

We would travel to a specialty health food store in the downtown core of my hometown to purchase some items which aided our new way of eating.  This store, with its rustic hardwood floors and dim lighting, offered bins upon bins of natural goodness.  Dried beans, herbs and spices, grains, lentils and natural peanut butter. Not the confectioner-sugar ladden peanut butter we're familiar with today, but the unrefined, wholesome variety. You know, the one that is made of nothing more than peanuts.  

As I remember, my mother would scoop the gloppy peanut butter into a small plastic container (yes, organic stores used plastic in those days!) and I would hope it was the crunchy sort.  The smooth was nice but the crunchy had texture.  It  was more interesting and each bite more flavourful than the last.  I couldn't wait to return home and enjoy a scoop of this precious commodity, licked slowly and carefully from my small spoon. My favourite treat was a thick slice of grainy bread topped with this deliciousness.

 

Fast forward a few decades to the present, a time when I'm now the keeper of my own kitchen.  Our vegetarian days of my youth were short-lived, but they did leave a lasting impression on me, for I now stock my own fridge with the same delicious peanut butter of those days long ago.  Not because of the health benefits or because of the taste, but because it's a gentle reminder of a nostalgic part of my childhood. One I remember fondly and happily.  

I'm happy we didn't remain vegetarians for there's nothing like the taste of a perfectly roasted chicken, or a moist and tender steak, but I am grateful for the experience.  One that allows me to now enjoy this peanut butter on a slice of toasted homemade bread early in the mornings and occasionally, but not too often, even scooped from the jar with a spoon. 

Now, if only my boys loved it as much as I do, we'd be all set.

Maple-Oatmeal Bread (to eat with natural peanut butter)

1 1/3 cups very warm water

2 1/4 tsp yeast

3/4 cups oats

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

• Warm the water in a pot on the stove or in the microwave, until very warm but not hot to the touch. 
  
• Place yeast in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over, cover with oats and allow to sit for five minutes until it becomes bubbly.
  
• Add the oil, maple syrup, and salt.  Cover with the all purpose flour and stir until smooth.  Allow to rest for 15 minutes.  
  
• Add in the whole wheat flour and stir to form a stiff dough.  Turn the dough out onto a floured cutting board or counter top and knead with you hands until it is smooth and springy. 
  
• Cover the bowl and let the bough rise for one hour.
  
• Turn the dough out onto the counter, punch dough shape into a round loaf.  Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Cover and allow to rise for another hour.
  
• Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for approx. 40 minutes (if the bread is removed from the oven and you tap on the bottom of the loaf and it sounds hollow, then the bread is done)
  
• Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Comments

[Cheri]

What a lovely story. It's so great when things bring back some of those old memories and feelings of your childhood. I would gladly gobble up a slice of this Maple-Oatmeal Bread smeared with Peanut Butter. Yum!

[Cheryl Arkison]

Do you get any maple flavour with this? Could you add more syrup? I love anything maple and I love the sound of this bread.

[Jan Scott]

Hi Cheryl - To be honest, its not incredibly maple-tasting, but more like a hint of maple flavour.  The original recipe, which I lost years ago, called for sugar.  I wanted to make something without refined sugar so I went with maple syrup.  Im sure you could add more or possibly even glaze the loaf with some extra syrup when it comes out of the oven (?).

[Nadine Strople]

This is a lovely story and was written by my daughter Jan, author of this blog. I am both touched and surprised that these memories are so imbedded in my daughters' mind.