I often ask John for meal or food suggestions, and every now and then he’ll request something specific. He recently asked if I could make a loaf of homemade bread, and I happily obliged.
I definitely wanted to bake a savory loaf, but opted for a quick bread rather than a yeasted one. I adapted a recipe from Eating Well, and couldn’t have been happier with the results of my version.
A combination of whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour, and rolled oats yields a tender but hearty bread. The texture falls somewhere between sandwich bread and muffins, which renders this bread perfect for any meal; it is equally well-suited for toasting and spreading with a smear of butter or jam, for encompassing any variety of sandwich fillings, and for dunking into soup.
The flavor of this quick bread is reminiscent of biscuits, thanks to my addition of low-fat buttermilk. This wonderful ingredient lends a rich & buttery flavor to the bread without adding much fat. I’m thrilled with the way this substitution turned out, which just goes to show that putting your own personal touch on a recipe can make all the difference!
I somehow managed to wait until the loaf cooled completely before cutting a couple of slices for lunch. I enjoyed one slice unadorned, and topped the other with crisp apple slices and a piece of sharp cheddar. John gobbled down a lightly toasted slice, and gave a rave review :).
Yeast breads have their time and place, but it’s convenient to have a repertoire of quick breads to turn to in a snap. You can bet that this one is going to be added to my collection.
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Quick Bread
adapted from Eating Well‘s Honey Oat Quick Bread
yields 1 loaf
Ingredients:
- cooking spray
- 1 cup + 1 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour, divided
- 1 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup + 1 Tbsp old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
- 8 ounces plain 2% Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 Tbsp Sucanat or brown sugar
- 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Coat a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle pan evenly with 1 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining flour through 1 cup oats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt through buttermilk.
- Add yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and gently stir just until combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading the top with a spoon or rubber spatula. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp oats.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow bread to sit in pan for about 15 minutes. Gently run a butter knife around the edges of the loaf and remove from pan.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. If sliced too thin, the bread becomes a bit crumbly… so I suggest cutting the loaf into 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick slices.
- Store well-wrapped in the refrigerator.
