Banana Oat Yeast Bread

Yesterday my mom and I drove 12 hours to Chicago to visit Jessie, Dustin and baby Clara. We made it with only two stops and lets just say when we arrived I felt like I never wanted to sit down again. Jessie and Dustin's home here is really cool. They have a sketchy/scary basement under their house and Dustin jokingly made the offer of giving anyone who slept down their for a whole night $200. I totally would have done it if he was being serious :) 

The city is beautiful!! To get to Jessie and Dustin's we had to drive around the edge of the city along Lake Michigan. It was really pretty. I'm excited to go out and see more of it today! 

This recipe has a very distinct banana flavor to it which makes it great to eat with honey or peanut butter. However, I wouldn't recommend it as a sandwich bread. 

Banana Oat Yeast Bread


Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for topping
1/2 cup warm water 
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp olive oil
5-6  cups white whole-wheat flour
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas (about 2 1/2 bananas)
2 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water


Directions:
1. Heat milk in a small saucepan over low heat until hot, but not boiling.  Add in the oats and stir for 1 minute and then remove from heat. Stir for another minute then let stand, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooled to warm.

2.  In a small bowl, stir together the water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of honey.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir the yeast mixture, oil, and remaining honey into the cooled oatmeal.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the white whole-wheat flour, and salt. Add the oat mixture then the bananas, stirring until a soft dough forms (I did mine in my kitchen aid).  Turn out onto the wet dough onto a well-floured surface.  Knead the dough, with floured hands, until the dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes (the dough will be slightly sticky).  While you’re kneading, add just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your surface.

4.  Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a large, oiled mixing bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.  Let the dough rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 60 to 90 minutes.

5.  Lightly grease two loaf pans. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a loaf.  Place each loaf in a pan, seam side down, tucking ends gently to fit. Cover the loaf pans loosely with a warm, damp kitchen towel, and let the dough rise at a warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes.

6.  Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly brush the tops of each loaf with some of the egg wash and sprinkle with oats.  Bake the loaves until they are golden and they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 25 to 35 minutes.  (Remove 1 loaf from pan to test for doneness. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen.)

7.  Remove the bread from the pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 60 minutes.  Slice and serve! 

Adapted from Judicial Peach.