Sour Milk Sourdough Oatmeal Bread

Several people have asked me about the recipes I used for my bread baking that resulted in this picture:

The cinnamon rolls are made from this Smitten Kitchen recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.  I always double the recipe, make 1 pan of cinnamon rolls, and shape the rest into 2 loaves of bread.  So in the picture above, the loaves of bread to the left are more yellow in color because they have pumpkin in them.

On Saturday, I had 1/4 gallon of milk that was going sour, so I wanted to turn that into bread.  I also needed to use my sourdough starter.  So I adapted a recipe that I had created a few weeks ago.  If you don't have sourdough starter, you can make the bread dough without it, and use less flour.  If you don't have sour milk, regular milk works just the same.

Sour Milk Sourdough Oatmeal Bread

5 tsp. dry yeast

1/4 C. warm water

2 T. sugar

Combine the above in a large bowl and let proof while you assemble the oatmeal mixture.

4 C. (more or less) of milk, sour or not

2 C. oatmeal, quick cooking or old fashioned, but not steel cut

You could also add ground flax seeds or wheat germ or other ground seeds.

2-4 T. butter or olive oil

Mix the above in a pot or a microwavable bowl.  Heat to a boil and let cool.

Return to the big bowl.  Add 2-3 eggs and beat everything together, with 1 T. salt.  Add 1 cup of sourdough starter.  Add the oatmeal mixture, mix everything together, and start adding flour.  You will probably need at least 10 cups, and you may need significantly more.  You can use white flour or wheat flour, along with any other flour.  Add and then knead until a smooth dough forms.

Let the bread dough rise until doubled.  Knead a bit more and let rise again--OR--divide the dough into loaf pans.  Let rise again.

Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes.  Let cool at least 20 minutes before cutting into the loaves.  This bread freezes beautifully, if your household doesn't gobble it all up right away.