A trail of oats & seeds

 

When I was younger I hated nuts and seeds in all forms, but I especially detested them in bread.  When my parents took us to fancy restaurants it made me so sad when the waiter would bring out the bread basket and it looked like the rolls were infested with ticks. 

[The image of my dad using a burned out match to get a tick to crawl out of our dog’s skin was clearly very traumatic for me] 

Aaaand now that I’ve grossed you out with that lovely visual…

Would you like a recipe?

 

I thought so.

Oaty Seed Bread

[vegan, 1.5 lb loaf for bread machine]

Ingredients:

Bread

• 1 cup 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 tbsp vegan butter (Earth Balance), softened
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 packet)
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp pepitas

Topping*

• 2 tbsp agave nectar
• whole rolled oats
• pepitas
• sunflower seeds

*I didn’t measure the amounts of oats & seeds used as a topping, but together they made 1/4 cup

Directions:

Attach the kneading blade and add the bread ingredients in the order listed (as per your bread machine’s instructions), setting the yeast and seeds aside.

Add the yeast making sure it doesn’t come in contact with liquid ingredients. [Do this by making a small indentation on one side of the flour and carefully pouring the yeast in]

On the opposite side of the yeast, add the seeds.  [You don’t need to make a divot to separate these]

 

Set the topping ingredients aside for use later in the baking.

 

Bread machine instructions may vary, but I used the “whole wheat” setting for the bread type and the “medium” setting for the crust color.

Once both kneading/rising cycles are complete (before the baking cycle starts) open the top of the bread machine and drizzle agave on top, followed by the seeds and oats.  The agave helps the seeds stick. 

If you want a completely seedy crust,  you can use a pastry brush to paint on the agave to ensure that the entire loaf is coated.  In this case you may need more than 2 tbsp agave and 1/4 cup of oats & seeds. 

Don’t worry if the seeds go on the side of the dough (that’s how they create the trail on the side of the loaf). 

See? 

 

Gorgeous.

I don’t think I need to tell you what to do with it next…truth be told, it’s pretty hard to save fresh bread for sandwiches.  It’s so good plain that I usually end up slicing off pieces over the course of the day…and next thing I know it’s been less than 24 hours and the loaf is gone. 

 

The only chance a loaf has of lasting longer than a day in the hippie household is if I’m working several shift(s) in a row after making it.

 

Even then, I still have a hard time practicing moderation.  I mean, after 12 hours of racing around the hospital, why make a “real” meal when there’s fresh bread on hand?

There’s no good answer I want to hear to that question.

 

Ordinarily, this heel would be 3 slices.  Screw that! 

Earth Balance is good.  Nut butters are better.  But this bread doesn’t need anything to shine.

 

Spotlight stealer.