Sharing Bread
This high-rising, moist bread features oats and whole wheat, along with a healthy percentage of bread flour, to increase its rise. It makes wonderful sandwiches and toast. And it highlights a lovely way to share fresh-baked bread: two loaves baked in a single pan, then pulled apart when cool.
This recipe comes from Gail McNeill, a veteran bread baker and King Arthur Flour fan. Gail uses Demerara sugar and kosher salt for all her baking; thus we call for those ingredients here. You may certainly substitute regular granulated sugar; and table salt, which you'd want to reduce to 2 teaspoons (from kosher salt's 1 tablespoon; table salt measures differently than coarser-grained kosher salt).
Read our blog about this bread, with additional photos, at Bakers' Banter.
Starter
- 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
- 1 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, organic preferred
- 1/8 teaspoon ascorbic acid
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar, Demerara preferred
- 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast, SAF Red or SAF Gold preferred
- 2 cups cool water
Dough
- all of the starter
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 4 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt OR 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
- 6 tablespoons Demerara sugar or granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons instant yeast, SAF Red or SAF Gold preferred
- 1/4 cup flax seed, ground
- 4 tablespoons butter or 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- *The amount of water will vary here. If your starter has rested less than 2 days, and doesn't have any freestanding liquid at the bottom, use 1/2 cup water. If the starter is very liquid and soupy, use just 2 to 4 tablespoons water.
Directions
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1) To make the starter: Combine the bread flour, whole wheat flour, ascorbic acid, sugar, yeast, and water in a large bowl. Mix to combine, cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours, or up to about 2 days. |
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2) When you're ready to make bread, stir the starter to recombine it with any freestanding liquid it's generated. Mix the starter with the oats, 1 1/2 cups of the bread flour, and the remaining dough ingredients. Mix thoroughly, then add the remaining 3 cups of bread flour. |
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3) Knead to make a smooth, supple dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or other container, cover, and allow it to rise till doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours. |
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4) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it in half. Shape each half into a 9" log. |
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5) Lightly grease two 9" x 5" loaf pans. Place one log in each pan. To make two loaves in each pan, divide each half of the dough in half again; and shape each of the four pieces into a ball. Place two balls, side by side, in each pan. |
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6) Cover the pans, and let the dough rise till it's crowned about 1" over the rim of the pan. This will take about 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350°F. |
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7) Uncover the pans, and bake the bread for 20 minutes. Tent lightly with foil, and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until the center of the loaf registers 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. |
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8) Remove the bread from the oven, and place it on a rack to cool. After about 5 minutes, turn the loaves out of the pans to cool completely on the rack. If you've made two loaves in a single pan, wait till they're completely cool to gently separate, cutting with a knife if necessary. |
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Yield: 2 large loaves, or 4 smaller loaves. |
Recipe summary
- Hands-on time:
- 15 mins. to 20 mins.
- Baking time:
- 40 mins. to 45 mins.
- Total time:
- 4 hrs 55 mins. to 2 days 5 hrs 5 mins.
- Yield:
- two 9" loaves, or 4 smaller loaves
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- Recipe comments (20) »
Reviews
01/29/2010
The recipe is easy and the loaves were beautiful. However, it didn't have much flavor which is why I gave it a 4 star. We love the flax bread recipe much better.
12/04/2009
I made this bread yesterday and it is delicious. I used regular sugar because that is what I had but it tasted wonderful. It makes a beautiful loaf and if you toast it....it is devine. I had two slices, toasted with butter. i promise you that you won't even need to add jelly or jam. A recipe that I will use often.
11/15/2009
I've never baked bread before, but gave this recipe a shot and man, it was easy and delicious! I omitted the ascorbic acid and only used plain granulated sugar, but the bread came out perfect and tastes great.
11/09/2009
I baked 2 loaves using this recipe l yesterday and I was very pleased with the results. I usually bake a couple l loaves of honey oat wheat bread to eat for lunch during the week, but this Sharing Bread may become the go-to recipe in our house. We eat sandwiches for lunch, and this bread is great. Not too tough and not too soft, it's just right. It would also be great as toast.
10/30/2009
This is wonderful.The best oatmeal bread I have ever made. I baked it the first time to share with neighbors for World Bread Day, then again today. My husband asked me not to give it all away this time... but we had neighbors come in... company for dinner.....and now there is only one-half of a loaf remaining. Ten snowbirds loved it. We served it with the White Bean and sausage soup, which was also very good. My first KAF order comes tomorrow! Almost as good as Christmas
10/27/2009
Excellent. My new regular bread. I didn't have ascorbic acid, so I used vital wheat gluten. It was a breeze in the stand mixer with dough hook. Family members who say they don't like whole wheat or oatmeal breads asked for more.
10/26/2009
Excellent! I made as directed and it was fantastic. This is great toasted. Most of the time I make 1 loaf and 12 dinner rolls with the recipe. With it being cold in Idaho, we are eating lots of stews and soups which the bread serves well and compliments our meals. I have been making it every other day with a few additions. I also add 1/4 cup of flax seeds whole with the 1/4 cup ground. Sometimes add 3/4 cup of raw sunflower seeds and substitute 6 tablespoons of honey for the sugar.. We all love this bread and plan on keeping the recipe of this jewel around for some time. Thank you so much for your recipe.
10/26/2009
I am thrilled to report that I loved this bread! I'm generally not one for whole grain breads, but this one was so soft, squishy and un-crunchy that I didn't even notice them. Concerned that my husband would shun visible oats, I crushed them up somewhat before adding them. It's amazing that you can't even see them in the finished loaf. I pre-sliced all four loaves, and tightly wrapped and stored three of them in the freezer. Each loaf makes around four sandwiches, so it's perfect for the two of us. Thanks, PJ!
10/24/2009
The best tasting bread I've ever baked! Fun to prepare and great to share.
10/23/2009
Even though I only have a hand mixer with a dough hook, this bread came out GREAT! I have a starter that I keep going, so I used the reccommended 3 cups of that, used 1/2 bread flour, 1/2 white whole wheat, and added vital wheat gluten that has vitamin C in it with the flours. I cut the sugar to 4Tbl, because I didn't want it too sweet. It rose beautifully (though not quite as high as your gorgeous loaves!) and has a wonderful texture and taste. I made 1 whole loaf and 16 lovely rolls. This is definitely the nicest whole grain bread I've made so far. (I think I might increase the amount of flax seed, and perhaps add some wheat germ, too, next time. Maybe some sunflower seeds.) Thanks for sharing this terrific recipe.
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