Apple Oatmeal Bread

This apple oatmeal bread, with a hint of cinnamon and brown sugar, brings the flavors of fall to your favorite sandwiches. Pair it with your favorite artisan cheese for a leveled up grilled cheese sandwich. 

This bread also includes the crunch of chopped walnuts for a savory and sweet bread that is amazingly versatile. Use if for making your favorite turkey or chicken sandwiches, French toast, cinnamon toast, and even PB & J.

And grilled cheese! My favorite combination for a grilled cheese sandwich with this bread is Provolone, Parmesan, spinach, turkey, and prosciutto. The apples and walnuts pair perfectly with it. 

I've made quite a few different breads that include apples, such as no knead, sourdough sandwich (with raisins), apples and apple cider, babka, and even apple-filled buns. Apple is even fabulous on pizza with ham and Havarti cheese. It may sound unusual, but I could eat it every week. 

Ingredients in this Bread:

Apple: Any crunchy or baking apple, such as Granny Smith, will work. I used an Envy apple. It's sweet but crunchy, and it resists browning after being cut, which is great when you are prepping ingredients in advance. There is no need to peel the apple. 

Walnuts: You will need about 1/2 cup, coarsely chopped. 

From the Pantry: Bread flour, rolled (old fashioned) oats. salt, brown sugar (light or dark), vegetable oil, and instant yeast. You'll also need water. 

From the Fridge: Milk and egg. The egg is for an egg wash for attaching more oats to the crust of the loaf. 

Making this Bread:

You can make this bread in less than three hours from start to finish, most of the time being hands off. 

First, you combine all of the dough ingredients, holding back about 1/2 cup of the flour. You knead all of the ingredients together, including the apples and walnuts, adding more flour to create a cohesive dough. Once you've kneaded the dough, place it into a bowl or 2 quart Cambro bucket and let it rise until doubled. 

During this first rise, be sure to prep your loaf pan with spray oil and sprinkle the sides with some of the oats so that they attach to the sides of the loaf when baking. 

Next, deflate the dough and shape it into a sandwich loaf and place it into the prepared loaf pan. 

After that, cover the loaf pan with oiled plastic wrap and let it rise again, until almost doubled. When it's ready to bake, brush the top of the loaf with an egg wash and sprinkle the top with more rolled oats. 

Finally, bake the loaf for 30 to 40 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F. 

Equipment You May Need:

For the pan, you can use either a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf (my favorite is by USA Pans) pan or a 9 inch by 4 inch Pullman pan (with straight sides). The Pullman pan is taller so the dough will not rise higher than the top of the pan but it will with a standard loaf pan. If you're using the Pullman pan, don't use the lid with this recipe. 

To mix the dough, I used a stand mixer, but you can also mix this dough with a spoon until it becomes stiff enough to hand knead on your work surface. 

Using a kitchen scale is super helpful in ensuring that you're measuring precisely. 

Variations and Tips for Success: 

If you'd like your bread to be a bit sweeter, you can double the amount of brown sugar included in the dough. You can also substitute pecans for the walnuts if you prefer. 

Another option is to substitute raisins or cranberries for half of the apples. 

You will know when you've added enough flour to the dough when the dough is easy to hand knead and is tacky but not sticky. It should not stick to your hands. 

Fall Flavors Recipes: 

Welcome to #FallFlavorsWeek! We are sharing recipes featuring favorite fall flavors.

• Apple Oatmeal Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Gorgonzola Pear Pizza by The Spiffy Cookie
• Brown Butter Green Beans with Pecans by Art of Natural Living
• Apple Snack Cake by Magical Ingredients
• Maple Pumpkin Chia Pudding by Jolene's Recipe Journal (our host)
• Preserved Lemon Baba Ghanoush by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Apple Slaw by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting by Hezzi-D's Recipe Box

 

Apple Oatmeal Bread

Yield: 16 slices

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 1 H & 40 MTotal time: 2 H & 50 M

This apple oatmeal bread, with a hint of cinnamon and brown sugar brings the flavors of fall to your favorite sandwiches. 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (about 95 to 105 degrees F)
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons (27 grams) packed brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (99 grams) rolled oats, plus more for the tops and sides of the loaf
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) bread flour
• 1 cup (70 grams) chopped apple
• 1/2 cup (57 grams) chopped walnuts
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, or a bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, water,and milk, and let sit for five minutes. Add the oil, sugar, salt, oats, and 2 cups (240 grams) of the flour. Mix until everything is combined. Add the apples and walnuts and continue to mix.
2. Begin adding the rest of the flour, one tablespoon at a time, until you have a cohesive dough that is easy to hand knead. Knead for about 8 minutes.
3. Place the dough into an oiled bowl or dough rising bucket, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
4. In the meantime, spray your 9 inch by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan or 9 inch by 5 inch Pullman pan (see notes in post about the pans) with spray oil. Sprinkle the sides of the pan with some of the rolled oats.
5. Deflate the dough and flatten it. Shape the dough into a sandwich loaf and place it, seam side down, into the pan. Cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
6. While the dough is rising, heat your oven to 375 degrees F. When the dough is ready, brush the top with the egg wash and sprinkle the top with more rolled oats. 
7. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the loaf reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F.
8. When the loaf is baked, turn it out of the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

143

Fat (grams)

4 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1 g

Carbs (grams)

22 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

20 g

Sugar (grams)

3 g

Protein (grams)

5 g

Cholesterol (grams)

1 mg

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Adapted from Sift Magazine (no longer in print), Fall 2016.