This is an especially good and "good for you" bread. The loaf bakes up soft, with a tight crumb, and is full of flavor. Thanks to white (or regular) whole-wheat flour and oats, the bread has plenty of beneficial fiber and nutrients. The bread is mildly sweet, and you get more sweetness from the raisins that stud the bread. This isn't a fussy bread. It's incredibly simple to make. It slices well, and it's also one of those breads that are great to have on hand on a regular basis for breakfast--toasted or made into French toast. Enjoy!
Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Bread -- Makes 1 Large Loaf
1 cup of starter/discard
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1 large egg
1 cup of white whole-wheat (or regular whole-wheat) flour
1 cup of quick oats
Mix all of the ingredients listed above well in a large bowl. Loosely cover the mixture and let it sit for at least an hour. I routinely let mine sit for 4-5 hours, and it's fine. When you're ready, add:
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 cup of raisins
Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes, adding 1/4 - 1/2 cup of additional flour as you knead to prevent the dough from being too sticky. Spritz a large loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or line the pan with aluminum foil and spritz the foil with non-stick spray. Form the dough into a cylinder or loaf shape and place it in the prepared pan. Spritz the top of the loaf with non-stick cooking spray or oil. Loosely cover the loaf and let it rise until it just barely reaches the top of the loaf pan and/or increases in size by about a third. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the bread for about 50 minutes or until it has lightly browned and reached an internal temperature of 190-200 degrees. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before removing it to cool completely. The bread slices best when cool.
