Beka Bread Re-visited

Since I've returned to making bread thanks to my new mixer (and to the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day concept, which needs its own post), I've been wanting to see how my favorite homemade bread recipe would do in the mixer. I've posted the recipe before, but I thought I would post some mixer adaptations as well as pictures.

Beka Bread ~ aka Honey-Wheat-Oatmeal Bread ~ Mixer Version

Combine in mixer and cool to lukewarm -
3 c boiling water
2 c old fashioned oatmeal
(you don't need to actually use the mixer yet, but why dirty another bowl?)

Add to oats once they are lukewarm -
1 c warm water
2T yeast
1 c honey
2 T oil
1 T salt
2 eggs

Combine and add 4 cups flour (half wheat/half white)
Let the dough "sponge" 15 minutes (just cover the mixing bowl/mixer with a towel and go read blogs or something)


Add 1 cup of flour at a time (alternate wheat and white) -- about 5 cups. Let the machine do the kneading for you until the dough is nice and elastic. This made a wetter dough than I've come up with doing it by hand, but I decided to go for it and see how it turned out.


Turn the dough out into an oiled bowl (yes, I'm longing for a glass bowl for my bread, but tupperware works!).



Let rise about an hour, or until doubled. My kitchen is on the chilly side, so I turn on the oven just long enough to get it comfy-warm, then turn it off use my oven for my rising station.


Form loaves - you will need to sprinkle flour on the dough and have floured hands. Like I said, it's a wet dough.


Let rise again. This batch probably would have risen more if I'd given it a bit more time, but I was impatient!


Bake @ 350' for 25-30 minutes. Let cool in pans on cooling racks before removing from pans.



Let cool so you don't smash it with your bread knife ... and enjoy!