This fluffy Kefir Milk Oatmeal Sandwich Loaf is a new and delightful twist on an old classic. This is an updated version of one of my family’s all-time favorite breads. This adaptation utilizes kefir milk instead of powdered milk and is made completely by hand instead of using a bread maker.
Our Favorite Oatmeal Bread
Oatmeal Bread is one of the first breads I ever made in the bread machine. I’ve been making this bread for at least 15 years and until recently, I still made it in the bread maker because my sons loved the big thick slices you get from bread machine loaves.
I’ve made different variations of this bread over the years, such as Einkorn Oatmeal Bread Machine Bread, Honey Graham Oatmeal Spelt Bread, and Honey Graham Oatmeal Bread in the Mountains. However, my sons’ favorite was always this Old Fashioned Oatmeal Bread Recipe made with white bread flour.
I still have a fondness for the original oatmeal bread as well. So I decided to update it a bit, but keep the fluffy white bread texture and thick slices. I used organic bread flour and decided to soak it in kefir milk overnight to make it more easily digestible. I was thrilled with the results of this bread.
The Oatmeal Sandwich that Charlie Ate
In addition to being a new favorite with the people in the house, this Kefir Milk Oatmeal Loaf has become a preferred treat with another family member – our dog Charlie.
Charlie had surgery a few weeks ago around the same time I started testing this loaf. He had to wear an e-collar for several weeks and was supposed to get pain meds and antibiotics twice a day. I had an extremely difficult time getting him to take his medicines.
Anyone that knows Charlie, can attest to the fact that he is a “Drama King.” He is a beautiful husky mix who looks like a teddy bear, but he is also stubborn and very clever. I tried all of my normal methods for giving him pills and he would have none of it because he was in pain. He was miserable so I had to do something. I spent hours (laughing) in the pet forums trying to learn how other husky owners successfully got their dogs to take pills and I called the vet constantly to get help.
I finally found the solution when I combined a technique I learned in the pet forums with a suggestion from the vet. Can you guess what ultimately got him to take his meds without any complaint? You got it! It was this kefir milk oatmeal bread. Because it is soft and fluffy, I was able to put the pill in a piece of bread, wrap the bread around it, and hold it together with butter.
I would give him a buttered ball of bread with crust in it as a treat, then offer him another buttered ball with the pill inside and act like nothing was up. The first ball with the crust helped to mask the second ball which had the crunchy pill inside. He would eat it like it was another treat. Then I would give him a third buttered ball of bread just as a treat. It worked every time. The key was to keep a straight face and not let on that he was getting anything other than a treat. He’s not the only clever one, but don’t tell him that. We made it through the ordeal and now he is recovering nicely.
Charlie enjoyed his bread with lot’s of butter. I enjoyed it with butter as well although not as a buttered ball. My favorite taste test is to eat it spread with peanut butter.
You might enjoy some other Oatmeal Bread Recipes
Click here to find 10 of my favorite oatmeal bread recipes, including bread machine, sourdough, einkorn, whole grain spelt, multigrain breads, and this kefir milk version.
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Fluffy Kefir Milk Oatmeal Sandwich Loaf
- Yield: 1 Large Loaf 1x
Description
This fluffy Kefir Milk Oatmeal Sandwich Loaf is a new and delightful twist on an old classic. It is an updated version of one of my family’s all-time favorite breads.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups Kefir milk
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or honey)
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 2/3 cups rolled or flaked oats
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, oats, salt and yeast.
- Add 1 1/4 cups of kefir milk, all of the brown rice syrup or honey and thoroughly incorporate into the dough using a Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest 20 minutes to give it time to start developing structure before adding the butter.
- Work in the softened butter using your fingers. If the dough appears too dry, adjust the hydration by adding more kefir milk. Thoroughly work it into the dough.
- Cover the dough and allow it to bulk ferment at room temperature for 2 – 3 hours.
- After the 1st hour, remove the dough to a lightly-floured work surface and fold the dough over itself from all sides. Tuck the seams under and place the dough back in the bowl. Cover and allow it to bulk ferment at room temperature for an additional 1 – 2 hours.
- Place the dough in the refrigerator overnight and allow it to cold ferment for at least 8 hours and up to 12.
- The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up to room temperature for 1 -2 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
- Once the dough is warm enough, shape into a loaf and place in a parchment-lined loaf pan. Let the dough proof for 2 -3 hours, or until it crests the top of the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Bake the loaf for 35 – 40 minutes. It should be a deep golden brown color.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 5 – 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. If the bottom of the loaf doesn’t seem firm enough, place the loaf on a baking sheet and put it back in the oven for a few minutes to firm up.
- Let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Adapted from my favorite Bread Machine Oatmeal Bread.
- Category: Oatmeal Bread
- Cuisine: Sandwich Bread
Happy Baking!
Cathy
This looks marvelous! I’m going to try it with a whole grain flour soon.
I’ll let you know the result.
I like your blog so much.
Thanks for the great recipes.
Thank you Sybil! That’s a great idea to try it with whole grain flour or even sprouted wheat flour. Please do let me know the result. And thanks for being such a great fan! I appreciate it!
Thanks for the great recipe! Although this is made by hand, is it possible to use a bread maker?
Hi Lynda,
Are you asking if you can you use a bread maker to mix the dough? Probably, although mixing this dough by hand is pretty easy. This dough utilizes kefir milk to ferment it and just a little bit of yeast so it needs an overnight rest in the refrigerator in order to fully develop. This part wouldn’t work for the bread maker. You would need to transfer it to a different bowl, then shape it by hand the next day and bake it in a conventional oven.
Thanks for the advice Cathy! I just made it by hand and it was quite easy like you said.
Great! Glad to hear that it was easy for you as well!
Is anyone know if I can make in bread mashine that bread
Elona, as I mentioned in the comment preceding yours, you can use a bread maker to mix the dough, but this requires an overnight rest in the refrigerator to ferment the dough. If you have a way to start and stop your bread machine in the middle of the cycle, then perhaps it could work. It’s a very easy bread to make so you really don’t need a bread machine.
Hi Cathy,
Is it possible to mix milk with yogurt if I don’t have Kefir available?
Hi Diane,
I haven’t tried mixing milk with yogurt in this bread. You don’t have to use kefir. You can use milk. Although adding some yogurt would probably make it softer and would give it a bit of tang.
I’ve found that breads made with kefir milk require less yeast so if you don’t use kefir, you will probably want to increase the amount of yeast used from 1/4 tsp to 1/2 or 3/4 tsp, depending on how long of a ferment you give it.
If you decide to try it, please let me know how it goes.
Happy Baking,
Cathy