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Maritime Brown Bread

Old-fashioned molassed brown bread in dinner roll form, comforting and nourishing. Enjoy with whipped molasses butter.
Course Bakery
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword Baking
Essential Ingredient Molasses, Oatmeal
Servings 9 buns

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour stone-ground, if possible
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 3 Tablespoons cornmeal
  • 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed optional
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 6 Tablespoons molasses
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup 2% milk
  • 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • pinch granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Measure flours into a medium bowl. Add the salt, whisk, and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oats, cornmeal and flax. Pour the boiling water over the ingredients. Drop in the butter. Pour in the molasses.
  • Mix on low just to combine everything and encourage the butter to melt. Then turn off the mixer and let the ingredients soak and cool down for 15 minutes. Switch the paddle attachment for the dough hook.
  • Warm the milk gently in a small pot (105-115℉) or 'wrist warm'. Remove from heat, transfer to a small bowl to halt the heating. Whisk in the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Stir to activate the yeast, then let stand in a warm place until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  • Scrape the foamy yeast into the mixer with the oat mixture. Add the flour all at once. Mix to roughly combine, then let stand for 5 minutes to rest and hydrate the dough.
  • Knead the dough on low for 5 minutes, until smooth and stretchy. Lightly oil a clean bowl and place the dough inside. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
  • Lightly oil a 9-inch square pan. Turn the dough onto a clean surface and divide into 9 pieces. Roll each piece into a taught ball of dough and tuck into the pan 3 by 3. Cover loosely again and rise for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375℉.
  • If desired, lightly brush the bread with milk and sprinkle a few rolled oats on top. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35-37 minutes, rotating the pan once, until dark brown. if you have a thermometer, the internal temperature should be 195℉ in the center.
  • Remove from oven and serve warm with butter or Whipped Molasses Butter.