Maritime Porridge Bread

Straight from the Laura Secord cookbook comes this delicious recipe for Porridge Bread. A Maritime favourite I have always called this bread Oatmeal Molasses Bread only to recently discover it’s original name.

My mom made this bread. I would guarantee so did my Grandma. And almost every other Maritime Kitchen houses its own version of this recipe I am sure. However, in my mom’s kitchen she has this well worn, well used, molasses stained, dog eared, slightly faded blessed book of culinary treasures gathered by Laura Secord from kitchens around the community. And within the worn pages lies this recipe for my absolute favourite comfort food, Porridge Bread.

You can serve this bread with anything. Warm with butter is my chosen indulgence but if you want to stick with tradition, then bring on the homemade baked beans. That would be the tried and true winning combination.

The true secret to this recipe is a simple one. Order. Follow the order of adding to the letter. You can swap the Molasses for Honey (my favourite) if you wish but short of that I would not change a thing. Hence me screaming from the rooftops this recipe is not my creation. I have no idea whose it is. I will claim it to simply be the Maritime community as whole deserving this credit.

Meanwhile, lets eat this amazing, dense, rich, omg bread shall we?.

Warning, it makes 3 loaves. I know. Who can eat that much bread? You can. Trust me. But no need to try. Instead:

Pro tip:

Freeze the dough after the first rise. Yup. Portion, wrap in plastic wrap, place in ziplock bag and wrap in foil. When you want more, simply remove the formed frozen dough, place in your pan and allow it thaw at room temp. It will rise a bit (not a much as if never frozen but that is OK.) then bake as per instructions. I know, I know…genius. Again, not my idea. Insert the smartest grandma you know and it was hers for sure. I am simply the sharing vessel.

Porridge Bread

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Serves: 3 Loaves Prep Time: 2 1/2 Hours Cooking Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients

• 2. 1 cup Quick Oats
  4. 2 tsp Salt
  6. 3 tbsp Butter
  8. 2 cups of Hot Boiling Water
  10. 1 tsp Sugar
  12. 1/2 cup lukewarm Water
  14. 3 tsp Traditional Yeast 
  16. 1/2 cup Molasses (or Honey)
  18. 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
  20. 2 cups All Purpose Flour
  22. Additional 2-3 cups All Purpose Flour
  24. Olive Oil

Instructions

1. For this recipe use a large bowl. By this I mean the biggest one you have. Just give yourself room to mix, knead, and get your arms in there. In this big ole bowl, combine the oats, salt and water. Pour the boiling water over top mix until butter melts and let cool.
2. In a separate small bowl combine the lukewarm water, sugar and yeast. Set aside until foamy. About 10 minutes or so. 
3. Add the yeast to the oatmeal mixture and stir to combine. Then add the molasses and mix.  Now the whole wheat flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Then add the 2 cups of All Purpose Flour. Mix well. Now, using your hands add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time. You may not need all of it. I find about 2 cups for me works but its different for everyone. Welcome to baking. 🙂 Rotate your hand to fold and press the flour into the mixture. Once mixture is no longer sticky to the touch, roll out on to the counter and gently knead for 10 minutes. Add flour if it gets too tacky and keep going. Once dough is smooth and soft, form into a ball and place back in your massive bowl. Drizzle some Olive Oil on top, cover with tea towel and set in a warm place for 1.5 hours. 
4. Once doubled in size, punch the dough down. Form into three loaves. Place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise for another hour. 
5. Bake on the middle rack of a 375° oven for about 55-65 minutes. Check after 30 minutes to make sure it’s not browning too much on top. If it is, simply grab a piece of tin foil and gently lay over the tops of the pans. Keep baking. The bread is done when firm and sounds hollow if tapped.
6. Remove from oven, remove from pans after a minute of resting, and set on a cooling rack. Serve warm right away or save for baked beans or amazing Egg Salad Sandwiches later.