Maple Oat Breakfast Bread

Each Thursday, Emily Vikre (a.k.a fiveandspice) will be sharing a new way to love breakfast -- because breakfast isn't just the most important meal of the day. It's also the most awesome.

Today: Let's talk about toast.

I’ve been trying to think of something clever to say about toast, but I’ve been coming up short. I think maybe it’s because toast is more about substance than wit. With a good piece of toast you can anchor almost any ingredient and turn it into a meal. How many other foods can make that claim? And while a bad piece of toast won’t necessarily ruin a breakfast, a good piece of toast can definitely make a breakfast. Actually, a good piece of toast, with a copious amount of butter, can be breakfast -- marmalade or honey optional.

I bake most of my own bread, and my go-to for baking and then toasting is a crusty, country-style bread: the perfect vehicle for delivering your morning egg or for soaking up extra sauce from dinner. But, sometimes, I like to make a loaf of bread that feels especially meant for breakfast, which usually means adding a little sweetness to complement the savory, and perhaps something like oats or nuts for extra substance. This loaf, sweet from maple, nutty from oats, crusty on the outside, but with a soft, moist crumb, makes perfect toast for breakfast. It’s good with a salty slice of ham or with spoonful of good preserves. Or simply with lots and lots of butter.

Maple Oat Breakfast Bread 

Makes 1 large loaf

5 cups all-purpose flour (you can replace a couple cups with whole wheat if you wish)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup maple syrup (preferably grade B)
1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
2 1/4 cups room temperature water

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here. 

Photos by Emily Vikre