Nova Scotia Brown Bread

I found a new blog:  http://www.docaitta.com/ and not only is it wonderful, it is located in one of my favorite places...Nova Scotia!  I have been making all sorts of recipes I have found there.  Though this loaf of bread is a bit sad looking, it is delicious and one of the best breads I have made.  If you visit his blog, you will see how beautiful this loaf can look.  Believe it or not, I am still adjusting to my new ovens.  One of the things I have not quite wrapped my head around is that the oven controls on the new ones are exactly the opposite of my old ones.  So, I keep inadvertently turning the oven that I need off when I am using both ovens.  That is what caused the sad loaf of bread as seen above.  I thought I was turning the proofing oven off but I turned the bread baking oven off instead. This bread sat in a semi warm oven for 30 minutes before I realized my mistake.  Yet, it still turned out to be a fabulous loaf of bread though a bit wobbly looking.  Just imagine how good it would be if I hadn't made this mistake?  Next time I will do better.
 Start the loaf by proofing 3 tsp. of rapid rise yeast in 1-1/2 C. of warm water, 2 T. melted butter and 2 T. of brown sugar.

Once the yeast foams, mix it in the bowl of your mixer with 1/2 C. of molasses and 2 tsp. of salt.  Add 1 C. of quick cooking oats and 4-5 C. of flour. Add only enough flour to form a ball of slightly sticky dough.

 Place the dough in a buttered bowl.

 Turn to coat it.  Cover it and place it in a warm spot to rise for about 2 hours.

 After rising, turn the dough out on to your counter. Cut about 1/4 of the dough off.

 Roll the remainder and place it in a greased loaf pan.

 Braid the 1/4 piece and place it on top of the loaf.

 It was already wobbly because I made the braid too big.  Cover and let this rise for about 1 hour.  Bake it at 350 degrees for approximately 50-60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.

 Cool on a rack and brush with butter while still warm.

Make sure you roll the dough tightly into a cylinder before putting it in the loaf pan to avoid air pockets like you see here.  What can I say, I was excited to make this and I made mistakes!  This is just fabulous bread!  I am going to hang a loaf out of my window and see if it attracts Sydney Crosby!

Comments

Megs said…
Oh, I think that loaf looks lovely- will have to try. I finally got a Le Crueselet pan and I can't wait to try out some bread recipes on it!
DeniseinVA said…
I can honestly say your loaf looks so delicious looking, I wish I was cutting a slice to go with my morning breakfast. Thanks for the link. I will check that out right now.
Anonymous said…
oh my, I knew I smelled something go,lol!!!!!
Nellie said…
How delicious!
brokenteepee said…
Hubby would love that bread. I'm not a big fan of dark breads
Anonymous said…
This looks like a must do! I'm glad You put all Your recipes on the side bar so I can find it again.

Have a great day!
Christer.
Ellen in Oregon said…
I think your loaf looks great. I would have to put a post-it on the oven door to remind me double check the dials until I got used to them being in reverse. It's always nice to find a new blog that has recipes that inspire you to make something delicious (just like your blog). I bet this bread would be wonderful toasted too.
Well, if we hear over the next 24 hours that Sydney Crosby has mysteriously disappeared, we'll know you've got him hidden down in the basement to be your own hockey boy toy! But be careful. Remember he had a nasty concussion not too long ago and take it easy on the poor boy.
Guillaume said…
I didn't know there was such a thing as Nova Scotia bread. My ancestors on my mother's side are from nova Scotia, by the way.
Rhi said…
I didn't know you loved Nova Scotia, nor have I ever heard of Nova Scotia brown bread. Probably Scottish in origin, there's a lot of us here. :)
TARYTERRE said…
BREAD is delicious no matter how it looks. Love the braid anyway.
Jan said…
Cool looking bread. And Nova Scotia! We went there on our 25th anniversary and we loved it there.
Kay said…
This looks so delicious and it's so beautiful!
It might not attract Sidney but it sure would attract me. I've a feeling you would have a line form. :) It looks wonderful..got a feeling it smells the same.
Herbalgirl said…
Lovely bread. Yes, I imagine many traditional Nova Scotia recipes would be of Scottish origin. Will have a look at the blog.
Docaitta said…
Hi. Docaitta here. I'm not sure about the origin of this bread recipe. There's a significant amount of German ancestry on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, where I was raised. The main difference between Nova Scotian Brown Bread and Boston Brown Bread is that the latter is more of a steamed "quick" bread. This is yeast raised. It's close to what some also call oatmeal bread. We always had baked beans close at hand when this bread came out of the oven.
Jim said…
I am very familiar with this bread and am thrilled that you have found and made it too! Most of us here in Nova Scotia have grown up with this 'brown bread'. Nothing better than hot out of the oven and smothered in butter!!
It's been a while since we have had any, so you may have just inadvertently given me a nudge! Thanks.