Happy Valentines Day.  And in the true spirit of this blog I am celebrating by giving you... Oatmeal Sandwich Bread.  There.


I just learned today that the Catholic Church doesn't name this as the feast day for St. Valentine anymore.  Apparently this has been the case since the 60's.  The reason being that there were simply too many Valentine's, too many stories and too little official documentation (read: lots of urban myth) to go on.  So today is the feast day for St Cyril and St Methodius.  They were brothers I guess and I'm not sure why they were important but you can read all about it and tell me later.  To me the really important point is that the whole Saint Valentine thing isn't really official anywhere except in pop-culture.
What did you do today?
Are you doing anything for V-day?
Did you buy your kids chocolate?
Are you a total bat who has no heart and absolutely no sense of romance?  
My answers to those questions go like this:
Re #1 - Going to work just like every other day.  Not going out tonight because everywhere is full of couples paying too much for their 'prix fixe'.
Re #2 - No
Re #3 - No.  
Re #4 - Maybe
Anyway - I'm not a bat and I do think some things are romantic I just can't think of them right now and when I do I'll be sure to write it all down here.  My kids weren't completely devastated by our lack of gift giving today so far as I can tell.  We all get quite enough chocolate in our lives but fresh baked bread?  Well, I don't know if it's even possible to get enough of that.


I realize that I'm posting this a little late for your V-day meal or gift giving or breakfast in bed.  But maybe, if you're one of those people who maybe consumed a little too much alcohol either out of complete bliss or utter depression OR if you've eaten so much chocolate and candy today that you are having trouble settling yourself down enough to read through a complete sentence... maybe, just maybe this bread is exactly what you need in your life.  Sweetened with some honey.  Complete with oats to settle your insulin levels.  Lots of carbs to sop up alcohol in the stomach (a little bacon might help with that too).  You'll feel better.
That being said, I do wish that you all had a wonderful St's Cyril and Methodius day.


To You... From Me.


Oatmeal Sandwich Bread adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 Cup Oats
2 cup all purpose flour or bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup lukewarm milk
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3 generous tbsp's honey
3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
1 1/2 tsp salt

In a measuring cup or small bowl combine the lukewarm milk, yeast and honey.  Stir to dissolve the yeast and set aside in a draft free spot for about 10 minutes.  Mixture should be puffy and bubbly and smell like yeast after.
Combine the oats, all purpose flour and whole wheat flour together in a bowl.   Add the salt.
Add the yeast mixture to the flour and then the melted butter.  Mix until it forms a rough dough ball and begin to knead on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes.  Dough should be smooth.
Place dough in a buttered bowl.  Cover with a clean cloth and set in a draft free place for about 50 - 60 minutes.
Remove from bowl and knead only a couple of turns.  Form the dough into a log and place in a lightly greased loaf pan.  Rub the top of the dough with a little grease or butter and cover with a clean cloth.  Let it rise for another 75 minutes give or take, until it's risen over the top of the loaf pan and forming a nice dome.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 - 40 minutes.  You should be able to knock on the bottom of the loaf and it should sound like a knock.
Wait for about 15 minutes before slicing.