Herbed Oatmeal Pan Bread

Servings 16

Recipe from Pillsbury

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is a special occasion pull-apart bread that is perfect for a dinner party.  The dough can be prepared up to a day in advance and kept in the fridge. Once it’s brought to room temperature, pop it in the oven and serve it warm from the oven. It even tastes great (good texture too) a day after it’s been baked.  No need to butter it because it’s got plenty melted over the herby top.  Make this bread the next time you have a party featuring soup or stew.

2 cups water

1 cup old fashioned oats

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

3 ¾-4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (divided)

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 packages regular active dry yeast

1 large egg

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (divided)

1 Tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon dried basil leaves

¼ teaspoon dried oregano leaves

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

In a 2-quart saucepan, heat water to boiling. Stir in oats. Remove from heat. Stir in 3 Tablespoons butter. Cool to 120°F to 130°F. In large bowl, mix 1½ cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast. Beat in cooled oats mixture and egg with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. With spoon, stir in 1¾cups to 2½ cups of the flour to form a stiff dough. 


On a well-floured work surface, knead in remaining ½ cup to ¾ cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape dough into ball; cover with large bowl. Let rest 15 minutes. 


Grease a 13-inch X 9-inch pan* with cooking spray. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Press dough evenly in pan. With very sharp knife, cut diagonal lines 1½ inches apart, cutting completely through dough; repeat in opposite direction creating diamond pattern. (Cutting through the dough before baking makes this tasty bread easy to break into pieces after baking.)

Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and cloth towel. **

Let rise in warm place (80°F to 85°F) about 45 minutes or until light and doubled in size. 


Heat oven to375°F. Redefine the cuts by poking the tip of a knife into the cuts until knife hits bottom of pan; do not pull knife through dough. Spoon 4 Tablespoons of the melted butter over cut dough. Bake 15 minutes. 


Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano and garlic powder; set aside. 


Brush partially baked bread with remaining 2 Tablespoons butter; sprinkle with cheese herb mixture. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until golden brown. Serve warm or cool. 


*Two 8 or 9-inch square pans or one 8-inch and one 9-inch square pan can be substituted for the 13 X 9-inch pan.  When using two square pans, one pan can be baked and the other pan chilled and for baking the next day.

**To Make Ahead: To bake at a later time, at this point let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.  Remove cloth towel. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.  Remove the plastic wrap from the dough; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Bakes as directed above.

Nutritional Information: (Serving Size: 1/16 of bread) Calories 200; Calories from Fat 70; Total Fat 8g; Saturated Fat 3½ g; Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 30mg; Sodium 350mg; Potassium 75mg; Total Carbohydrate 29g; Dietary Fiber 2g; Sugars 3g; Protein 5g

Exchanges: 2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 Fat