HappyTummy              

My my my. I wasn’t going to make this bread because I’ve been so tired, but I’m sure glad I did. It’s actually right up my alley: low in fat, high in fiber and delicious.

Now, I don’t know how many calories or fat grams this has, but I have to believe it’s quite a healthy recipe. Instead of butter, it calls for heart-healthy canola oil and unsweetened applesauce. Of course, there is the cholesterol-lowering oatmeal too. And I made it even healthier–I used white whole wheat flour instead of AP flour, and substituted Egg Beaters for the eggs. I also passed on the brown sugar topping. And finally, I sprinkled the batter with dried blueberries, an antioxidant. Dorie had suggested dried figs, apples, apricots or raisins, but I had the blueberries on hand. I thought it was a great choice. This basically tasted like a slice of blueberry muffin. It was fantastic!

Thanks for picking this one, Natalie! My adapted version of Dorie’s recipe follows, but if you want the original, visit Natalie’s blog, Oven Love.

Recipe: Oatmeal Breakfast Bread
Adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Makes 12 servings

• 2/3 Egg Beaters
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-x-5-inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the Egg Beaters, applesauce, oil and buttermilk until well blended. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Remove 1/2 teaspoon of the mix and toss it with the dried blueberries, just to coat; set aside. Stir the oats into the bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and, using a large rubber spatula, stir just until everything is evenly moistened—this is a case in which less is more, so don’t overdo the mixing. Scatter the dried blueberries over the batter and stir to blend. Scrape the batter into the pan and sprinkle over the topping, tamping it down very lightly with your fingers so it sticks.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is beautifully browned and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the bread to a rack to cool for about 5 mintues, then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.