Assorted Pumpkin Oat Breads

Have been itching to bake some fresh home made bread these couple of days. But just could not find the time to do it....until yesterday. If you have baked bread at home before, you would understand what I mean when I say you really need time to do it. There is the kneading part, plus 1st proofing, the shaping of the dough, then the 2nd proofing and finally the baking. The whole process can take up to 5hrs give and take. Some people would not understand why would anyone go through so much trouble for something that is so readily available in almost any store. You know I can never stress this enough, but being able to enjoy freshly baked goodies at home is really a form of joy that one can truly appreciate it until they try it out on their own. Especially when you can wake up to the smell of fresh baked bread, it's really indescribable happiness! Unfortunately, I have yet done that for my family...meaning wake up before the break of dawn to bake. Err...a girl needs her beauty sleep if you know I mean. :D

This time I decided to bake pumpkin oat bread, pretty similar to what I have done before, just shuffling the ingredients. I even replace the honey with maple syrup this time...result was good. I find it fun to play with different ingredients as I am always searching for new ways to make the bread a little more interesting but not taking away the taste. This recipe turns out great since using root vegetables seems to soften the dough texture quite a bit. Will not be posting the recipe for this bread since it is pretty similar to the previous pumpkin and oat loafs I have made. Kindly refer to those recipes if you are interested.
Made 3 varieties of bread using the same dough base. First up is hot dog buns. Since the other day my friend Reese made a hot dog bun for my girls, they have been asking me when am I gonna make for them. So I took this "golden" opportunity to incorporate some old fashion oats(not rolled oats) into the dough. Old fashion oats are much chewier in texture and takes longer time to cook, but I believe they have same health benefits as the rolled oats . Do not use instant oats as they're pre-cooked and less nutritious and often have added sodium.

It's a good thing my girls were not bothered by the slight chewy bits of the oats that were not completely dissolved into the dough. Somehow kids just love hot dog buns...and making them braided, it even makes them more attractive. ;)

Okay, next up....err...these are not poorly pedicured feet, haha! I meant to make these buns look like golden colored princess tiaras with gems (cranberries and M&Ms). But somehow the baking process melted the candy and sort of "decolorizing" it! I hope it did not spoil your appetite, haha! Luckily my girls were still amused by the shape and my elder daughter even managed to guess it's a crown of some sort, haha! Then they started posing it on their heads as though they were wearing it! Kids...

I filled the buns with sweetened cream cheese, which was a good combo with the bread too, as the kids love them.The last item is a braided loaf with cranberries and sweet crumble toppings. This loaf is actually made just for my husband. He's not really a hot dog or tiara bun person, so just a loaf be much suitable for him. He likes the crumble topping, so I have scatter a generous amount on top.
Somehow this loaf turns out softer then the other above buns I made. Perhaps I have allowed it to rise a little longer? Or maybe volume wise it's texture is slightly different. Either way, I like this one the best too. ;)

The weekend is almost here. Anything on your schedule? Nothing? I'm sure you have at least 4 hours to spare? How about trying out to bake some delicious home made buns and loafs for your love ones, they will really really appreciate it, I'm sure. Happy baking!