Green Grocers' Oat Bran Bread

This bread machine loaf sneaks vegetables into your bread in the cleverest way. Vegetable juice cocktail replaces the usual water, giving the crumb a subtle savory undertone and a faintly golden hue, while chopped parsley adds flecks of green and a fresh, herbaceous note throughout.

The base is a sturdy mix of bread flour, whole wheat flour, and rolled oats, so you get a loaf with real chew and plenty of fiber. Vital wheat gluten keeps everything rising properly despite the heavier flours pulling things down. Egg whites lighten the crumb without adding fat.

A touch of ginger in the dry ingredients isn’t there for spice. It activates the yeast and gives the bread a barely perceptible warmth in the background.

Pro Tips

• Use V8 or any tomato-based vegetable juice cocktail. The acidity actually helps strengthen the gluten structure
• Add ingredients in the order your bread machine manual specifies, typically liquids first
• The dough may look slightly wetter than standard bread dough because of the juice. Let the machine do its thing and resist adding extra flour
• This bread makes killer savory toast, especially with cream cheese and sliced tomatoes

Variations

• Stir in sun-dried tomatoes (chopped small) and Italian seasoning for a Mediterranean spin
• Swap the parsley for fresh dill and serve alongside smoked fish
• Replace the vegetable juice with carrot juice for a milder, slightly sweet version