“Bricks” or Buttermilk Oaten Bread
from “The Complete Book of Breads” by Bernard Clayton, Jr. and loved by Natalie Schroeder | photography by Talitha Schroeder
Ingredients
2 cups oatmeal, instant or old fashioned
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Directions
The night before: Mix the oatmeal and buttermilk and cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it stand on the counter until you’re ready to proceed the next day.
The next day: preheat oven to 350℉
In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients together and then mix gradually into the oatmeal. Use a wooden spoon or fingers. If the mixture is difficult to work, add a little more milk. Keep the mixture soft. Knead in the bowl until the dough is smooth
Pat the dough into a round loaf about 2” thick. With a sharp knife or scissors cut the dough into quarters and place the section side by side on the baking sheet.
Bake in the oven until the quarters are a medium to deep brown. To test for doneness, turn over one quarter and tap. A hollow sound means it is baked.
Remove bread from the oven. Place on a wire rack to cool. When they have cooled, break them open with fingers rather than cut them.
Tali’s notes from her childhood : Enjoy quickly while warm, they get dense and rough to eat when cold (hence earning the name “Bricks”). My mother enjoyed them with a slice of cheddar cheese and whole grain mustard!
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