Honey Oatmeal Bread

If you are looking for a new kind of bread to make, Honey Oatmeal is an excellent choice. I like to try different kinds of bread and when I saw this recipe on Brown Eyed Baker, I moved it right up the list of new recipes to try. It came out so wonderful that I made a double batch the next day. My son, Jack, especially loved it. The sweetness from the honey is subtle, but adds magnificent flavor to this almost whole grain loaf. The oats and the whole wheat flour add healthful benefits and pair nicely with the honey. Honey Oatmeal Bread
recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Ingredients:
1¼ cups (10 ounces) boiling water
1 cup (3½ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup (3 ounces) honey
1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
1-2/3 cups (7 ounces) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (1 ounce) nonfat dry milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast

Directions: Place the boiling water, oats, butter, salt and honey into a medium bowl. Stir, and let the mixture cool to lukewarm. Mix the remaining dough ingredients with the oat mixture, and knead – by hand, mixer or bread machine – until you’ve made a soft, smooth dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour; the dough should be doubled in bulk.

Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough – it’ll be sticky, so oil your hands – and shape it into a 9-inch log. Place it in the prepared pan. Cover it gently with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow it to rise until it has crowned 1½ inches over the rim of the pan, about 1 to 1½ hours. Play with your kiddos, take a nap, fold some laundry or shovel your driveway. Near the end of the bread’s rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Uncover and bake the bread for about 45 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. The bread is done when it’s golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190 degrees F. Remove it from the oven, and after a minute or so, turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with additional oats. Cool the bread completely before cutting it.

Slice thick and serve with dinner. Your family will love it, and you.

See that smile?

Or toast it up and make a wonderful sandwich.

Delicious.

Any way you eat this bread is great. Any way you slice this bread is great Any time you eat this bread, it tastes great.

Enjoy.