Honey Oat Bread

Source: Bakingdom

It's not labor intensive, and it's a pretty forgiving recipe, but the rising time is 2-3 hours. Make sure you'll be home for at least 4.5 hours if you plan to make this recipe. It's a good one to have rising in the background while you work on other projects!

Ingredients

3 c. flour
3/4 c. oats (instant/old fashioned)
2 1/4 t. instant yeast
1 1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk
1/4 c. lukewarm water
2 T. unsalted butter or margarine
1/4 c. honey

1 1/2 to 2 T. honey, warmed
1 1/2 to 2 T. oats

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, oats, yeast, and salt.

In a small bowl, or two cup measuring cup, warm the milk so that it's hot enough to melt the butter, but not boiling. Add the butter, stirring until melted, then stir in the water and honey.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, mixing until it just comes together to form a dough. Knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is still very wet and sticky after 5 minutes of kneading, add more flour, until the dough is barely tacky. If the dough is too dry, add water to soften it up.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Once doubled, place the dough on a clean, dry work surface. If the dough is too sticky, lightly flour the surface before continuing. With your fingers, flatten the dough into a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Tightly roll the dough, tucking the ends as needed, into a loaf. Place the shaped dough into a 9x5-inch loaf pan, cover with a clean dry towl, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When the loaf is doubled again, brush the top with the warmed honey and sprinkle with the oats.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 350 F (180 C).

Makes 1 9x5 loaf... but I suggest always making a double batch, because one loaf goes quickly! You can also make rolls instead of a loaf to shake things up.