Oatmeal Bread

I really love baking, but for years I've outright dismissed any recipe that uses yeast. As soon as I saw it on the ingredient list, I turned the page. Yeast seemed intimidating and unpredictable, and I feared brick-like bread or hockey puck cinnamon rolls.

But today was very, very cold here in Texas, and it only seemed right to bake bread.

I'm glad I did. This recipe is nothing to fear. It's very, very easy and bakes beautifully. If it is cold in your house like it is in mine, you'll probably need to let it rise longer after shaping it and putting it in the pan in order to get it above the rim of the loaf pan. It's worth the time, though - this stuff is terrific warm from the oven with a little butter, or as toast with your tea.

Oatmeal Bread

3 cups Unbleached Bread Flour
1 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey (I used 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon honey)
2 teaspoons instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast*
1 1/4 cups warm (but not boiling!) milk

*If you use active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk before combining with the remaining ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough. Knead dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by machine (5 minutes) till it's smooth. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow it to rest for 1 hour; it'll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface, and shape it into a log. Place the log in a lightly greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, cover the pan (with lightly greased plastic wrap), and allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, till it's crested 1 to 2 inches over the rim of the pan.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190°F. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes of baking.