Everyday Oat Bread

I have been making bread now instead of buying it at the store. It is so yummy and cheaper and worth the extra work.This is my new favorite. It is so good.

I found this recipe in a book I borrowed from the library. It was a very random book for a recipe but it sounded good. I don't remember what book it was. I have been meaning to try this bread out for a few months now.

Everyday Oat Bread

2 cups warm water
4 1/2 tsp yeast (2 pkgs)
4 Tbs honey
2 Tbs brown sugar
5 cups flour
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp salt
4 Tbs butter, softened

Mix water, yeast, honey, and brown sugar until frothy; set aside for 10 minutes. (I get my water as hot as it will come out of the tap, and then I add my honey to the hot water. It makes the honey come off of the measurer a little better)
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, oats, and butter.
Add the yeast mixture and mix well.
Knead for about 10 minutes, adding up to 1 cup of flour to prevent sticking.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover w/damp cloth. Let rise 1 hour. Punch down dough and let rise another 30 minutes.
Shape into 2 loaves, put in greased pans. Sprinkle with oats and let rise another 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Notes:
It is winter and our place is always cold, so I let my dough rise in the oven. I turn on my oven to warm for about 3-5 minutes and then turn it off. I put a small bowl of water on the bottom rack and then my dough on the rack right above that.

I also like my bread nice and crusty so I butter my bread pans.

This is by far my favorite bread. I still want to do a little tweaking. Next time I will be grinding down some oats and using oat flour in it as well.