Vermont Oatmeal Maple-Honey Bread

By anonsouthernbell

"Maple sugar and honey augment the very slightly sweet taste of the oats in this moist sandwich loaf. Try this toasted and spread with peanut butter, or use if for all manner of sandwiches."

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 (18-20 oz) boiling water
• 1 c (3 1/2 oz) thick oat flakes (rolled oats)
• 1/2 c (2 3/4 oz) maple sugar or brown sugar (4 oz)
• 1/2 teaspoon maple flavor (optional)
• 1 tabl honey
• 4 tabl (1/2 stick, 2 oz) butter
• 1 tabl salt
• 1 tea cinnamon
• 1 tabl instant yeast
• 1 1/2 c (7 3/4 oz) whole wheat flour
• 4 c (17 oz) unbleached, all-purpose flour

Details

Servings 2

Preparation

Step 1

In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, oats, maple sugar, maple flavor, honey, butter, salt and cinnamon. Let cool to lukewarm.

Add the yeast and flours, stiffing to form a rough dough. Knead (about 10 min by hand, 5-7 minutes by machine) until the dough is smooth and satiny. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap, and et the dough rise for 1 hour; it should double in bulk.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a loaf. Place the loaves in two greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 in bread pans. Cover the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap (or a proof cover) and allow the loaves to rise until they've crowned about 1 in over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.

Preheat the over to 350F. Bake the loaves for 35-40 minutes. Remove them from the oven when they're golden brown and the interior registers 190F on an instant-read thermometer.