Oat Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/2 cups of water (cold if using a machine, warm if by hand)
• 1 cup of oats (or 1 and 1/2 to get a little more whole grain in there)
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour (or use a little over 1 cup, again for the whole grain)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 TBSP butter (or canola oil so dairy free)
• 5 cups white bread flour (I only use 4 cups since I add in extra oats and whole wheat)
• 1 pkg yeast (2 and 1/4 tsp jar)

Machine:

Put in bread machine in the order listed and set to dough cycle, allow it to rise in the machine (it will be huge)

By hand:

knead til smooth- 5-10 min. Double cover in a big bowl (1-1 and 1/2 hours)

Both:

After dough has finished rising, punch down, cut in half, shape like loaf, put into two greased loaf pans (don't kneed it anymore or fold it over- it will create a crease- simply cut it, put it in the pan and mash it down into a loaf). Preheat the oven to 350°. Allow dough to rise (roughly double) in the pans for 30 min. Bake 30-40 min at 350. Take out of oven, allow them to cool in the pans for a few minutes and then completely on a rack. Wrap one of the loaves in saran wrap and then in aluminum foil and freeze it. Thaw it in the fridge for a day before putting it out.