The light texture of this oatmeal bread makes it special for company, as well as everyday meals.
Combine
2 cups
flour, oats, yeast, brown sugar and salt in large bowl.
Heat half & half, water and 2 tablespoons butter in 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until mixture reaches 120ºF to 130ºF (2 to 4 minutes). Add half & half mixture to dry ingredients. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour by hand to make dough easy to handle.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (5 to 10 minutes). Place in greased bowl; turn, greased-side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).
Punch down dough; divide in half. Roll each half into 12x9-inch rectangle. Starting at narrow end, roll up tightly into loaf shape. Seal ends. Place loaves in 2 (8x4-inch) greased loaf pans, seam-side down. Cover; let rise until double in size (30 to 45 minutes).
Heat oven to 375ºF. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Brush with melted butter. Remove from pans. Cool completely.
TIP: Old-fashioned rolled oats are made by steaming and then flattening into flakes by rolling. They are re-rolled to make quick-cooking oats. Old-fashioned and quick-cooking oats can generally be used interchangeably in recipes. Old-fashioned oats will add more texture, but they both add moistness and a nutty flavor to breads.
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