Home  |  Recipes  |  Diet Recipes  |  Dinner Party Menus  |  Food History  |  Culinary Dictionary  |  Diet, Health & Beauty

1/2 cup uncooked old-fashioned oatmeal
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup boiling water
3 cups bread flour  
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Put the oatmeal, vegetable oil, molasses, sugar, and salt in the pan of the bread machine; add boiling water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes or until mixture has cooled to warm.

Add the flour and yeast. Select dough setting and press start. Check the dough (don't be afraid to open the lid). It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time).

When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly oiled surface. Form dough into an oval, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

After resting, turn dough bottom side up and press to flatten. Shape dough into a loaf and place in a loaf pan that's been coated with cooking spray. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise for approximately 30 minutes or until doubled. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. (A good check is to use an instant digital thermometer to test your bread. The temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees.) Remove from oven and cool on a bread rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan.

Makes one 1 1/2-pound loaf.