Recipe - Crusty Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Bread

2 cup Flour
2 teaspoon Salt
2 pack Active dry yeast
3 cup Water
1/3 cup Molasses
6 tablespoon Butter or margarine
3 cup Uncooked oats +
2 tablespoon Uncooked oats
quick or oldfashioned
4 One half cup Whole wheat flour
more or less
1 Egg

1. In a large bowl, combine regular flour, salt, and yeast. In a 2 quart
saucepan over low heat, heat water, molasses, butter or margarine and 3
cups oats until very warm (120 to 130~). Butter does not need to melt
completely.

2. With mixer at low speed, gradually beat oat mixture into dry
ingredients just until blended. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes,
occasionally scraping bowl. With wooden spoon, stir in 3 cups whole wheat
flour to make a soft dough.

3. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. With floured hands, knead
dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, working in about One half cup
whole wheat flour while kneading. Shape dough into ball and place in
greased large bowl, turning dough over so that top is greased. Cover bowl
with towel and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. (Dough
is doubled when two fingers pressed lightly into dough leave a dent.)

4. Grease large cookie sheet. Punch down dough. Shape dough into a ball;
place on cookie sheet. Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until
doubled, about 40 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 350~. With knife, cut 5 slashes in top of loaf. In cup
with fork, beat egg. With pastry brush, brush bread with beaten egg;
sprinkle with 2 tablespoons oats. Bake 2 hour or until bread sound hollow
when lightly tapped with fingers. Remove bread from cookie sheet and place

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini