Honey-Oat Bread

Makes one loaf

• 1 cup lukewarm water, add 2 Tablespoons more water in winter/low humidity
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant, or bread machine yeast
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

Bread Machine Directions

Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed. Set the machine on the dough cycle. My dough cycle takes 120 minutes.

After the dough cycle completes, remove the dough to a lightly floured counter. Gently deflate the dough and shape into a rectangle loaf. Place the loaf in a lightly greased 9 inch loaf pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and set aside to rise. In a warm kitchen, the dough will take 30-60 minutes to rise above the rim of the pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while the dough is rising.

Remove the plastic wrap and bake the bread for approximately 30 minutes, until the bread is browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the bread reads at least 190 degrees F.

Remove the bread from the pan to cool on a rack. Run a stick of butter across the top crust to make it soft and buttery. You'll use about two tablespoons of butter. Cool the loaf completely before cutting.