Oatmeal Bread

Quality bread flour - 1 lb, 8 oz (5 1/2 cups)
Whole-wheat flour - 6 oz (1 cup)
Yeast - .18 oz, active dry (2 1/2 tsp)
Rolled oats - 5.3 oz (1 5/8 cups)
Water - 1 lb, 4 oz (2 1/2 cups)
Milk - 3.5 oz (1/2 cup)
Honey - 2.4 oz (3 T)
Vegetable oil - 2.4 oz (5 1/2 T)
Salt - .7 oz (3 1/2 tsp)

TOTAL YIELD 4 lb, 2.5 oz

1. MIXING: Add the water and milk to the mixing bowl, then add all ingredients except salt and flour. Stir and let stand for approx. 10 to 15 minutes to soften. Add the wheat flour, salt and about 2 cups of the bread flour to the bowl. In a mixer, mix on first speed for 3 to 5 minutes in order to incorporate the ingredients thoroughly and develop the gluten. Then add remained flour. Mix on second speed and mix for 4-5 minutes, until a moderate gluten development has been achieved, until dough pulls away from bowl and clings to hook. The dough consistency should be moderately loose, with a slight tackiness from the honey.

2. BULK FERMENTATION: 2 hours, or double in bulk, when indention stays when poked (or overnight retarding).

3. FOLDING: Fold the dough once, after 1 hour.

4. DIVIDING AND SHAPING: Divide in half and roughly shape into loaves (Eighteen-ounce each.) Tasty rolls of about 3 ounces each can also be made with the dough. Place the dough pieces on a lightly floured work surface. Cover the rounds with plastic. Once the dough is sufficiently relaxed, shape into blunt cylinders for pan loaves; for round loaves or rolls, shape accordingly. A nice finish for the bread or rolls is made by dipping the top of the dough into a damp cloth (or misting the surface) and then pressing the moistened surface into a tray of oatmeal. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap sprayed lightly with cooking spray so that air currents don't crust the surface.

5. FINAL FERMENTATION: 1 to 1 1/2 hours at about 76°F.until double in size.

6. BAKING: Bake at 400°. The milk, honey, and oil contribute a lot to bread coloring. Eighteen-ounce loaves baked in loaf pans will take 30 to 32 minutes to bake. Remove from pans soon after baking and allow to cool.

Source: Jeffrey Hamelman from “Bread, a Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes”