HONEY OATMEAL BREAD

Yield: 2 loaves.

1 cup instant oats, uncooked

1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil

2 cups hot water

1 package FLEISCHMANN's Active Dry Yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg, beaten (optional)

About 5 ½ cups HODGSON MILL Naturally White Flour, divided

1/4 warm water

1/3 cup honey

Extra oatmeal for coating









Directions

Put the oats in a large bowl. Bring 2 cups water to a boil; pour it over the
oats and let stand for at least 15 minutes.

Stir the yeast into 1/4 cup of warm water and let stand for 5 minutes to
dissolve.

Feel the oats at the bottom of the bowl to be sure they're lukewarm. Add
honey, butter, salt and yeast mixture. You can also add an egg for an
extra-rich dough.

Mix well. Work in enough of the flour so that the dough can be handled, but
remember that the oats and honey will make this a very sticky dough. Turn
out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for a minute or two. Cover and let
rest 10 minutes. Knead until dough is elastic but still rather sticky,
adding flour as needed; don't add too much flour at a time.

Place dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise in a
warm, draft-free place about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Punch down dough and divide into two equal pieces. Knead each piece to
remove the large air bubbles. Do not use any flour on the kneading surface;
you want the dough to remain sticky. Form each piece into a loaf. Roll each
loaf in additional oats until completely covered. Place loaves on lightly
greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes, or until
doubled.

While dough is rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaves about 45
minutes, or until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from
baking sheets and cool on wire racks.