WHO? Oh, Bread.

 This bread recipe is from soulemama in her book 'The Rhythm Of Family'. It's easy and tastes amazing, especially toasted and smothered in butter, honey, jam, or nut butters.  I hope you like it as much as we do!

 WHO (Wheat, Honey, Oat) Bread

What You'll Need:

2 cups hot water (about 110 degrees)

4 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast (2 packages)

4 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp brown sugar 

5 C. flour (I do 2 C. whole wheat, 3 C. white)

plus more for kneading

1 C. rolled oats

2 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. butter @ room temperature

Olive or canola oil, for the bowl and bread pans

What To Do:

Pour the warm water into a small bowl. Mix in the yeast, honey, and brown sugar. Whisk until everything is combined and the mixture begins to get frothy. Set it aside to proof for 10 minutes or until foamy.

In a separate large bowl, mix the flour, salt, oats, and butter. Mix until the butter is worked through, using your hands works best! Alternatively a food processor or stand mixer can do this for you.

Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined. If it's too sticky, add just a bit more flour.

Pour the dough out onto a surface for kneading. Knead for 10 minutes or so, adding up to 1 C. flour as needed to prevent sticking. Stop kneading when the dough begins to be elastic.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for an hour. (Because it is so cold here in Utah, I turn on my oven just for a couple of minutes to warm it and let the dough rise in there. Just make sure it's not too warm) Punch the dough down gently, and let it rise for another half hour. 

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Divide into 2 balls for 2 loaves. Knead each ball gently for 2-3 minutes. Place the dough balls into 2 lightly oiled bread pans. Press the top of the dough with the back of your hands to flatten and evenly shape the dough in the pans. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a bit of oats. Cover again, and let the dough sit in a warm place for a half hour to rise one more time. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the bread for 40 minutes, or until the top begins to appear golden.

Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to fully cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!