Whole Wheat Oat Bread

Each recipe that I have gathered over the years means something to me.  It's almost as if food gets locked in my memory associated with sweet memories of a person or an event.  For the most part, I can remember who I got each recipe from or what we ate when sharing a meal with someone else.  And every time I make it I think loving thoughts of that person and the little piece of themselves they shared with me.  Because usually every good recipe has a story or a memory that goes along with it.  This recipe is one of those.  I had been married a few years and had just started to really get into cooking.  There was a very kind woman at church (Holly Dougherty) who made this bread every week to share with those who attended each Sunday.  Every time I ate this bread it brought me back to being a small girl and watching my mother knead fresh dough.  Nothing compared to it.  She was kind enough to bring me over and teach me just how to make fabulous bread like hers.  Nothing brings more nostalgic comfort than toasting a thick slice of this bread and spreading it with butter and homemade jam and eating it with the ones you love.  Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Oat Bread

2 2/3 cup water                     

1/3 cup oil                          

1/3 cup honey                

3 cups white flour          

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup oatmeal

1 Tblsp salt

1 Tblsp yeast

Place 2 cups white flour, 2 cups whole wheat flour, oatmeal, salt & yeast in electric mixer with dough hook.  Put water, honey & oil in glass container & heat in microwave for 1 to 1 ½ minutes on high.  You don't want it too hot, but warm to the touch.  Mix water mixture into flour.  When all mixed, add an additional 1 cup of white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour.  Scrape dough onto a floured surface and knead until not sticky.  Place in an oiled bowl & let rise until double in size.  Spray two 8" metal loaf pans.  Shape dough into two loaves and put in bread pans.  Let rise again until the bread is about 3/4" above the lip of the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes in pan and then transfer to cooling rack.  Wait until cooled to cut loaves.

Makes 2 loaves

Note: We grind our own wheat bringing more nutrition to the bread.  If you know someone who has a wheat grinder bribe them with fresh baked bread to let you use it.  You can always freeze the whole wheat flour helping the nutrition to last longer.  You can also adjust the whole wheat to white flour ratio if you like more whole wheat.