Oatmeal Bread

1. Stage

Make the oatmeal: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, whole wheat flour, and boiling water with a wooden spoon. Allow the mixture to cool until just barely warm, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Stage

Make the dough: Add the milk, yeast, salt, honey, vegetable oil, and bread flour into the bowl with the oatmeal. Mix on low speed with the dough hook attachment, or by hand with a wooden spoon, until all the ingredients are incorporated and it forms a shaggy dough. There shouldn’t be any dry spots of flour, but the surface will still be rough.

3. Stage

Knead the dough: Continue to mix on low speed for 5 minutes, kneading the dough. If mixing by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. Use the palm of your hand to push the dough down and away from you, stretching the dough. Then, fold the dough in half towards you, rotate it 90 degrees, and press and extend the dough again. Continue pressing, stretching, and rotating to knead the dough. It will be very sticky at the beginning but try not to add more flour, as it will make the loaf dry. After kneading, the dough should be elastic and somewhat smooth, but still very soft.

4. Stage

Let the dough rise: Form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and let it rise in a warm spot until roughly doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

5. Stage

Prepare the pans: Lightly grease two standard loaf pans (8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch) with butter or vegetable oil.

6. Stage

Shape the loaves: Tip the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide the dough into two equal pieces with a bench scraper or a long knife. To shape the dough into a loaf, use your hands to gently stretch one of the pieces of dough into a puffy rectangle with the short edge slightly narrower than the length of the pan, about 6 by 8 inches. Roll the dough up into a log starting at the short edge and pinch the seam closed. Place the loaf seam-side down in one of the greased pans. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

7. Stage

Let the dough rise again: Tent the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap or a clean tea towel. Let them rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the bread rises to about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.

8. Stage

Preheat the oven: When the bread has nearly finished rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.

9. Stage

Make the egg wash: In a small bowl, beat the egg with a tablespoon of water until thoroughly combined.

10. Stage

Add topping to loaves: To add the topping, uncover the risen loaves. Brush the egg wash with a pastry brush over the top crust of the loaves (you won't use all of the egg wash). Sprinkle each loaf with a couple of tablespoons of oats.

11. Stage

Bake the loaves: Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and sound hollow when the bottoms are tapped. If you have a digital thermometer, the internal temperature of the bread should register 190°F.

12. Stage

Cool the loaves and slice: Turn the loaves out onto a wire rack to cool. Let the loaves cool completely before slicing. You should get 12 to 16 slices per loaf, depending on how thick you slice it. I like thin slices for sandwiches and thicker slices for making toast.