Bread… It’s one of those things that sounds very daunting but it’s really not. All you really need is a few ingredients and a bit of time on your side.  Perhaps a lazy or raining Sunday, where you are stuck at home and can allow the dough to rest. Plus there is no better smell than that of fresh bread. Nothing beats slicing into warm bread and lathering it with butter and honey. I recommend you making this recipe the next time you plan on staying home and looking to experiment baking something not sweet.

12 servings / 15 mins prep time / 3 hrs 20 mins total time

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup old fashion oats

2¼ tsp instant yeast

4½ tsp bread booster, optional

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk, warmed

2 tbsp butter, melted

¼ cup warm water

¼ cup honey

Vegetable oil

Honey and oats, for top garnish

Directions

In a standing mixer bowl, combine both flours, oats, yeast, bread booster and salt. Give it a mix with your hands just to give it a head start.

Combine the water with the honey and mix until incorporated and then add to a bowl with the warm milk and melted butter.

Mix the wet ingredients and add into the standing mixer bowl with the dry ingredients and the dough hook attached. Allow to mix for about 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic.

Add a bit of oil to the standing mixer (this is just to prevent the dough from drying out and sticking to the bowl) and allow to rise double in size, about 45 minutes.

Once the dough has risen, remove from bowl and shape into loaf. Place in a 9×5 bread pan loaf and allow to rise for roughly 1 hour.

After 1 hour, add a drizzle of honey on top and sprinkle with oats. Bake at 350 °F for 40 to 50 minutes, the bread will have risen and formed a nice crust. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing and digging in.