Oatmeal Bread

From Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats OR 2/3 cup raw steel-cut oats (both weigh 106g). (If you have leftover oatmeal porridge, you can use 2 cups, and 2 3/4 teaspoons salt.
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110F)

3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup oil (optional)

5 cups finely ground whole wheat bread flour (750g) I used 3-1/2 cups W.W. and 1-1/2 cups bread flour

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour boiling water over oats and stir. Place in microwave for one minute. Remove and stir in salt. Place back in microwave and let it sit for several hours. If you use leftover oatmeal, bring it to room temperature.

Dissolve the yeast in the 1/2 cup water.

Mix the honey and oil into the oatmeal, and add it and the yeast to the flour. Even if the dough seems very stiff, don't add more water just yet: the flour will absorb water from the oatmeal very slowly, so the dough softens as you work. Knead the somewhat stiff dough for about ten minutes, and if it still seems stiff then, add water gradually by wetting your hands and kneading until the dough has taken in as much water as it requires to become soft and supple. If you use leftover oatmeal that is fairly thin, you may find that you need to add flour on the board instead of water.

Form the dough into a ball and place it smooth side up in the bowl. Cover and keep in a warm, draft-free place. After about an hour and a half (in an 80F room; 3 hours in a 70F room), gently poke the center of the dough 1/2 inch deep with your wet finger. If the hole doesn't fill in at all or if the dough sighs, it is ready for the next step. Press flat, form into a smooth round, and let the dough rise once more as before. The second rising will take about half as much time as the first.

Press the dough flat and divide in two. Shape it into balls and let them rest, covered, until much softer (about 15 minutes). Shape gently into hearth-style or standard 8" x 4" pan loaves. Sprinkle a greased baking sheet, pie tins, or loaf pans with rolled oats before placing the shaped loaf in them. For a fancy touch, brush the tops of the loaves with warm milk, and then sprinkle with more rolled oats that have been soaked in the warm milk.

Let rise once more in a warm place (about half as long as the second rise), and bake about 45 minutes at 350F.