Honey-Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Derek really likes this particular bread.

1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup honey
1 cup traditional whole wheat flour
1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional--and no never tried it)
2 tsp instant yeast

Place boiling water, oats, butter, salt and honey into a medium bowl, stir, and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.

Mix the remaining ingredients with the oat mixture, and knead--by hand, mixer or bread machine--until you've made a soft, smooth dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour; the dough should be doubled in bulk.

Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough--it'll be sticky, so oil your hands--and shape it into a 9-inch log. Place it in the prepared pan. Cover it gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise till it's crowned 1 1/2 inches over the rim of the pan, about 1-1 1/2 hours. Near the end of the bread's rising time, preheat the oven to 350.

Uncover and bake the bread for about 45 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. The bread is done when it's golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190 degrees. Remove it from the oven, and after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired; this will keep the crust soft. Cool the bread completely before cutting it.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking