OATMEAL MOLASSES BREAD

This is a delicious, easy bread that makes you never want to eat store-bought bread again! The recipe is from my Grandma's old recipe book. The molasses gives it a nice moist flavor and the oatmeal adds the perfect texture. There is no kneading and only one rise, so you can start this bread in the morning and make fresh sandwiches with it for lunch.

Stir together in mixing bowl:

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup organic molasses
1 tablespoon salt
Cool to lukewarm.

Combine, stirring to dissolve:

2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (not hot: 110-115 degrees)
Stir into lukewarm oatmeal mixture and mix well.

Add:

2 eggs
5 1/2 cup sifted unbleached white flour

1) Mix everything together thoroughly.

2) Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot for 15 minutes (I use the oven with the oven light on and door shut)

3) Place dough into 2 well greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans and pat into a loaf shape. I have used smaller pans, but the bread has a tendency to rise too high when baking and the resulting loaf is very hard to cut because the top crumbles where it baked over the pan.

4) Let rise in a warm place (uncovered) until double in size--approx. 1-1 1/2 hours.

5) Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 1 hour.

I turn my bread halfway through the baking time since most ovens have a tendency to be hotter in the back. Check the bread towards the end of the baking time to make sure the top is not getting too dark, as all ovens vary a bit in temperature. I always spread the top with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven since we like a soft, flavorful crust. Let the loaves rest in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely. I have found that it is best to tip them on their sides once they come out of the pans so the hot bread isn't compressed by the weight of the loaf while it's cooling.

**Store home made bread in airtight containers so it doesn't dry out.

Makes 2 loaves.