Honey-Oat Sandwich Bread

You know how you're never supposed to go to the grocery store when you're hungry? Well, that's probably because you'll come away with three kinds of fancy cheese.  :)  And since I don't like to eat fancy cheese with boring supermarket sandwich bread, I definitely had to make some homemade bread to go along with it.  I found this one in my list of bookmarks and decided it was just the ticket. The bread is soft in texture and has good flavor from the honey and butter without being overly sweet.  My favorite way to eat it was spread with the fig-goat cheese spread that I bought on my cheese splurge, and then topped with lightly dressed arugula (tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil).

Honey-Oat Sandwich Bread (adapted from King Arthur Flour)
Makes 1 loaf

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
2-1/4 tsp instant yeast
1-1/2 tsp salt
4 T melted butter
3 T honey
1 cup lukewarm water (more as needed)

1. Whisk together the flours, oats, yeast, and salt.  Stir in the butter, honey, and water until combined.  Cover and let sit 20 minutes for the oats to absorb some of the moisture.
2. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, adding more water if the mixture seems too dry.
3. Cover and let rise 60-90 minutes (the dough may not double but should be noticeably risen).  Punch down, shape into a loaf, and place in a greased loaf pan.
4. Cover and let rise another 60-90 minutes.  Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Bake the loaf 30-35 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.  While the bread is still hot, rub with butter.  Let cool before cutting into the loaf.