Bread Frugality and Homemade Oat Bread

Anybody who has read this blog for a while probably knows that I like to bake my own bread. One, there's just no comparison to homemade bread. Two, it's cheaper than buying it in the store, and I'm all about cheaper.

And those who have read this blog for a while and who know that I like to bake my own bread ALSO know that I "cheat" a little. I don't knead the dough myself... I let my bread machine do the kneading. (A bread machine for which I paid a whopping $10 at a Goodwill store, by the way - read more about all that here)

When I bake bread, I make several loaves. I reserve one for immediate use. I freeze the rest in ziploc or vacuum sealer bags. (We go through a lot of bread at my house, especially because I pack my kids' school lunches. I've found that it really is cheaper to bake my own bread rather than buy it at the store.)

When I see that I'm about to use up a loaf, that evening I'll take another loaf from the freezer and set it on the counter to thaw out overnight. The next morning, it's ready to slice and tastes just as good as fresh-baked.

I've been looking for a good light oat bread recipe - one that isn't too grainy or dense, is soft-textured, and is well-suited for sandwiches.

Well, I found it.

FLUFFY OAT BREAD
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened (I get better results from margarine)
1 tsp. salt (sodium watchers can substitute lite salt, as long as it has SOME sodium in it. You can't use salt substitutes that are potassium only)
3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour (bread flour yields better results)
1/2 cup rolled oats (quick-cooking oats yield better results than old-fashioned oats)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

Place all ingredients, in order, into bread machine. Start dough cycle.

When dough is finished, shape into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan. Cover loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes or until bread is done. Cool completely before slicing.

To test for doneness: Remove bread from pan. Tap bottom of the loaf - it should sound hollow.

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