Richard's Best Bread

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups skim milk or 2 cups low-fat milk, scalded
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup sugar (use any combination of honey, sugar, brown sugar, molasses or corn syrup)
• 2 teaspoons salt (optional)
• 1/2 cup warm water, 105 to 110 degrees f
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast (2 envelopes)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 eggs, well-beaten
• 1 cup oats or 1 cup quick oats, rolled
• 1/2 cup bran flakes, unprocessed bran
• 3 cups whole grain wheat flour (any combination of whole wheat, rye, or buckwheat)
• 3 cups unbleached flour (approximate measure)
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted or 1 tablespoon margarine

Recipe

• 1 in a large mixing bowl, combine the hot milk, oil, sweetener, and salt.
• 2 set the mixture aside to cool.
• 3 place the warm water in a small bowl, and dissolve the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
• 4 when the yeast is bubbly and the milk mixture has cooled to lukewarm, combine the two and add the beaten eggs.
• 5 then add the oats and bran flakes, and mix the ingredients well.
• 6 add all the whole-grain flour and as much of the flour as needed to make the dough easy to handle (it should be slightly moist but not sticky).
• 7 turn the dough out on a floured board, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, adding more flour if necessary.
• 8 place the dough in a greased bowl, turning the dough to coat it with the grease.
• 9 cover the bowl with a damp towel or some plastic wrap, and set the dough in a warm draft-free place to rise until it has doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.
• 10 punch down the dough, and divide it into three equal parts.
• 11 knead into each part the desired flavorings, and form the pans into loaves.
• 12 place the loaves in greased bread pans (9 x 5 x 3 inches), cover the pans, and set the loaves in a warm place to rise until they have doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
• 13 brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter or margarine, and sprinkle them with cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired.
• 14 preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• 15 put the loaves in the oven and turn the oven down to 325 degrees.
• 16 bake the bread for 35-40 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.