Homemade Honey-Oat Bread

I decided to try my hand at homemade bread (from scratch, no bread machine... yes, hours of rising!) recently, after stumbling upon some recipes in an issue of Vegetarian Times. These were no-knead breads, which I thought just meant I didn't have to get my hands all dough-y, but turns out they are wonderfully rustic, chewy, dense.... And actually very easy!! My 4yr old loves to help me measure and stir the ingredients. He calls it "love bread", because we make it with love. :)

This honey oat bread makes an awesome grilled cheese sandwich (which is best, IMO, with a little mayo to make the cheese extra creamy, and some grainy mustard for flavor), or just warm from the oven with a bit of butter.

Honey-Oat Bread

1 loaf, 12 slices

1 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant), divided

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus more as necessary), divided

1 3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp rapid-rising, instant, or bread machine yeast

6 T honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

1. Spread 3/4 cup oats on plate; microwave on high 2 mins, stirring every 30 seconds, or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cool.

2. Mix 1 1/2 cups water with 1 cup ice cubes in a bowl. Combine 3 1/4 cups flour, salt, yeast, and toasted oats in separate bowl. Measure 1 1/2 cups ice water, and combine with honey and oil in third bowl. Vigorously stir honey mixture into flour mixture. Dough should be slightly stiff; stir in just enough additional flour to stiffen dough slightly, if necessary. Brush top of dough with oil, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temp for 8 to 12 hours (first rise).

3. Vigorously stir dough, scraping down bowl sides. Stir in remaining 1/4 c flour, plus more if dough is at all soft, to create stiff but still stirrable dough. Oil 9x5" loaf pan, transfer dough to pan and smooth surface with well-oiled fingertips. Press remaining 1/4 cup oats on top of loaf. Cover with plastic wrap oiled on side facing dough.

4. Let dough rise 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours at room temp (second rise). You can also refrigerate dough for up to 48 hours then set out at room temp for second rise.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and bake 30-35 mins, or until top is well-browned. Cover with foil and bake 25-3o mins more, or until skewer inserted in thickest part comes out with just a few particles. Bake 5 minutes more to ensure doneness. Cool.