Sandwich Bread

For the past few months I have been making all of our bread products at home....a little of wanting less preservative filled foods, more fresh and to save a little money. Sandwiches have been an issue- I have been trying different recipes from my standard egg bread, to plain old white to wheat. It's not that I want the same flavorless sqaushy texture of storebought....but something soft, easy to slice relatively thin, and taste right with peanut butter! And after all the different recipes....I belive I have found what I want....in my old standard honey oat bread that I have been making for years. All it took was a couple changes and it works great. I'm partial to bread and butter and this is my all time favorite for fresh eating with dinner as well.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

2 cups boiling water
1 cup oats
1/2 cup honey
2 T butter
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 pkg (or 2 1/4 tsp) yeast
1/2 cup warm water
4-6 cups flour (white, wheat or a mix of both)
1 heaping T vital wheat gluten

Mix boiling water, oats, honey, salt and butter and let sit for 1 hour. Stir in eggs. Soften the yeast in the warm water for a few minutes then add to oat mixture. Add 2 cups of flour and the wheat gluten and stir (or use the dough hook on a mixer). Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time. I usually use about 5 cups- more makes for a drier loaf. Knead for a few minutes. Cover and rise for 1 hour. Form into 2 loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375o. Bake for 30-35 minutes.