Easy Granola Bread

Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, stir all the ingredients together until combined. Let the dough rest, covered, for 30 minutes; this gives the flour a chance to absorb most of the water, which will make the dough a bit less sticky and somewhat easier to knead.

Knead the dough using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook for 3 minutes on medium-high speed; the dough will not clear the sides of the bowl but will begin to gather around the dough hook. If kneading by hand, you'll need to use the slap-and-fold method to handle this very sticky dough. If you're really struggling, add a bit more flour; but the less flour you add, the lighter your bread's texture.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes to 2 hours.

Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.

Place the dough on a well-floured surface, and shape it into a log.

Place the dough in the pan, cover, and allow it to rise until it's crowned about 1" over the rim of the loaf pan, about 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.

 Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the bread until it's nicely browned and hollow-sounding when thumped, about 35 to 40 minutes for the loaf pan; if the loaf appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil. The finished loaf's temperature at the center should read at least 190°F on a digital thermometer.

Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.

Store the bread, well wrapped, for several days at room temperature; freeze for longer storage.