Maple-Walnut Oat Bread

Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine all the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until you have a soft, smooth dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or 8-cup measure (the measure lets you track the dough's progress as it rises), and let it rise until nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.

Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into a 9" log. Place it in the prepared pan. Cover the pan and let the bread rise until it crowns about 1 ½" over the rim of the pan, 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Uncover the bread, and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it with foil after 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will register 190°F when the loaf is done. Remove the bread from the oven, and after about a minute turn out onto a rack to cool.