Made from a combination of all-purpose flour, oats, and whole wheat, this is a great American-style sandwich bread: high-rising, soft-textured, and mildly sweet. From the classic PB&J sandwich to grilled cheese to your everyday breakfast toast, this versatile loaf is a real crowd-pleaser.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, oats, maple or brown sugar, honey, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Let cool to lukewarm (100°F to 110°F), which typically takes about 10 to 15 minutes; stir the mixture several times to help things along, if you like.
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add the yeast and flours, stirring to form a rough dough. Knead (about 10 minutes by hand, 5 to 7 minutes by machine) until the dough is smooth and satiny.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour. Since the dough is warm to begin with (from the boiling water), it should become quite puffy.
Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a loaf. Place the loaves in two greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" bread pans.
Cover the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the loaves to rise until they've crowned about 1" over the rim of the pan, about 1 to 2 hours.
Bake the loaves in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting them lightly with aluminum foil after 25 minutes, to prevent over-browning. Remove them from the oven when they're golden brown, and the interior registers 190°F on a digital thermometer.
Turn the loaves out onto a rack to cool. Store at room temperature, well-wrapped, for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Want to make this bread with the help of your bread machine? Place the dough ingredients into your machine in the order listed and choose the dough or manual cycle. When the cycle is done, remove the risen dough and shape and bake as directed in the recipe above. Note: Due to the many brands of bread machines on the market and their different features, we can’t guarantee you can bake this bread start to finish in your own machine; please use the dough or manual cycle instead.
