Cindy's Vermont Oatmeal Maple-Honey Bread

In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, oats, maple or brown sugar, maple flavor (if you’re using it), honey, butter, salt and cinnamon. Let cool to lukewarm.

Add the yeast and flours, stirring to form a rough dough. Knead (about 10 minutes by hand, 5-7 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.

Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a loaf. Place the loaves in 2 greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" bread pans. Cover the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap (or an acrylic dough cover), and allow the loaves to rise till they’ve crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.

Bake the loaves in a preheated 360 degree oven for 33 minutes.* Remove them from the oven when they’re golden brown and the interior registers 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

*If your oven can’t be set at 360 degrees, set it at 350 degrees and bake the bread for 35 - 40 minutes.