Honey-Oat Pain de Mie Bread
- 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
- 1½ tsp. salt
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup to 1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water*
*Use the smaller amount in the summer, or in a humid climate; the larger in winter, or in a drier climate.
Combine all of the ingredients, and mix until cohesive. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 20 minutes, to give the oats a chance to absorb some of the liquid. Then knead — by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine — to make a smooth, soft, elastic dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, or in an 8-cup measure (so you can track its progress as it rises), and let it rise for 1 to 1½ hours, until it's risen noticeably. It won't necessarily double in bulk.
Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into a 9" log. Place the log in a lightly greased 9" pain de mie (pullman) pan*, pressing it gently to flatten. Place the lid on the pan (or cover with plastic wrap, for a better view), and let the dough rise until it's about 1" from the top of the lid, 1 to 1½ hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Remove the plastic (if you've used it), slide the pan's lid completely closed, and bake the bread for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers at least 190°F. Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Cool completely before cutting; wrap airtight and store for several days at room temperature.
*Note: I do not own a pullman pan, so I just used a 9" x 5" loaf pan instead and it worked fine. I didn't use and cover when it asked for one, however when it was rising do make sure to cover it with plastic wrap.