Grandma's Oatmeal Bread

A lovely dough, and fun to knead by hand

Fresh from the oven, and smelling marvelous!

The first hot slices, ready to be spread with butter and honey


Make it yourself!


2 pkg active dry yeast (2 T.)
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup light molasses (I've also used half honey and half molasses)
1/3 cup shortening
1 T. salt
5 3/4 to 6 cups all-purpose flour (I used half white flour and half freshly ground wheat)
2 beaten eggs
Quick-cooking rolled oats
1 beaten egg white
1 T. water

Soften yeast in the warm water. Combine boiling water, 1 cup rolled oats, molasses, shortening, and salt; cool to lukewarm. Stir in 2 cups of the flour; beat well. Add the softened yeast and 2 beaten eggs; beat well. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead till smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Shape dough into a ball.

Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let rise in warm place until double (about 1 1/2 hours). Punch dough down; turn out on lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Coat two well-greased loaf pans with about 2 T. rolled oats for each pan. Shape dough into loaves.

Place loaves in pans. Cover and let rise in warm place till double (45 to 60 minutes). Brush loaves with mixture of egg white and water; sprinkle tops lightly with rolled oats. Bake at 375 degrees till done, about 35-40 minutes. Cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes if tops are browning rapidly. Remove from pans after 10 minutes of resting and let cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves.

From the 1973 edition of, "Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Bread Cook Book".