Bread Machine Honey Oat Bread

Nothing tastes better than fresh, homemade bread straight from the oven, right?  But, who has the time or patience to make it from scratch?  For years I used to make all of our bread by hand.  I would make four to six loaves at one time and put them in the freezer.  And then, one day, I discovered.........drum roll...........THE BREAD MACHINE!!!!

Oh my goodness!  Can we say, LIFE CHANGER!!!!  I love being able to just throw all of the ingredients into the machine, turn it on, and a few hours later my house smells like heaven bathed in fresh baked bread aroma!  My $.90 cent bread machine find at the local Goodwill was like finding a gold bar in a gold mine and has forever changed how I make bread and any kind of dough that needs to be kneaded.

Did I mention how incredibly EASY it is to make bread in a machine? I mean, like ridiculously easy.  Seriously, just dump in the ingredients and turn it on!  Before we begin, it is important to know that although this is a "dump and go" recipe, the ingredients need to be added to the bread machine in the order that they are listed in the recipe.  So, let's jump right into the recipe and make us some bread!  

First, we are going to add the water, honey, oil and lecithin granules to the bread machine pan.  The lecithin granules are optional, BUT they make a HUGE difference in the out come of your bread.  It is a stablizer that will help your bread stay softer and fresher longer.  I stir it around a bit with a spoon to let the lecithin dissolve.

Next, add the oats.  I have used rolled quick oat for this recipe in the past and they work if that is all you have on hand.  But, I prefer whole oats.

 Now, we are going to add the salt, flour, yeast and vital wheat gluten.

That's it!  SERIOUSLY!  Just close the lid, program the bread machine and hit the start button.  A few hours later you house will be permeating with the smell of bread.

I use the rapid cycle on my machine, so two hours and twenty minutes later your bread should look something like this when you lift the lid of your machine.

Here is the lecithin granules that I use.  I bought them from my local health food store.

This is a basic bread machine recipe that will work in just about any machine.  You can also make this by hand if you don't have a machine.  So, now that you have this awesome recipe, go forth and make lots of bread!

Bread Machine Honey Oat Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tbsp. lecithin

1 1/2 tbsp. oil

1/4 cup raw honey

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup oats

3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

2 1/2 tsp. yeast

1 tsp. vital wheat gluten

Add the water, honey, oil and lecithin granules to the bread machine pan.  Next, add the oats.  Add the salt, flour, yeast and vital wheat gluten.  Close the lid, program the bread machine and hit the start button.  At the end of the cycle you machine may have a keep warm function that kicks in.  You can leave your bread in the machine to stay warm, but I take mine out of the machine as soon as the bread is baked.  I let the pan sit and cool for about 10 minutes, before removing it from the pan to cool.