Oatmeal Bread

This lightly sweetened and hearty bread tastes great straight from the oven with butter and cinnamon-sugar. It also makes a great sandwich with smoked turkey and cheese.

Makes three 1 1/2-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup pure maple syrup (I use 1/2 cup honey with about 1 tsp. mapleine)

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)

3/4 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup neutral-tasting oil, plus more for greasing the pan

1/2 cup oat bran

1/3 cup wheat bran

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

4 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast and salt with the water, milk, maple syrup, and oil in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook.) If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 8 days.

5. On baking day, lightly grease a 9x4x3-inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the surface if the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

6. Elongate the ball into an oval and place it into the prepared pan. Allow to rest and rise for 1 hour and 20 minutes (or just 40 minutes if you're using fresh, unrefrigerated dough.)

7. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.

8. Place the loaf on a rack near the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm.

9. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.