Maple Oatmeal Bread

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine hot water, oats, maple syrup, maple extract, butter and salt. Stir to combine then let it cool to room temperature.

Attach dough hook to mixer and add wheat flour and yeast. Stir to combine then allow it to sit for 15 minutes.

Starting with 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, knead using your mixer for 6-7 minutes, till you have a smooth, elastic and springy dough. (You may need to add up to an additional 1/4 cup all-purpose flour to get it to this point.)

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and turn the dough over to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place till doubled in size, almost 1 hour or so.

Shape the dough into an 8″ log, pinch seams and ends closed. Put shaped dough into a lightly greased 8″x4″ loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise till almost 1″ above the edge of pan, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Brush top of loaf with water (or use a water-filled spray bottle) and sprinkle with a mixture of maple sugar and chopped rolled oats.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 35-40 minutes, placing a sheet of aluminum foil over the top during the last 10 minutes to prevent over-browning.

Remove bread from the oven and turn it out onto a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing.