Oatmeal Bread

This recipe is an original one.  I won a 1st place 4-H blue ribbon and $3.00 at the Union Fair when I was 10 years old.  It was my very first attempt at making yeast bread.  I got the recipe from Ida Rivers, an old lady in her 80’s who lived in the house on the hill past my grandparents’ home.  I had a miserable time dealing with the sticky dough because I did not have a clue how much flour to add.  With no time left to cool it after baking, I had to wrap it up hot in order to make the mail delivery in time!  After the struggle to make it, you can imagine my emotions after winning a blue ribbon.  I strutted around for weeks afterward. – Jeanne 

Ingredients

• 1 cup oats, rolled (old fashioned)
• 2 cups boiling water
• butter, size of a walnut (approximately 1 tablespoon), softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 yeast cake, dissolved in ½ cup warm water (yeast cake is equivalent to 1 pkg of active dry yeast)
• ½ cup molasses
• Approximately 7 cups of flour

Instructions

Stir together oats, boiling water, butter, salt and sugar, and let stand for 1 hour.

Add dissolved yeast cake and molasses. Add flour (approx. 7 cups) until it feels good.

Let rise twice.

Bake in moderate oven.   (350° F for about 1 hour)