Sherry's Herbed Oatmeal Bread

2 c water
1 c rolled oats
3 T margarine
3 ¾ to 4 ¾ c flour
¼ c sugar
2 t salt
2 pkg dry yeast
1 egg

Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Bring water to boil, stir in oats. Remove from heat. Stir in margarine. Cool. In large bowl combine 1 ½ c flour, sugar, salt & yeast. Blend well. Add rolled oats mixture & egg. Blend at low speed (in mixture) until moistened; beat 3 minutes. By hand, stir in 1 ¾ to 2 ½ c flour to form a stiff dough. Knead in ½ to ¾ c flour until dough is smooth & elastic. Cover bowl & let rest 15 minutes. Punch down several times to remove air bubbles. Press into greased pan, cut diagonals every 1 ½ “. You can use a larger pan if you want. Let rise covered for 45 min. Make your herb topping.

1T parmesan cheese
½ t basil leaves
¼ t oregano
¼ t garlic powder
6 T margarine, melted

Put 4 T of topping on bread. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the topping and bake another 10-15 minutes until brown.

- Sherry Jennings