Herbed Oatmeal Pan Bread

Fall is definitely in the air, it got down to 38 last night but oh how beautiful the colors are on the mountain. Now it is time to cook all of those great comfort foods. I found this recipe in Pillsbury Soups, Stews and Oven Lovin' Breads and it is so yummy!

Bread
2 cups water
1 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons butter
3 3/4 to 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 pkg. Active dry yeast
1 egg

Herb Butter
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in rolled oats. Remove from heat; stir in 3 tablespoons butter. Cool to 12 to 130 degrees F.

In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast; mix well. Add rolled oats mixture and egg; blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.

By hand, stir in an additional 1 3/4 cups to 1 1/2 cups flour to form stiff dough. On floured surface, knead in 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape dough into ball; cover with large blow. Let rest 15 minutes.

Grease 13 x 9-inch pan. *Punch down dough several times to remove all air bubbles. Press into greased pan. Using very sharp knife, cut diagonal lines 1 1/2 inches apart, cutting completely through dough. Repeat in opposite direction creating diamond pattern. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and cloth towel. **Let rise in warm place (80 to 95 degrees F) until light and doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Uncover dough. Redefine cuts by poking tip of knife into cuts until knife hits bottom of pan; do not pull knife through dough. In small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano and garlic powder; mix well. Set aside. Spoon 4 tablespoon of the butter over cut dough.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Brush remaining 2 tablespoons butter over bread. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese-herb mixture. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cool.

Tips:

*Two 8- or 9-inch square pans or one 8-inch and one 9-inch square pan can be substituted for 13 x 9-inch pan. When using 2 square pans, one pan can be baked and the other refrigerated for baking the next day.

**To bake at a later time, at this point let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove cloth towel. Refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. Remove plastic wrap from dough; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake as directed above.