Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup powdered nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Safflower oil, for brushing
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Preparation
In a saucepan, bring water just to a simmer. Pour the water over 1 cup oats in a bowl. Stir in molasses; let stand until mixture cools to warm, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor coarsely grind 1/2 cup rolled oats. Transfer to bowl; add both flours and dry milk.
Sprinkle oat-molasses mixture with yeast. Stir in 1 cup flour mixture, and then the salt. Stir in remaining flour mixture, 1 cup at a time.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Using floured hands, knead until smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Loosely cover with plastic wrap; let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, 1 hour. Punch down dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough once or twice. Flatten into a 9-inch circle.
Pull edges of dough up and in toward center; pinch to seal. Turn dough over. Pull down on dough with cupped hands to stretch top; pinch edges at bottom. Wrap hands around sides of dough; rotate to shape into a tight ball, 5 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 3/4 inches high. Place on oiled baking sheet, seam side down. Cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise until dough doubles in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Score an “X” in top of dough. Brush with egg white; sprinkle remaining oats. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until bottom sounds hollow when tapped, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
