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OATMEAL APPLESAUCE BREAD
(Try this recipe on your large- or small-capacity bread machine!)

INGREDIENTS FOR USING LARGE-CAPACITY BREAD MACHINES
2 c. (packed) whole-wheat flour
1 c. rolled oats
1/3 c. raw sunflower seeds
1/4 c. ground sesame seeds
1/4 c. gluten flour*
1-1/4 t. salt
1 T. active dry yeast**
3/4 c. water
1 c. unsweetened applesauce

INGREDIENTS FOR USING SMALL-CAPACITY BREAD MACHINE
1-1/2 c. (packed) whole-wheat flour
3/4 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. raw sunflower seeds
3 T. ground sesame seeds
3 T. gluten flour*
1 t. salt
2 t. active dry yeast**
2/3 c. water
3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce

• Grind sesame seeds fine in dry blender, 1/2 c. at a time, and store in Ziplock bags in refrigerator or freezer.
• Combine all dry ingredients EXCEPT yeast, mixing well, and place in bread machine.
• Place yeast on top of dry ingredients.
• Combine water and applesauce and heat until warm, not hot.
• Pour applesauce mixture over yeast and let stand at least 3 minutes before starting bread machine. This dissolves the yeast and lets it start to grow. The bread rises higher with this method than with any other method we have tried.
• If your bread machine has a Whole-wheat or Sweet bread setting, we recommend this setting.
• After starting bread machine, the dough should form a dough ball within 5 minutes.
• If dough seems too wet and sticky to form a dough ball, add more whole-wheat flour, 1 T. at a time, until mixture forms a dough ball.
• If dough seems too dry, add warm water, 1 T. at a time, until dough ball forms.
• When bread is baked, cool on rack 6-8 hours before slicing and eating. Refrigerate or freeze in zippered plastic bags.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The right balance of wet to dry ingredients is critical when baking bread in a bread machine, primarily because of the preset rising and baking times. If the dough is too wet and soft, it will rise too fast and then fall before the bread machine completes the rising cycle and begins the baking cycle. If the dough is too dry and firm, it will not rise high enough, and the bread will be dry and heavy.

Another key factor is the relatively small amount of dough--even 1 T. of liquid or flour can make a big difference in this amount of dough. Packing flour in the measuring cup is really helpful in accurately measuring the amount of flour for each batch of dough. Getting a feel for how the dough should look a few minutes after the machine begins the kneading cycle is vital to consistently achieving the best quality loaf of bread. We hope these hints help you become a pro in no time at all.

*The gluten content of whole-wheat flour is critical to how well the dough will rise and thus how light the bread will be .Adding a small amount of gluten flour to whole-grain bread helps achieve a lighter loaf, which most people prefer. Gluten flour is available at natural food stores and in some supermarkets.

**SAF-Instant Yeast is vacuum packed and is more active than any other yeast we have used. It consistently helps bread rise higher than it does with any other brand of yeast. It is available at some natural food stores.

Any combination of rolled or flaked grains, such as rolled rye or barley, can replace some or all of the rolled oats. The bread texture will vary slightly with different grains. Quaker Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats gives this bread an especially light texture.