Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

I wanted to make my friend a loaf of oat bread, since I know it's one of her favorites. I tried this recipe and was impressed - moist and soft - except for one thing: the loaf was humongous! The second time I made it, I halved the recipe. The third and fourth time I made it, I three-fourthed the recipe. This makes the perfect size loaf. The three-fourthed recipe is what I've listed below.

The sweetener in the original recipe is all molasses. My husband didn't like the molasses flavor, so I tried honey. Though with a lot less spunk, the honey-flavored bread tastes great too. Next time, I think I'll try half molasses and half honey, which is reflected in the recipe below.

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread
adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce by Cafe Fernando and me

1 3/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses
1 tbsp honey
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
3/4 cup rolled oats
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Lightly butter a large bowl and a 9x5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir water, yeast, molasses, and honey to combine. Allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to bubble. Add the flours, rolled oats and melted butter. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine, cover with a towel and let stand for 30 minutes.
Add salt to the dough, attach the bread hook to the mixer and mix on medium speed for 6 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides (add a tablespoon or two of flour if necessary).

For the first rise, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it a few times. Put the dough into the buttered bowl, cover with a towel, and leave it to rise for about 1 hour, or until it is doubled in size.

Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. Shape it into a square, then fold it down from the top to the middle and then up from the bottom to the middle (just like you fold a letter). Bring the top and bottom edges together, pinch and seal.

Place the dough in the pan with the seam side down, and press it gently into the corners of the pan. Cover the dough with a towel, and let it rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough rises to half again its size.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake for 40 minutes, rotating halfway through. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.