Rediscovered Treasure

So much of my life has centered around food...food memories(sight , taste , texture , dear friends and family who furnished and helped prepare same...) , food prepared , food consumed...aaahhhh , FOOD ! It should , therefore , come as no surprise that recipes are of much importance to me . Google has been pressed into service many times , to ferret out those elusive lost ones . Today revealed just such a treasure ! Long ago and far away , I worked for a wonderful owner of a resort town shop purveying international cooking equipment and beautiful tabletop accessories . Breadbaking was a passion of mine at the time . After a most discerning taste test , I was permitted to bring the warm loaves into the store to sell , on Saturdays , a high-traffic sales day ! There was , of course , a sample loaf to entice prospective buyers ! The venture was successful ! Fast-forward a few decades to the realization that the precious recipe , once taped to the inside cover of the popular red-checked cookbook was missing !!! All conceivable places were searched , to no avail . The search began again today for No Knead Oatmeal Molasses Bread . It was finally located and identified as a Betty Crocker recipe ! This is a no fuss preparation of a fragrant , fairly fine crumb loaf that rarely survives to a cool state ! Somehow the scent of yeasty , molasses bread baking for 50 minutes is enough to drive one to grab softened butter and a sharp knife the moment the timer goes off ! Here's the recipe for all you fellow foodies : 3/4 cup boiling water 1/2 cup old fashioned or quick oats 3 TBSP shortening 1/4 cup light molasses 2 tsp salt 1 package active dry yeast 1/4cup warm water (105-115 degrees) 1 egg 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour 1. Grease a 9"x5" or an 8"x4" loaf pan with shortening or spray . In a large bowl , mix boiling water , oats , shortening , molasses and salt . Cool to lukewarm . In a small bowl , dissolve yeast in warm water . Add yeas , egg and 1 1/2 cup of flour to the oat mixture . Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes , scraping the bowl frequently . Stir in remaining flour until completely mixed . 2. Spread batter evenly in pan ( will be sticky . Smooth and pat into shape with floured hands) . Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour and 30 minutes , until batter is 1 inch from top of 9x5 pan or at the top of 8x4 pan . 3. Heat oven to 375 degrees . Bake 50-55 minutes or untio loaf is brown and sounds hollow when tapped ( if loaf browns too quickly cover loosely with foil during the last15 minutes of baking ). Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack . For a soft , shiny crust , bruch the top of the loaf with melted butter , if desired . MAKE WAY , FOLKS...THERE GOES THE TIMER !!!