Hootie and Semisonic left out some valid points

Those of you who are reading this and know anything about me would probably agree with two things:

1) I ADORE bread and
2) I am NOT a patient person.

The combination of those two characteristics rules out most bread recipes for me.

As I was readying myself to make some bread last night, a quick glance at the recipe deterred me. I was looking at a 3 hour process! No bueno for me.....I like my bread to be QUICK! We are all busy people, correct? Time is money, time is of the essence, blah, blah, blah....

So....being the impatient bread-lover that I am, I just altered the recipe. And guess what?! It turned out awesomely! (Yes, I am fully aware that that is not a real word. Thank you, dictionary police....)

The original recipe was out of Country Living magazine (one of my all-time faves) and was a perfectly good recipe. But I needed it to be easier. So, I will share the edited version with you and hope that you enjoy the "quickness" of it as much as I did.

{Mini Country Loaves}

1 pkg. dry active yeast
2 T. sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
2/3 cup warm (110 F) milk *I just heated milk in the microwave for 30 seconds*
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, ground into a fine flour *I used my blender*
1 1/2 t. fine sea salt
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup warm water

1) In a bowl, combine yeast, sugar, flour and milk. Add ground oats, sea salt and olive oil. Stir in water slowly until dough forms.

2) Remove dough and knead on lightly floured surface until supple, about 4 minutes. Place in well-oiled bowl, turning dough to coat with oil. Cover bowl with a towel; let dough rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

3) Heat oven to 400. Punch down dough and knead for 1 minute. Divide into 4 equal portions; shape into loaves to fit into small loaf pans. Place in pans--cover with towel for 20 minutes.

4) Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, brush tops with butter and sprinkle with additional oatmeal if desired. Bake for 5 more minutes. Cool completely (or gobble it down as soon as you can do it without scalding the roof of your mouth.....whichever.)

Note: I cut out the eggs in the recipe....not because I am on an egg-free campaign. I was out of eggs. Also, I cut down the prep time by an hour because I mixed everything together at once, rather than following the tediously time-consuming steps that the original called for. You may all thank me later..... (This was all said in a Dwight Schrute tone of voice.)