With a soft, tender crumb and a light crust, this milk and honey bread makes an excellent sandwich bread. It's also delicious toasted and slathered with butter.
Working by hand, whisk flours together with ½ teaspoon instant yeast in a large mixing bowl with a tight-fitting lid, and then stir in the oats. Stir the water and milk together, then pour the liquids into the dry ingredients, stirring to create a loose, shaggy dough. Cover the mixing bowl tightly, and allow the dough to rest at room temperature at least eight and up to twelve hours.
Dump the dough into the basin of a stand mixer, and then beat in the butter, honey, salt, and the remaining 2 tablespoons yeast. Continue beating all the ingredients together until they form a smooth dough, and then turn it out on a very generously floured surface. Knead by hand for ten to fifteen minutes, incorporating additional flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking, and kneading until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
Oil a large mixing bowl, and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover tightly, and allow the dough to rise until doubled in volume.
Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface, and split into two portions of approximately equal weight. Butter and flour two 4 ½-inch by 8 ½-inch loaf pans.
Working one at a time, roll each lump of dough out into a large rectangle, about 8 by 16 inches. Working from the short end, roll the dough into a loaf, pinching the seam at the bottom of the loaf tightly to seal it. Place the dough, seam-side down, in a prepared loaf pan. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel, and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about two hours.
While the dough rises, heat the oven to 400 F.
Using a pastry brush, gently brush the top of the dough with cream, and then scatter one tablespoon rolled oats over each loaf. Transfer the loaves to the oven, and bake 5 minutes at 400 F. Then reduce the temperature to 350 F and continue baking until the crust is a dark brown and the bread reaches an internal temperature of 200 F about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the loaves to cool in their pans for five minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack, allowing the bread to cool completely before slicing.