Dissolve yeast in warm water.

Scald milk and pour over shortening, honey, and salt.

Cool the milk mixture to lukewarm.

Stir in 2 cups of flour into the cooled milk mixture.

Add the dissolved yeast and oats; mix well.

Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Shape the dough into a ball.

Place the dough in a greased large bowl, turning once to coat the surface.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough in half.

Roll out each half to form a 15x9-inch rectangle.

Roll up each rectangle starting with the narrow end.

Press together the ends and seam to seal.

Place each roll in a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Brush lightly with melted butter, if desired.

Cover the pans and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes or until nearly double in size.

Bake in a preheated moderate oven (375°F) for about 45 minutes.

Remove the loaves from the pans.

Cool on a wire rack.