Wholesome and hearty this honey oat bread is 100% whole-grain and honey-sweetened with a soft, chewy texture and a delicious flavor.
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Hello friends.
If you follow along with this blog, you probably know that bread making is a huge passion of mine.
Homemade bread to me spells L-O-V-E.
And it’s something that I enjoy doing.
My go-to bread is this 100% whole wheat bread. Yes we are talking about tried-and-true here, as I’ve been making this trusty bread recipe for years. It’s fast and tasty; we all love it.
But every once and a while I get an itch for a little variation. My kids don’t always appreciate it (especially when my experiments fail haha), but I like to change things up. This honey oat bread is delicious spin off of that whole wheat bread recipe. And yes it is definitely kid approved. My approval test being tied to the fact that loaves of honey oat bread seem to disappear as fast as they are made.
This recipe uses honey as the sweetener and two cups of old fashioned oats in the bread. The oats give the bread a nice chewy texture that is super yummy. You can also use quick oats or even oat flour, although the texture will be slightly different with the oat flour.
And I really just love the looks of the oats on top. So rustic, and inviting.
How to make this honey oat bread
If you’re new to bread making, be sure to refer back to my whole wheat bread recipe because I walk you through the process step-by-step (with pictures) and give you lots of tips and tricks that will help you be successful.
To give you the quick run down, the basic idea is to put all the ingredients in order in the mixer (I use this Bosch Mixer, aff. link), using half of the flour to start with. Make sure the yeast is on top of the flour and the salt doesn’t touch the yeast. Then turn on the mixer, adding additional flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Stop adding flour at this point, even if you have not used all of the flour the recipe calls for.
Then let the dough mix for 6 minutes to develop the gluten. When the gluten develops it gives the dough elasticity that helps the bread rise well and gives it that chewy delicious flavor.
In most bread recipes the dough actually rises twice – once in the bowl and once in the loaf pan. But most of my bread recipes need only needs a single rise, which saves a lot of time. By using hot water to activate the yeast (make sure it’s Instant yeast) and letting the dough mix for 6 minutes with a high quality mixer, you actually can get away with skipping the first rise in the bowl and skip right to forming the loaves.
Don’t forget to drizzle a little oil on top and sprinkle on some oats. Aren’t they so perty?
It only takes about 30 minutes in a warm kitchen until the loaves rise to double. Then they are ready to bake.
The best way to eat it
Hot out of the oven is always the best way to eat bread. The delicious smell of freshly baked bread enhances the experience. Slather on some butter and you’ve got yourself a dream, my friends. This honey oat bread is also super tasty for sandwiches and tastes just as delicious after being frozen (as long as you freeze it the same day you bake it).
What about you? Do you enjoy making or eating homemade bread?
Update (5/21/2020): If you are new to breadmaking (or just looking to up your breadmaking game), I wrote up a super detailed guide to baking with yeast. It will walk you through a lot of common breadmaking pitfalls and help you become a breadmaking expert.
Honey Oat Bread {Whole-Grain}
Wholesome and hearty this honey oat bread is 100% whole-grain and honey-sweetened with a soft, chewy texture and a delicious flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- ⅓ cup (3.65 ounces) canola or other vegetable oil see note
- ⅓ cup (4 ounces) honey
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 cups (7 ounces) old fashioned rolled oats or quick cooking oats
- ½ cup (2.5 ounces) gluten flour see note
- ¼ cup (0.9 ounces) ground flax seed optional, see note
- 4 ½ to 5 cups white wheat flour see note
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast see note
- rolled oats for sprinkling on top, optional
Instructions
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Grease 3 standard sized bread loaves well or spray with cooking spray and set aside.
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Heat water in the microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes or on the stove until it is between 110 and 130 degrees F.
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Meanwhile in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment add the oil, sugar, salt and rolled oats. Add the heated water to the stand mixer. Then add the gluten flour, ground flax seed, and 2 cups of flour. Put the yeast on top of the flour, making sure that it does not directly touch the salt or the hot water.
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Turn on mixer and mix for 3 minutes to allow gluten to develop. Then add additional flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and starts to pull away from the center. Stop adding flour at this point even if you have not added the full amount listed in the recipe. Then let the mixer mix for an additional six minutes to develop the gluten.
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Divide dough into 3 loaves (the dough will still be VERY sticky – so sticky that you won’t be able to form your loaves without putting oil on your hands). Brush loaves with oil and sprinkle top with a few tablespoons of rolled oats, if desired. Put dough in prepared pans and cover with a thin, lightweight dish towel.
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Let the bread dough rise in the pans until the bread is doubled and fills the pans. This should take about 30 minutes, but it may take a little longer if your kitchen isn’t warm enough.
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While bread is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. When the bread has risen, bake it at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. Then turn down the heat to 350 degrees F (leaving the loaves in the oven the entire time) and continue baking for 25 min or until loaves are golden brown. Remove bread from the pans immediately and let them cool on a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
1. I usually use canola oil but any oil with a mild flavor will work in this recipe.
2. I use Bob’s Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour in this recipe. I buy mine in a 25 pound bag at WinCo, but they also sell it in their bulk bins. If you don’t have a WinCo you may be able to find it in smaller quantities at Walmart or another local grocery store or buy it online (Amazon carries gluten flour). If you don’t want to use gluten flour, you can use a a good quality, high gluten bread flour instead of all white wheat flour. I would start with about 3 cups of white wheat flour and then use bread flour for the rest.
3. Adding the ground flax seed is optional, but I love the flavor and texture that they add to the recipe. I usually grind whole flax seeds in a high powered blender because they have too much oil to grind them in a grain mill.
4. I use freshly ground white wheat flour that I grind in my grain mill (this is the grain mill I have) at home. If you do not have a grain mill you may be able to find white wheat flour in the grocery store. Make sure it specifies white wheat on the package otherwise it is probably red wheat, which will make for a heavier, more dense loaf.
5. I use the SAF brand of instant yeast that I buy in a large block and keep in the freezer in a sealed container.
6. For step-by-step basic bread making instructions with pictures see this whole-wheat bread post: https://thecookstreat.com/whole-wheat-bread/
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, adapted from my tried and true Whole Wheat Bread
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
