Honey-Oatmeal Sandwich Bread
Honey-wheat bread was the second loaf of bread that I ever baked from scratch, behind my beloved white bread. As a result, it naturally holds a special place in my heart. What I was hungry for this week was some type of oat bread, so I went off flipping through my cookbooks, magazines and websites to see what I could find that would inspire me. When I flipped open King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking
and saw a recipe for honey-oatmeal bread I knew I would be in love. And I am.
The addition of oats adds a sweet, nutty flavor that really enhances the taste of an already magnificent honey wheat bread. This is a typical sandwich loaf, so the crust is on the soft side, but the bread is firm and has a tight crumb that makes it sturdy and perfect to build the biggest of sandwiches on. It’s also fabulous toasted with butter and jam, or a drizzle of honey!
This is a really simple yeast bread recipe, and would be a great one to try if you are new to yeast or tend to be intimidated by it. Since it uses instant yeast there is no “blooming” of the yeast that you need to worry about and the dough itself is very workable – I actually chose to knead it by hand instead of in my Kitchen Aid and it came together very easily. You may need to sprinkle a few extra teaspoons of flour if it’s a little sticky, and you will be good to go!
For those that are new to bread-baking, sometimes shaping the dough can provide one of the biggest challenges. I have included some photos below within the recipe to illustrate the best way to shape a loaf of bread that will be baked in a loaf pan. The explanation is as follows:
To shape a loaf of bread:
♦ Gently pat the dough into a rectangle about 5 inches by 8 inches.
♦ Starting at the short side, begin to roll the dough into a tight cylinder, one section at a time, pinching the crease with each roll using your thumb or the back of your hand.
♦ Once at the end, pinch it closed tightly and pinch the ends as well.
♦ Rock the cylinder back and forth to ensure that it is even all the way across (the ends should not be tapered).
Enjoy the bread! :)
Three years ago: Chicken Salad
Honey-Oatmeal Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (312.5 ml) boiling water, (10 ounces )
- 1 cup (81 g) old-fashioned rolled oats, (3½ ounces )
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces, (1 ounce )
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) salt
- ¼ cup (84.75 ml) honey, (3 ounces )
- 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour, (4 ounces )
- 1 ⅔ cups (208.33 g) all-purpose flour, (7 ounces)
- ¼ cup (61.25 g) nonfat dry milk, (1 ounce )
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
Instructions
- 1. Place the boiling water, oats, butter, salt and honey into a medium bowl, stir, and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
- 2. Mix the remaining dough ingredients with the oat mixture, and knead – by hand, mixer or bread machine – until you’ve made a soft, smooth dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour; the dough should be doubled in bulk.
- 3. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough – it’ll be sticky, so oil your hands – and shape it into a 9-inch log. Place it in the prepared pan. Cover it gently with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow it to rise until it has crowned 1½ inches over the rim of the pan, about 1 to 1½ hours. Near the end of the bread’s rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- 4. Uncover and bake the bread for about 45 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. The bread is done when it’s golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190 degrees F. Remove it from the oven, and after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with additional oats. Cool the bread completely before cutting it.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I have made this recipe many times and everyone loves it
Hi! Is there a way to make this without salt (would I need to adjust any other ingredients)? Thx!
Michelle, I truly thank you for your yummy recipes. So easy to follow, so easy to eat. Magda
Hi! ☺️ I made your white bread today for my husband- and it was the first loaf of bread that I’ve ever made (not counting Irish soda bread) that has turned out so well! I’m on a low-sodium diet, however, and can’t eat it. I’d love to try this wheat bread for myself- could I omit the salt, or would that ruin the entire thing?
Hi Becca, Salt plays an important part of yeast breads; it can be omitted but the rise times will likely be shorter.
Hi Michelle,
This is the 3rd time I made this bread. My first and second attempt didn’t rise beyond the loaf pan. My husband loved the taste of the bread so I decided to give it another try for the third time.
Same as the first 2 attempts, I used bread maker. I followed all the ingredients, instructions and I still have the same result. Currently, my bread is still sitting on our table. I don’t know what to do with it.
I never had much luck in rising bread in a 5×9 loaf pan. Please help…
I tried to make this recipe using the weights in oz you provided since I have a kitchen scale – the dough was so sticky that I had to throw it away. Impossible to knead and almost impossible to get off my hands and kitchen surfaces! Please check that the weights work next time!
Hi Niki, I just re-checked the weights and they are correct. Did you happen to use quick oats instead of old-fashioned? They would have absorbed the liquid more readily. Did you attempt to add more flour to get it to the correct consistency? Differences in air temperature and humidity can affect how bread dough turns out and sometimes tweaking is necessary.
Have made this many times and friends with wonderful reviews. Whole wheat? Oatmeal? Healthy?
One last thing. Gotta try the new one. Biga and soaker are two good things and I want to see if I can adapt it to my Apple Raisin Strudel bread based on AB in 5. Basically, just roll out the dough, spread out, add cinnamon, sugar, apples, raisins, and walnuts. Roll up into a loaf and bake. Go ‘guins!
This was my first time baking bread and this was a wonderful recipe to start with. I loved how it came out, however, I realized an error that I did make. There is a difference between active and instant yeast (obviously). I wasn’t knowledgeable to realize but after looking at the recipe, I noticed my oops. They can be used interchangeable, but if you are using the active yeast, you need to wait longer for rise times. When the rise times are shorter, that could be up to 30 minutes. That’s something I will work on next weekend. Loved that I could use my mixer instead of kneading. One question I do have: could I use a long pan for this? Not sure if I could double the recipe to have a store sized sandwich bread. Thank you for tge recipe! I love your recipes. They keep me and my family happily fed :)
Hi Ciara, I’m not sure what you mean by long pan? What size pan are you hoping to use?
I was shopping online for the top rated bread pans as I was using a pan I make for banana nut bread (8.5″) and it looks like there were a bunch of 16″ and 13″ so I wasn’t sure if that would be a more appropriate size for something that’s more of a bread than a cake as my banana but bread is. Was also curious if glass or silicone would be better or not. I’m in the market for a new bread pan anyway. As a side note, where do you think is the best placement in tge oven? Top rack? Middle? Thank you! Can’t wait to make this bread again!
Hi Ciara, I only use 8″ or 9″ loaf pans for my breads, whether they’re yeast breads or more cake-like quick breads, such as banana bread. I use Williams Sonoma Gold Touch pans. I always bake on the middle rack unless a recipe specifically states otherwise.
Hi,
Just some tips based on my experience with this recipe!
– Active Dry Yeast works well. Just make sure the hot oat mixture is slightly cool to the touch so that it doesn’t kill the yeast. If the liquid is completely cool, it’s still okay. It will just take longer to proof.
– I only used all AP flour and omitted the dry milk powder. Came out great.
– The sprinkle of oats on top is just for aesthetics. It doesn’t stick and makes a mess when you go to slice. I would skip this next time.
– For everyone having trouble with the second proof, you’re just not waiting long enough. I proofed mine at room temperature (between 65 and 70 F) and it took about 2.5 hours to double.
Hi Dean,
Just curious, are you suggesting to add the “dry active yeast” to warm oatmeal mixture? I only have dry active yeast. Thanks.
I followed your directions to a T but my dough did not even rise the first time. I think it may be because You did not mention how many minutes to knead the dough by hand. I don’t have a bread machine. I kneaded it for about 5 min. It looks like the picture but it did not seem “soft”. It did not rise at all in a warm oven. I was so sad!! I want to try again but need to know how long to knead the dough and whether I should invest in a bread machine or not if I want to keep making bread. Thank you!!
Hi Martha, You absolutely do not need a bread machine to make bread (I’ve never owned one). The lack of rise really should not have to do with kneading, but there is a reason a time is not listed – it’s very subjective. Bread is as much art as science – the dough should be soft and smooth and elastic feeling. You could make the same loaf multiple times and it could take a different amount of time kneading each time, just depending on how warm or cool your kitchen is, how hydrated the dough is due to the humidity in the air, etc.
Can I use active dry yeast?
Thanks
Hi Alyssa, I would not recommend it, as there isn’t a warm liquid in this recipe to activate it.
I usually bake two to four loaves at a time; can this recipe be doubled? Thank you bunches
Hi Dawn, I have not tried doubling this; if you give it a try, please let me know how it turns out!
I just baked this bread and it’s delicious! I have been baking no-knead bread for a year but decided to try regular bread. Wonderful recipe and I will definitely make it again. It rose beautifully both times…but the top did sink just a bit in the center. Maybe I was not careful with the alum. foil part. I was wondering how got the top to be who shiny….I would like my bread to look like that. But….it is so good. Thanks for this recipe. I am a believer!!
Hi Linda, The shine is from brushing it with melted butter when it comes out of the oven. So glad you enjoyed the bread!
Hi! I am new to making bread. Just started last week with the American Sandwich Bread you published, and it turned out amazing! I am thinking about trying this recipe now but I don’t have the dry milk, have you tried any substitutions?
Hi Mel, I have not tried a substitution for the dried milk. Enjoy the bread!
My bread hasn’t risen at all. Could this be a mistake where the yeast isn’t added to the liquid? I’ve never made any bread where the yeast isn’t activated in the liquid…I want to make this again, but un sure of the recipe…
Hi Ann Marie, Instant yeast is typically mixed into the dry ingredients, as it doesn’t require warm liquid activation. If the bread hasn’t risen at all, be sure that you used instant yeast and not active yeast, and that it wasn’t expired.
I made this bread today and it turned out excellent!! So tasty :) Will definately be making it again!
Does the yeast need to be added with the boiling water to activate the yeast?
No, because it is instant yeast, it does not need to be bloomed (i.e. activated).
I know this is an old post, but I made this today.
So 13 ounces of liquid and 11 ounces of flour?
It can’t be. There must be a typo in that recipe. Right?
No bread has a hydration level that high. More liquid than flour?
Do you agree?
Hi Rick, The boiling water is used to steep the oats, which absorbs most of the water, so you don’t have that much actual liquid once you go to mix the dough.
Does the current recipe have the correct amount of flour. According to the comments you mentioned leaving out 1 cup of WW flour. So is the recipe actually 2 Cups of WWF? I hope so because that is what I did. My dough is feeling pretty dense and heavy so now I am questioning if the recipe was corrected and supposed to be only 1 cup WWF?
Hi Geneva, Yes, the current recipe has the current amount of flour – 1 cup whole wheat and 1&⅔ cups all-purpose. As I mentioned in that comment above, I did revise the recipe to reflect the correct amounts.
This bread is my nemesis. Twice I’ve made it and twice it failed on me for the second rise. I desperately want it to work because after forcing myself to eat some of the finished product (baked it anyway because why not?) the flavor was great, exactly what I was expecting it to be. I’m probably gonna give it another go anyway because being unable to admit defeat is a character flaw of mine.
All that being said, I’ve made a handful of other breads from the site and all came out wonderful.
This bread is really tasty! I wanted to use mostly whole grains so I went with 2/3 whole wheat flour and 1/3 bread flour by proportion. I also skipped the milk powder. As a result of these changes, I added some ascorbic acid, vital wheat gluten, and diastatic malt powder to promote a good rise. My bread machine made quick work of the dough, which I then baked off in our oven. The crumb is tender but will stand up well to sandwiches and toasting. Thanks for posting this as one of your favorite yeast breads!
My teen daughter and I baked this bread for her dad as a Father’s Day gift yesterday, and it was wonderful!!! Very soft, fluffy, and tasty. Thank you for sharing!
The bread looks fantastic and as I was preparing it, everything went well – the dough was kneaded, it rose, shaped it, placed it in the loaf tin, it rose again, placed it in the preheated oven and everything seemed to be going according to plan until it was 20 mins in and I went to cover the bread with foil… it deflated on me!! I quickly put it back into the over but to no avail… it remained deflated and it’s all dense and neither does it feel cooked (it had been in the oven for over an hour!) Help… Thank you!
Hi Yasmine, When you go to cover baking bread, it’s very important that the foil is tented, meaning that you crease it in the middle so that it doesn’t touch the bread. If you did this, it could have also fallen from moving it, the loaf pan being tapped against the oven rack or counter, etc.
I made this for a friend so I used one of those shiny aluminum disposable bread pans. Big mistake. The crust above the pan was wonderful but the part in the pan was way too soft, not sone of blob but close. This is a definte keeper. That;s two I owe ya.
I made this over the weekend and it is divine!! It smells beautiful and tastes even better. Thank you!!
My only question is that mines didn’t come out looking as brown as yours, it was more on the golden side, any way to get that deep brown color? It just looks amazing.
Hi Kosta, It could have just had to do with how brown mine got before tenting with foil. Could have been higher in the oven, etc.
I am making this loaf right now. i changed a couple of things. Instead of using the suggested amount of honey, i used about half and substituted agave nectar and added 1/3 tsp of honey. Thank you so much for your recipe. I will use it for years to come. it is really easy.
Hi! I tried your recipe last night and I was pretty happy with it, until I looked at your picture again :) My bread came out pretty dense and not as fluffy looking as yours. Is there some secret bread-making technique I’m missing? (this is only the second loaf of bread I’ve made!) Thanks for posting!!
Hi Jen, I don’t have any secrets. I would make sure that your yeast is fresh and that you are using the water at the correct temperature. The temperature of the water is very important – it needs to be warm enough to activate the yeast, but not too hot so that it kills it. A lot of bread baking is trial and error and learning as you go… keep on baking! :)
Wondering if I could use up the Quick Oats I have on hand and not alter the results … thoughts??
Hi Stacey, The quick oats don’t have a sturdy enough texture for this bread, I would stick with the old-fashioned rolled oats.
I used quick, and it worked well for me. ;) Maybe rolled would have been even better though.
I made this 3 times and each time the bread did not rise on the second rise. I came back here to find out the whole wheat flour was inadvertently omitted from the recipe. Not to be defeated, I tried yet again and while the dough was of a better consistency, it still did not rise above the top of the loaf pan. I’m extremely disappointed as I love the flavour of the bread and had it risen properly I know would have been great! I am now defeated – at least with t his recipe! I have no idea where I’m going wrong but good luck to everyone else.
I would check your yeast, and buy a new packet. It sounds like the yeast might be old if your dough isn’t rising. Also, be sure you are placing the dough in a warmer place free of any drafts. If the air temperature is cool, rising will be very difficult.
Thanks for your response. The dough doubled in size the first rise so that suggests to me the yeast was active… I also put the dough in a the oven that was turned low then off so it was warm and draft free. Anyway, I tried
a different recipe which worked fine so not sure what the problem was.
I really liked the taste of your recipe but I guess it’s just not for me.
I had the same problem! It doubled in size the first time around (boiled some water in the microwave then left the bread in there). After I put the loaf i the pan it rose a bit, but barely to the top of the pan. I’d love some tips!!
I made this bread on a cold rainy day. The temp in my kitchen was 64-66 deg. I was concerned it would affect the rise. I queried the Internet and found advise that 65-85 deg was fine for rising dough. It said that too warm caused dough to rise too quickly and too much first rise, as well as it could cause a fermented taste. I resisted the urge to warm the oven and rise in there as I had done in the past. The first rise took about 1 1/2 hrs. The second about 2 hrs. The bread came out delicious.
Hi, Michelle! I saw in another comment that someone was looking to substitute the dry milk powder, and I was wondering if you could substitute 10 oz of steamed milk for the boiling water and milk powder? Though if you’re not using the milk powder, I would think that you’d need to cut down on the liquid just a bit so it doesn’t get super sticky… Does that sound like it might work? (Though I’ll probably find out sometime today because I don’t have milk powder either!) :-)
Has anyone attempted this with bread machine?
Hi,
The recipe looks awesome. Btw can I substitute the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Can me n my husband are trying to avoid white flour.
Thanks and regards,
Chitra.
I have not made that substitution with this particular recipes so I could not say for sure what the results would be. You could always give it a try; at the worst it might be a little heavy.
I make this bread at least twice a week now. Love it.
Oh thank goodness! I was starting to think that I’m just a failure at bread making. I made this over the weekend and it was perfect: moist, light, flavorful. Yum! Thanks for this great recipe and your terrific photos–they were a great help.
I started making my own bread about a year ago and haven’t bought a loaf of bread since! I have a wonderful whole wheat bread I make, but it would be nice to change it up sometimes. This recipe looks great and I really would like to try it, but I don’t normally have dry milk powder on hand, is there anyway to make this without that? How would I substitute? Thanks!
Since the liquid in the recipe is used to both reconstitute the dry milk powder as well as dissolve the oats, I don’t feel comfortable giving you an alternative for using the dry milk powder in this particular instance. If you need any help, let me know! I usually find it in the baking aisle below the cans of evaporated and sweetened condensed milk.
I just made it yesterday, and didn’t use the dry milk powder at all, nor did I substitute with anything. It went just fine. I would not have a problem with using real milk though; it doesn’t spoil that fast. In Norway they actually use spoiled milk in waffles, and it seems to be just fine after baking. I haven’t heard of anyone who got sick from it after cooking.
Ack! I attempted this recipe tonight and after following the directions to a T I found that my dough had failed to make its second rise. There’s definitely lift there but no way near cresting the pan much less rising above it. Going to try to figure out what went wrong and hopefully try again tomorrow with more success.
Aw Rachel, I’m sorry this wasn’t a success today! I hope you have a nicely risen loaf tomorrow!
I love the King Arthur catalog and their store (been there) and I still want this book. This bread looks amazing.
hey there!
I just tried making your bread with your recipe! I followed everything to the T except that i used Whole Wheat Flour instead of AP Flour. My dough was extremely sticky. I ended up having to add half a cup more of flour to the dough. What have i done wrong? 10z of liquid vs. 7 oz of flour. Even with the 3.5 oz of rolled oats it was still too sticky. Please help!
Your bread looks amazing!!! and im upset that I can’t seem to yield the same results
Hi Iris, Oh gosh, I am soooo sorry! I just re-checked the recipe and I accidentally omitted 1 cup of whole wheat flour when I typed the recipe. I have added it now, but I feel horrible that you had a wasted attempt!
You should find much better results with this revised version; please let me know how it goes or if you need anything else. Again, my apologies!!
This bread looks so good. I have to make this loaf!
Could you replace the white flour with whole wheat flour? It’s all I have!!
Hi Katrina, Yes, you can replace the white with more whole wheat. Enjoy the bread!
I love your recipe for honey bread….looks great!!!
Oh my. I love honey oatmeal bread, and this looks awesome. I’m making this first thing in the morning.
I have made that recipe, and it’s great. Yours looks beautiful! And it’s from one of my all time favorite cookbooks!
What a gorgeous bread!
YUM!!
Wow, your loaf looks perfect! Mmm, I’d love a toasty and butter piece for breakfast.
looks so warm,..
mmmmm
yummy
Looks great :)
Thanks for sharing all the details about this beautiful bread. I am very intimidated by the thought of baking a loaf, but u make it sound very do able!
Very helpful tips for shaping the loaf. I will definitely be referring back to this.
Wow, this bread is gorgeous! Would love some of that for breakfast tomorrow – toasted with honey, please! :)
That bread looks great! Whole Wheat is my favorite kind.
Yep, that’ll work for me. That bread looks delicious! I love king arthur flour as well. They have some yummy recipes!
My goodness – you should be charging for this loaf!
Looks like a gorgeous loaf of bread!! Bet it’s awesome with some homemade jam!
I have a similar recipe (the only difference is really that you use “real” milk instead of water + dry milk) and it’s heavenly! Toasted, it brings the honey flavor and it’s just perfect for breakfast :)
how much milk instead of the water+dry milk mix?
This bread is soo pretty! Thanks for the measurements!
This bread looks glorious Michelle.
Your bread looks wonderful! I’ve tried quite a few of KAF’s bread recipes but this isn’t one of them. I’ll be adding it to my to-bake list immediately :)
This sounds divine! The ladies at the Whole Grains Council would definitely approve. :)
That loaf is beautiful! I love KAF recipes.
Cheers,
Rosa
This bread looks great! I would love to make a sandwich out of this and have it for lunch today!
I love honey-oat bread. It’s perfect for sandwiches and toast with jam!
Looks like a winning bread to me! I bet it makes the perfect toast!