Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread – Soft and slightly sweet whole wheat oatmeal honey bread. Perfect for sandwiches, toast or buttered up and served with our favorite meal.
I need to let you in on a little secret. I have become the biggest bread snob ever. Seriously. When I began baking bread on occasion a few years ago I had no idea that I how much I would enjoy it. Nor did I know how deep I would get into it. I’ve made bagels, ciabatta, rolls, yeast breads, pizza dough and the list goes on.
I have quite a few things on my list that I want to try but it’s amazing what a little passion can do. I was determined to conquer yeast breads. And I’m guessing I could at this point say I have. Definitely haven’t conquered the more advanced breads but I’ve done quite a bit as a home baker working with a traditional oven.
One day in my far off dream I’ll be able to bake 20 loaves at a time in a commercial oven with real steam. Ahh….be still my heart. How about this one? It’s fabulous!
OK. Now you find out what makes me happy. How about you?
Where on the road of bread baking, are you? Never tried before, beginner, intermediate or advanced. Go ahead tell us your fame or wanna be fame. I’d love to hear. Maybe I can learn a few tips or we could all learn a new thing or too about this bread world.
TOP 3 Reasons for making this RECIPE
- It’s the perfect sandwich bread.
- You’ll never know that it’s made with whole wheat.
- Made with nature’s best honey.
Til we meet and eat again,
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Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup rolled oats traditional or quick (not instant)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup butter ( I use unsalted)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt or 2 1/2 teaspoons table salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 3 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, oats, maple or brown sugar, honey, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Let cool to lukewarm, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the yeast and flours, stirring to form a rough dough. Knead (about 10 minutes by hand, 5 to 7 minutes by machine) until the dough is smooth and satiny.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour. Since the dough is warm to begin with (from the boiling water), it should become quite puffy.
- Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a loaf. Place the loaves in two greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" bread pans.
- Cover the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the loaves to rise until they've crowned about 1" over the rim of the pan, about 60 to 90 minutes.
- Bake the loaves in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting them lightly with aluminum foil after 25 minutes, to prevent over-browning. Remove them from the oven when they're golden brown, and the interior registers 190°F on a digital thermometer.
- Turn the loaves out onto a rack to cool. Store at room temperature, well-wrapped, for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Recipe adapted slightly from: King Arthur Flour
Melanie, this bread is so gorgeous!!! I love baking bread at home. . there’s something so therapeutic about it and the SMELL. . oh my gawd. So good!!! You’ve reminded me that it has been too long since I’ve baked bread at home!!! Pinning and trying this recipe!!!
This is a beautiful loaf of bread, and I can almost smell it from here! Homemade bread is one of my biggest weaknesses, and I love to bake my own. I need to bust open my Tartine cookbook and get back at it. Thx for the inspiration, and pinning!
This bread looks so perfect! I bet it smelled amazing while it was baking!
You are the baking queen! This bread looks amazing!
Freshly baked bread is the BEST smell (and taste!) in the world! They should figure out how to bottle it into a perfume, or at least an air freshener. This bread looks SO good!
Your breads are so beautiful, it is something that I wish I was better at. Very nice!
You always have the best bread recipes! I love oatmeal honey whole wheat! And the loaf looks so fluffy and perfect! Have a great weekend, Melanie!
This looks incredible! Thanks so much for this recipe. I love using oatmeal in my breads. Pinning this one and trying it soon. I have a feeling it will be our new favorite. Thanks so much.
Thanks for the kind words Heather! This bread was amazing for us. Hope your family enjoys it just as much. So glad you stopped by!
I haven’t been baking bread as often as I used to, but I definitely want to get back into it! This sounds like a great loaf for sandwiches or even just toast!
Ooooooh! I bet this bread is fab smothered in salty butter. Yum! I really enjoy baking bread, I just don’t do it as often as I’d like to.
Melanie, you always share the BEST homemade bread! Seriously, you know what you’re doing with the dough, girl! This hearty bread is definitely calling my name—love oat honey bread and I love that this version is whole wheat! Pinned.
This bread looks amazing, Melanie! I totally wish I had a slice for breakfast. I love the honey and oatmeal combination. Pinned!
Melanie – one day your dream might be a reality! You are hands down – The Bread Baking Queen! You churn out the most gorgeous and intriguing loaves!
You seriously make the prettiest and best breads! I am always in awe of each one you share! Love this oatmeal honey wheat bread – it’s gorgeous!
Thanks Kelly! You really are the sweetest!
Do you think this would work in a bread maker?
I can’t say for sure since I haven’t tested it but I would assume that it would still bake up beautifully. Good luck! Let us know if you try it!
We love home made bread, it’s just so much better than store bought, and it’s fun to make.
Just made this.
Just tasted this.
Oh, yum.
First time in many, many years making/baking bread.
Yay! I love hearing from my readers and I’m so glad you had success. Best feeling ever! Come back soon Colleen.
Olleen,I’m glad somebody that actually made it gave a good review. I upped the recipe a little and have 3 loaves rising right now.
THanks for your help, Barbara. I hope they turned out well!
Hi! I made this today. I’m new to bread baking, I just got my kitchenaid mixer and have tried one of the recipes in the booklet and made a few “no knead” breads before. The loaves came out ok, a bit dense, not that soft and fluffy looking as yours. Can you give me any advice on how to improve it? Do you think I should have kneaded it more? I did about 5-7 minutes in my kitchenaid, then did a bit by hand. Also, should the dough be more dry or wet? It seemed very dry when I took it out to knead it, but I still had a 1/4 cup or so of flour mix so I kneaded that in by hand. It didn’t get as puffy as you said it would. Perhaps it’s the yeast? I’m going to try again, so if you have any advice, that’d be great. 🙂 Thank you so much!
So glad you took the step and tried it Holly! I was new to bread baking not long ago too and it’s only with lots of practice that I’ve improved. One thing to note with almost all yeast breads is that the measurements are approximate but it has lot to do with humidity, temperature of the room, etc. I know that may sound complicated but don’t worry about it.
Just go with how it feels. You mentioned it felt dry. In this particular instance then I would not have not added the extra flour. I also possibly would even add a tablespoon of water or two to get it hydrated enough to reach the ‘smooth, satiny’ texture that we want for this recipe. We want not so moist that it sticks to our hands and not so dry that it can’t be stretched.
Next also you could possibly try this: Pull off a pinch of dough. Does it stretch or rip right away. If it immediately tears it’s probably too dry.
Hope this helps and definitely don’t give up! It’s so worth it to learn how to bake bread. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and being open to advice!
Would this recipie work if I put it in my bread maker and mixed it up using the dough setting?im new to bread making
I haven’t tried it Lynnette but I can’t see why it wouldn’t!
Hello- I’ve been wanting to try this recipe but I was wondering if you could just use all whole wheat flour instead of white whole wheat flour?
Thanks!
I’m not sure which of these 2 you are asking so I’ll address both.
Use all whole wheat flour instead of the mix of whole wheat and all purpose. – Yes, but you may need to add additional liquid. Whole wheat tends to be drier and usually needs more liquid.
Use whole wheat just to replace the white whole what. – Yes, that should work perfectly.
All the best as you make it Felishia! Hope you enjoy it.
is this okay to make in a glass loaf pan?
Thanks for the question Krystal. I can’t say for sure the exact results because I’ve never tried it. I always bake in meatal pans. You may have to extend the baking time by 5-10 minutes. Hope it goes well!
Hi ! I’m making this now, at the second rise level. What should I brush on the loaf before and after baking?
Thanks
I brushed the loaves lightly with melted butter and then sprinkle with some oats. You could also use a mild oil. Hope they turn out well for you Preeti! 🙂
New to bread making. When calls for butter, is it unsalted or salted?
Great questions Sue! I use unsalted butter for all my baking. Enjoy! I hope it turns out wonderfully. Let me know what other questions you may have and I’ll do my best to help. 🙂
This bread is amazing! I was wondering if there would be a way to make it a little more gluten friendly. I’m assuming a gluten free flour would completely change the texture and overall taste…
I don’t have enough experience with gluten free flour to help you on this. If it encourages you that’s one of 2016 goals…to make gluten free bread and post it here. If you made the recipe do you mind leaving a star rating? It would be much appreciated. Thank Jessie!
I have made this bread at least 4 times now, and every time it gets better! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I am new to bread making, and I find that my loaves come out differently every time. Just read your comment about not adding quite as much flour if the dough seems dry. I think my dough has been a bit too dry and maybe that is my problem with getting it to turn out as nicely as your photos! Thank you again for the amazing recipe!! 🙂
Wow, Jessie. That’s awesome. So happy for you. That’s such an amazing feeling when you accomplish something new or tasty in the kitchen. Thanks for the positive feedback. So glad you’re here.
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Do we have to use instant yeast, or can we use active dry yeast? Thanks!
You can use both interchangeably. Here’s a quick guide from King Arthur to help you as you pick one. Active Dry or Instant Yeast
Good luck with the bread Sydney!
Looks and sounds heavenly. I am surprised it has so little honey in it.
Just made this today, I used cashew milk instead of dry milk and increased the flour by 2 tablespoons and got this tender, moist loaf, delish!! Thanks, pinned and on my favorite new bread list.
Awesome Sylvia. Thanks for the positive feedback. Hope to see you back here soon. 🙂
Hi! This bread looks amazing! I wanted to know if I could substitute the butter for oil and do you think it would alter the texture much?
Great question but I have not tried it and therefore I can’t give you advice to say whether it would still turn out ok. Good luck with your baking!
Is fast rise yeast the same as instant yeast?
Yes, they are considered the same. Happy baking!
Hi! This bread looks amazing!!! In the recipe, it states – 1/4 cup 4 tablespoons butter – is that to be 1/4 cup + 4 TB = 1/2 cup, or am I supposed to read it as 1/4 c (4 TB) butter. . . meaning only 1/4 cup. Thanks so much!
Hi Deborah! Sorry. I started using a new recipe card plugin recently and not everything got imported into the cards properly. It’s 1/4 cup butter total so yes, 1/4 c (4 tablespoons).
Have a great day. Happy baking!
I’ve now made this bread 2 or 3 times and use it as a base for experimenting with different variations of breads with nuts in it. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing!
That’s great to hear Adam! So glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe. Appreciate you taking the time to leave your feedback. Have a great day. Come back soon. ????
I noticed this has cinnamon. I’ve never put that in my breads. Can you taste it and if so, is it necessary to add it? I want slicing bread for sandwiches so not sure about that flavor.
I don’t recall the cinnamon adding a strong flavor in this recipe. Feel free to try it without if that’s your preference. Enjoy the bread, Darlene. Let me know how it goes!
Thanks! I’ll give it a try and let you know.
Hello. I made this bread as my first ever homemade bread. Perhaps it was a bit ambitious bc it was an epic failure. No rise, dry, ugly lol. I liked the taste tho so I tried again and I used less flour and the texture seemed much more correct. However, I didn’t get much rise after the first or second rise. Could it be the temperature of the water when I added the yeast? What temp should it be? It just came out of the oven and I think it’s a massive improvement from my first loaf but I’m not sure if I’m successful yet..
Hello! I just made this bread. Well waiting for it to rise…
And after I mixed all the flour in with the wet ingredients it
Came out super dry and crumbly. Does it really only require
2 cups of water? I feel like I had to add quite a bit extra just to get it to even look like dough. I read a comment earlier that mentioned milk and I never saw milk on the ingredients list.. hoping it’s at least edible when I’m done lol
Yes, just the 2 cups of water. Hope it turned out ok!
I’ve made this bread so many times now. I make the dough in the bread machine (dough cycle) and then bake in the oven, and swap the quantities of white whole wheat and white flours. We love it for toast in the morning.
I love this! Sounds perfect!