Oatmeal Bread

This is a hearty and moist oatmeal made with old-fashioned oats, whole wheat flour, white bread flour, and honey. Oats not only add an earthy flavor but also retain plenty of moisture and ensure this bread stays tender. The loaf gets even more flavor from the nutty wholemeal flour and sweet honey.

Homemade oatmeal bread makes school or work lunches extra special. It makes excellent sandwiches and stays soft for several days. Still, it’s great for toast. The recipe makes two loaves of bread and freezes well; It’s a great make-ahead recipe. It’s the ideal Sunday baking project so you can enjoy homemade bread all week long.

The best oatmeal for this bread is old-fashioned oatmeal. Old-fashioned oatmeal is whole oats that have been steamed, pressed in steel rollers, and flaked. They are the most common oat for oatmeal and baked goods. Old-fashioned oats have a nice balance of flavor, texture, and water absorption. Quick cook or instant oatmeal has a duller flavor and tends to get sticky. They also hold less water, which would make this dough too sticky.

types of flour to use

In addition to oats, this bread uses whole wheat flour and white bread flour for added flavor and structure.

Whole wheat flour is made by grinding the whole grain of wheat, including the bran and germ. The bran is the fibrous outer layer of the wheat grain. The germ is the sprouting part of the kernel that is rich in healthy fats. Whole wheat flour adds a nutty flavor and extra nutrients to bread recipes, but the tough bran can break down the gluten structure, which is why it’s often mixed with white flour.

White bread flour has been processed to remove the bran and germ, leaving only the starchy part of the wheat grain. Certain types of wheat are selected for bread flour to achieve a higher protein content than all-purpose flour. These proteins form the gluten structure necessary for bread.

How to bake bread with yeast

This recipe uses instant yeast to leaven the dough. I like to use instant yeast because it doesn’t need to be puffed before mixing. In yeast blooming, the yeast is dissolved in liquid with a little sugar and left to stand until it bubbles, which “proves” it is working. If after about 15 minutes it still doesn’t start bubbling and foaming, the yeast is probably dead. This process is necessary if you’re using active dry yeast in lower moisture bread recipes or if you’re unsure about the freshness of the yeast.

Exchange and substitution of ingredients

This oatmeal bread recipe is easy to customize and very forgiving. If you start out and realize you don’t have the right flour or yeast, you can probably still continue baking.

• If you don’t have bread flour, all-purpose flour will work in a pinch. Simply reduce the milk in the recipe to 1/2 cup (120ml).
• If you only have active dry yeast, you can use that instead of instant yeast, just add about 15 to 20 minutes to the proofing time. If you’re unsure about the freshness of your yeast, you don’t even have to dissolve or leave it in this recipe.
• You can replace the honey with an equal volume of your favorite sweetener: maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, agave syrup, the choice is yours.
• If you’re vegan or more lactose intolerant, you can substitute your favorite plant-based milk or water for the whole milk.

serving suggestions

I love to bake this bread on the weekends and use it for lunch during the week. This bread makes excellent sandwiches, from simple peanut butter and banana to flavorful stacks loaded with deli slices. The oats make this bread incredibly soft and moist, but after a few days you might find that slices work better on toast or grilled sandwiches.

Make ahead and storage

Oatmeal bread has a good shelf life, lasting 4 to 5 days if stored well wrapped at room temperature.

You can also freeze oatmeal bread for up to 3 months. Before freezing, slice the bread or leave it whole. Wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap and one layer of foil, or place in a freezer bag and then freeze. Defrost the bread at room temperature, still wrapped.

Since this recipe makes two loaves, I like to keep one loaf at room temperature and freeze the other for later.

More yeast bread recipes to try

• Homemade rye bread
• Chocolate cake
• Homemade potato bread
• whole wheat bread
• Brioche Hamburger Bun