Honey Oat Bread: A Soft Sandwich Loaf Anyone Can Bake
Honey oat bread is the soft, slightly sweet sandwich loaf that makes the best toast in the house. Soaking the oats keeps the crumb moist, and honey both feeds the yeast and gives a golden crust. This recipe makes one 9 by 5-inch loaf with basic equipment and a few hours, most of it waiting. It also explains how honey changes bread dough and how to swap in whole wheat.
Ingredients
Bread flour gives the best rise, but all-purpose flour works with a slightly softer result. Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant.
- 1 cup (90 g) old-fashioned rolled oats, plus 2 tablespoons for the top
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk, heated until steaming
- 1/4 cup (85 g) honey
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) instant or active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups (345 to 405 g) bread flour
Method
Pour the hot milk over the oats, honey and butter in a large bowl and stir. Let it sit for 20 minutes until lukewarm, below 110°F, so it does not kill the yeast. Stir in the warm water, yeast and salt, then add flour a cup at a time until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
Knead on a lightly floured counter for 8 to 10 minutes, or 6 minutes in a stand mixer with a dough hook, until smooth and springy. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Press it into a rectangle, roll it up tightly from the short side, pinch the seam and place it seam down in a greased 9 by 5-inch pan. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with oats. Cover and rise until it domes about an inch above the pan, 45 minutes to an hour.
Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting with foil after 20 minutes if the top browns quickly. The loaf is done when it sounds hollow when tapped and reads 190°F in the center. Cool on a rack for at least an hour before slicing.
What honey does in bread
A little honey gives yeast easy sugar to feed on, so the dough rises well. Honey also holds moisture, which keeps the crumb soft and slows staling, and it browns the crust to a deep gold. Too much honey can slow yeast down, since sugar draws water away from it, so sweet breads use a bit more yeast or rise longer. A quarter cup per loaf is a comfortable middle.
Because honey browns faster than sugar, bread made with honey often needs to be tented with foil partway through baking. See our baking with honey guide for more.
Variations
Once you have the base recipe, it is easy to change.
- Honey whole wheat: replace up to half the bread flour with whole wheat flour and add 1 to 2 tablespoons more liquid
- Seeded: add 1/4 cup sunflower seeds and 2 tablespoons flax seeds
- Cinnamon raisin: roll 1/2 cup raisins and 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar into the loaf
- Rolls: divide into 12 pieces and bake at 375°F for 15 to 18 minutes
- Darker loaf: use 1 tablespoon buckwheat honey in place of some of the honey
Which honey to use
Mild honeys like Clover let the oats and wheat lead. Pure Raw or Wildflower give a warmer, more rounded flavor. A spoon of Buckwheat makes a darker loaf with a hint of rye bread. Crystallized honey dissolves fine in the hot milk.
Storing honey oat bread
Keep the cooled loaf in a bread bag or wrapped in a towel at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. Avoid the fridge, which stales bread faster. For longer storage, slice and freeze for up to three months, then toast slices straight from the freezer. It makes excellent toast with honey butter or peanut butter and honey.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use honey instead of sugar in bread?
- Yes. Use about the same amount of honey as sugar in yeast bread, and reduce the liquid by a tablespoon or two per 1/4 cup of honey.
- Why did my honey oat bread not rise?
- The liquid was probably too hot and killed the yeast, or the dough was too cold. Let the soaked oats cool below 110°F before adding yeast and rise in a warm spot.
- Can I make honey oat bread without a mixer?
- Yes. Knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed.
- How do I know when bread is done?
- It should sound hollow when tapped and read about 190°F in the center on an instant-read thermometer.
Al Safa Honey is a food producer, not a medical provider. Nothing here is medical advice. Never give honey of any kind to a baby under 12 months old.
