This Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread is the perfect healthy, hearty, sandwich bread and easy enough for any new bread baker to make!
Haaapppyyyy New Year, friends! How's everyone doing with their resolutions so far into this first week of the New Year? Although I didn't really set any this year, after the success of this Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread, I'm taking that as a hint that I need to resolve to make more breads and add more gluten to my New Year! 😉
My husband is usually the bread baker in our house. He's the one who tends to Herman (our sourdough starter) and make sourdough bread. He knows all about hydration levels and proper kneading techniques, etc. I, on the other hand, I've got our No Knead Rosemary Garlic Bread and No Knead NY Deli Rye Bread down. Can you guess why? That's right. I'm a lazy bread maker. I will eat the hell out of all of the delicious and complex breads my husband will make, but when it comes to making it? I leave that to him. That's why I love this recipe so much. It's practically a no knead recipe. 
Plus it's made of pretty simple ingredients. But you should make sure you have a bread flour in addition to the whole wheat flour. If you happen to have an whole wheat bread flour too, even better; but it's not necessary. I love Bob's Red Mill Artisan Bread flour. 
Now you can knead this by hand. But maybe you got a Kitchen Aid Mixer for Christmas? Pop that dough hook on and put that baby to use. Let the yeast activate with some warm milk, water, and honey and then just dump in your dry ingredients and let the hook do the kneading.
Let it proof once, shape, and then let it rise in the loaf pan.
Baked for 40 minutes and boom. Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread. 
This bread is the perfect sandwich bread. It's a little dense and has a nice soft chewy center with just a touch of sweetness from the honey.
It's our new go-to sandwich bread! Simple, fast, and easy enough for this novice bread baker to make!
Happy New Year of more fresh baked bread, friends! If you decide to give this recipe a try, be sure to share it with me on Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram!
Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 3/4 cups Bread Flour
- 1 1/2 cups Old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup milk 2% of 1%
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Heat milk and water in microwave for 45 seconds. Add to bowl of a stand mixer with honey and then sprinkle yeast on top. Let sit for 10 minutes until yeast activates (becomes foamy).
- Meanwhile, mix flours, salt, and oats together in a bowl.
- Once yeast has activated, add butter to mixer bowl and with the dough hook attachment, beat on medium low. Slowly add flour and oats mixture and beat until a sticky dough ball forms.
- In a lightly greased large bowl, add the dough ball. It will be sticky. Cover with a linen towel and let rise until doubled (about an hour). If your house is cold and your oven has a "proof" setting, this works well too.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Once doubled, punch down our dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Flatten dough into a large rectangle and then fold the sides up into itself then roll the end closest to you away from you, rolling your dough up into a log.
- In a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan, add dough seam side down and cover with towel again and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- On the medium rack, bake for 20 minutes and then turn. Bake for another 20 minutes. Dependent upon your oven, check to ensure it's not burning. You want a nice deep browning but not burning.
- Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack to cool. To check to see if the center is cooked, give the bottom of the loaf a little tap. It should sound hollow.
- Slice and enjoy!
Hi! I’m wanting to try out this recipe but we only have instant yeast on hand. Would this change the amount? Thanks!
Hi Courtney! No problem at all! You can actually just skip the 10 minutes to activate the yeast and just mix in the flours!
How should I store this bread after I have sliced into it? How long is it good for?
Hi Ruth! It's best to store the bread in a cool dry place and to keep it nice and soft, store it in an air tight plastic bag. It's best for about 3-4 days. But I also like to pre-slice it and then store it in the freezer and just take out the slices that I want when I want them. In the freezer it will be good for up to 3 months! Enjoy!
I used to be a bread baker in a tiny health food store back in my college days. That's where I first made oat bread and I must say it was my favorite to make AND to eat. Your recipe...I completely love! The ingredient list is simple and pretty much all you need for perfect bread every time. Thanks for sharing this beauty!
What a FUN college job!! Although if that were me- it would have been the Freshman 35! ;P
I was just telling my husband how much I miss making homemade bread. When he used to take lunches into work, I'd make a loaf every week and send him off with these artisanal Italian sandwiches. Now he works for a company that basically buys them lunch every day. And I can't eat an entire big crusty loaf myself. BUT THIS. This looks freezer-friendly and perfect for my own sandwiches and toasts! I've been wanting to make more breads and more variations (like olive bread, omg)—but this is going at the top of my list.
Lucky husband and yes, you're so right - perfect for the freezer!
I've watched the rise (bread pun!) of gluten-free everything with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's great to see so many more options for people with celiac, wheat allergies, etc. But I've always been a little irked by the tendency to view gluten and wheat as some sort of culinary scapegoat. Bread is awesome. Gluten is my friend. So I'm absolutely on board with this lovely bread. The crumb looks lovely, and the balance of ingredients sounds absolutely perfect. We're often experimenting with loaf-style bread recipes in an effort to get to one that works best for kids lunches, breakfast toast, etc, and I find that to be the toughest bread to get right. This looks like exactly the kind of loaf of bread we need! Time to fire up the Kitchenaid. Lol.
I am SO with you, Sean! This is a GREAT sandwich bread!
I’m a lazy bread maker too! Lol and I love the honey in this! Perfectly soft and sweet!
More gluten sounds like an excellent resolution to me! (I'm trying to be more organized, which isn't nearly as much fun.) And I'm a lazy bread maker too, so no-knead and almost no-knead breads are right up my alley. 🙂 Add in oats, which are like...my favorite, and this is a bread I have to try.
You know, every single year I tell myself that I'm going to start making bread. And then every year I never do. This one might just be easy enough to get me going this time! Thank you!
Thank you for the inspiration!! It's cold outside plus it's snowing -- an ideal day to bake a hearty whole wheat honey oat bread. There is nothing like the aroma of bread baking in the oven. Plus homemade bread is good for you besides tasting good. I'm printing the recipe now.
I really need to get my kitchenaid out for this. I hate kneading dough! Honey oat is one of my favourite flavours so I'm excited to be able to make it from scratch. I'm one of those people who can't pick JUST one bread so I always have breads expiring on me before I can finish all the flavours so it's nice to be able to make a small batch for myself 🙂
Who knew it could be so easy to bake homemade bread? Looks manageable, even for me. I would have never thought to use a loaf pan...duh!!! so now I see how it's possible to bake from scratch and still be able to slice for sandwiches.
You are SO lucky your husband will tend to Herman. I'm not really a lazy baker but I get intimidated sometimes. I don't know why I think anything I bake will turn out awful, it rarely does. Your step-by-step pictures are super helpful and give my the courage to do this. Thank you so much!
I've just started baking my own bread. It has become an obsession for me now! I have adopted twin kiddos who have an unhealthy guts right now so their digestive system is a bit sensitive to harder to digest foods. Gluten is something their guts are sensitive to at this time. It is not an allergy. Just a sensitivity until we can get their guts healthier to be able to digest it better. I decided that if I make my own bread, gluten and all, it is a healthier option for them and for their guts to handle. I am in control of the ingredients in my bread! I love sweeter, honey wheat breads and so does my family so I can't wait to try this recipe! I'm also going to try your Dave's Killer Bread Copycat bread. That is my favorite bread so I can't wait to try making that one either! Thanks for the recipes!
Hi Tina! Wow twins - congrats! I hope that their little guts regulate soon and that you all enjoy these breads!
I love Bob's Red Mill products, and use them all the time. This bread looks delicious. I love making bread, and the aroma as it bakes is so enticing. I would slice this while it was still warm, put on some butter and devour,