Oatmeal Bread

Name: Oatmeal Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup warm water; 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast (7 g); ¼ cup sugar (divided (60 g)); 1 ½ cup milk (355 g); ½ cup unsalted butter (111 g 1 stick); 2 teaspoons salt (11 g); 1 cup rolled oats (100 g Optional 2 tablespoons for dusting); 5 cups bread flour (600 g); 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional for brushing)

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This hearty, homemade oatmeal bread comes together easily for a scrumptious slice any time of day. Made with wholesome ingredients, I’m sure you’ll agree there’s nothing like the smell of fresh bread to kickstart your appetite.

Oatmeal bread on a cutting board, sliced and ready to serve.

Why I Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Variations
How To Make This Recipe For Oatmeal Bread
Tips To Make The Best Oatmeal Bread
FAQs
More Breakfast Recipes
Oatmeal Bread Recipe

Why I Love This Recipe

Light, soft, buttery, and oh so delicious, this oatmeal bread is made from scratch with a handful of common pantry staples. Egg-free, this recipe is suitable for various diets, ready to be eaten on its own with a dab of butter, topped with a slather of jam, turned into your favorite sandwich, or even transformed into French toast.

Don’t be put off by the number of steps in this recipe; I promise you, you will be glad you made this bread. Soft and tender, you’ll be happy to know this recipe makes two loaves. One for now and one for the freezer!

Recipe Ingredients

Dry Active Yeast: You could also use instant yeast with a 1:1 ratio.
Sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar for a mild molasses flavor. You can also use honey or molasses, though if you opt for a liquid sugar, you may need to add extra flour.
Milk: I used 2% dairy milk. Any fat content works, or you can use plant-based milk. If you use plant-based, look for unsweetened.
Butter: Using unsalted butter gives you the option to control the amount of salt that you want in your bread, but if you want to use salted butter or margarine, reduce the added salt by half.
Salt: Salt helps bring out the natural flavors.
Rolled oats: Use old-fashioned rolled oats for the batter. You can also use some to dust on top of the bread. Instant oats or quick oats will work; avoid using steel-cut oats as they need to be pre-cooked to use.
Water: I prefer filtered water but tap will work.
Bread flour: I used bread flour, which has a higher protein content, so the bread turns out strong and chewy. If you do not have bread flour on hand, mixing vital wheat gluten into your all-purpose flour will give you bread flour.
Heavy cream: This is optional, but it does give the bread a nice golden brown color. This is used as an egg wash replacement.

Ingredients for oat bread portioned out into separate bowls on a table top.

Variations

Add Raisins: Stir in raisins after the dough has risen the first time.
Stir in Nuts or Seeds: Mix chopped nuts or seeds into the dough after the first rise.
Make it Vegan: Use a plant-based milk and plant-based cream.

How To Make This Recipe For Oatmeal Bread

Step 1: Bloom the yeast by placing it in a small bowl with water and sugar. Stir to combine and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Combine the milk, butter, and remaining sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat to bring the mixture up to about 90 degrees F. You will notice the butter just starting to melt.

Step 3: To the bowl of your stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, or to a large mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats and bread flour.

A collage of photos showing the yeast blooming, milk and butter in a sauce pan, and oatmeal and flour combined.

Step 4: When the milk mixture is ready, pour it over the flour mixture, followed by the yeast mixture, and stir to combine.

Step 5: If using a stand mixer, switch the whisk attachment for the dough hook. Working with ⅓ cup at a time, slowly add the remaining bread flour, making sure to mix with each addition. You will have enough flour when the dough comes away from the walls of the bowl. The dough should be slightly sticky but soft.

Step 6: Adjust the stand mixer to medium and knead the dough for 3 minutes. If you’re kneading by hand, it should take between 6-8 minutes.

Step 7: Cover with dough with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to rise at room temperature for 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.

Collage of steps showing mil mixture being added to dough mixture, dough hook with dough, and dough doubled in size.

Step 8: Spray 2 loaf pans with a touch of baking spray and place a piece or parchment paper down. Set aside.

Step 9: Optional step: Spray the loaf pans again with baking spray and sprinkle half of the optional rolled oats into the pan. Set aside.

Step 10: Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal parts.

Step 11: Flatten one piece of the dough into a large rectangle about 1 inch thick. Gently roll it, tucking in the edges, to create a loaf shape. Transfer it to the prepared loaf pan. Repeat this process with the other piece of dough.

Step 12: Cover the loaves with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow them to rise for 30 minutes.

Collage of photos showing dough, dough cut in half, and dough placed into loaf pans and doubled in size, ready to bake.

Step 13: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Step 14: Brush the tops of the loaves with the heavy cream and sprinkle with the remaining rolled oats.

Collage of photos showing the oatmeal bread dough being brushed with heavy cream and topped with remaining oats.

Step 15: Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees F.

Step 16: After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for 20 more minutes.

Step 17: Take the pans out of the oven and let them sit for 10 minutes before removing the loaves from their pans.

Step 18: Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 40 more minutes before cutting into slices.

Picture of fresh oatmeal bread baked and ready to serve.

Tips To Make The Best Oatmeal Bread

Use a Digital Scale: This is the most accurate way to measure. If you don’t have one, you can fluff the flour and then use a spoon to gently scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then level it with the back edge of a butter knife. This will ensure that you don’t end up with too much flour in your bread.
Use a Pastry Brush: This will evenly coat the tops of the loaves with the heavy cream.
Away from Drafts: Make sure to allow the bread to rise away from any drafts.
Check the Water Temperature: To activate the yeast, the water should be around 90º. Any hotter and you may destroy the yeast.

Oatmeal bread on a cutting board, ready to be sliced.

Sliced oatmeal bread on a cutting board.

FAQs

How do I store this oatmeal bread?

To keep the bread nice and fresh, store it in an airtight container or bread bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also store your oatmeal bread in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it?

Yes, you can freeze the baked loaf once it has cooled to room temperature by wrapping it in plastic wrap or placing it in an airtight container. You can also slice the bread once it has cooled, flash freeze the slices by placing them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer the bread to an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

Since this recipe doesn’t have eggs, bread flour is recommended as it has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour. If you do not have bread flour on hand, make your own. Combine 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten with 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour. For this recipe, you’ll need a total of 5 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten to your 5 cups minus 5 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.

Why did my dough not rise?

There may be a few reasons why your bread did not rise. The yeast didn’t activate due to the milk being too hot or the yeast being too old. Heating the milk mixture to over 90 degrees F can burn the yeast, causing it not to activate. If your yeast is old, it could have gone bad or become inactive.
To test your yeast, follow the first step of blooming the yeast. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes. If it starts to bubble and a foam forms on top, your yeast is good. Alternatively, you may have added too much flour. Using a digital scale will help reduce this risk.

Oatmeal bread slathered with jam, ready to serve.

This oatmeal bread is great to have on hand. Once you make it, I’m sure you’ll agree there’s nothing quite like homemade. Recipes with clean, simple ingredients without any additives or preservatives are always a win in my book.