Honey Oat Bread Recipe

A healthy wholemeal honey loaf with jumbo oatflakes added to the mix. Give this honey oat bread recipe a try, it’s definitely worth your effort.

There is something I find truly satisfying about making bread from scratch, kneading the dough and then watching it slowly grow into what will eventually be a delicious loaf of bread is a pretty cool kitchen activity. Making your own bread also feels like a completely grown up thing to do. And always make me think of the times when making and baking your own bread was a normal part of the day. This was before bread making machines came along and did all the work for you.

Bread has an endless amount of possibilities, flavours and even shapes to try. After a little while it’s easy to become a bread baking addict!

This particular recipe for honey oat bread did not last long in our house! The boys were pretty impressed and had theirs toasted with an extra drizzle of honey on the top.

How to Make Oat Bread

You may wonder why you should bother to make your own bread, when it’s so easy to have to work done for you and buy a loaf from the shop, but baking your own is totally worth it. Firstly, you get to fill your house with that comforting aroma that breezes around a bakery. And Secondly, you control what goes into it. No preservatives or additives and it really does taste so much better.

The key to the best bread, is the rising time. Never try to skip this step or rush it. Not only does a sufficient rising time help to give you the fluffiest bread around, but it also improves the flavour. Now, time can depend on where you are living as well as the season. Setting a timer and sticking to that, isn’t usually the best practice. Observing your bread visually is a much more successful option but it does take a little practice.

We often talk about dough doubling in size and it’s not always easy to see if this has happened. If you want an extra way to check, when you feel the bread is ready, make a small indentation with your finger into the proved dough, if the indentation remains, the dough it ready. If it pops back up, give the dough a little longer to prove before moving onto the next step.

Ingredients to Make Bread with Oats

This oat bread recipe not only has the jumbo oats sprinkled on top but they are added into the mixture alongside the flour. Making this wholemeal loaf filling, full of fibre and with a slow release of energy, giving you what you need until your next meal.

This bread is also sweetened with honey, an unrefined natural source of sugar, which is an essential ingredient in bread making. The honey not only adds flavour but is also used to feed the yeast, this helps yield the best results, giving you a fluffy, homemade wholemeal loaf of bread, that everyone can enjoy.

Bread with added milk makes for a loaf with a richer flavour and a softer crumb. I have combined both milk and water in this bread recipe and you will find that the addition of milk in this homemade bread recipe will make your loaf remain softer for a little longer.

You can make the loaf by hand or in a bread maker if you’d prefer. Just follow the correct steps according to your type of bread maker. Some recommend adding the dry ingredients first, others the wet ingredients, so be sure to check this out before you begin.

How Should I Eat Honey Oat Bread?

This is a sweeter loaf than normal bread and quite rich in flavour. Honey oat bread tastes amazing on it’s own with a little butter. But it also makes a yummy breakfast loaf which you can toast and eat with jam and will even go well with some soups that require something a little sweet to compliment the savoury. Why not try this Parsnip Soup or a Leek and Potato Soup to dip your oat bread into.

Baking and Preparation Tips

I plaited this bread for a variation on shape, but this isn’t necessary if you choose not to do it. You can use a loaf tin to shape your dough, or simply create any shape you want for your final, finished recipe.

You may find that when making wholemeal bread instead of white bread, that it doesn’t always rise as well as you had hoped. A little secret ingredient in baking wholemeal bread is to add vitamin C to the mix. You can find this is some larger supermarkets or specialist kitchen stores in the baking section. Also called ascorbic acid, adding vitamin C to wholemeal bread will help to strengthen the gluten, improve the rising time and yield a much better result. For this recipe I would recommend adding a level teaspoon to your mixture, but do check the instructions when you buy, as some brands will differ in their recommendations.

Recipe FAQ

Looking for a Soup Recipe?

Try this Curried Honey Roast Parsnip Soup as accompany it.

Do you like making your own bread?

Do you have a bread making addiction? What do you love about homemade bread the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below.