Simple Honey Oat Sandwich Bread

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Hey there, everyone! I’m back from my hiatus. Did you miss me? I’ve been busy with my newborn baby boy. Although it’s been quite the adjustment for me and my family, we’ve absolutely loved having this squishy little addition to our family.

As much as I love baking, I’ve had to take things nice and slow the last few months. The constant feedings, night wake-ups, and diaper changes make it difficult to for me to function, let alone plan out new recipes. Working rise times around pumping times has been a challenge, but I did manage to pull together something fun and new for my first post of the year.

So to kick off the New Year and end my hiatus, I’m sharing my simple honey oat sandwich bread.

Soft, Fluffy, and Flavorful

My husband has been taking his health more seriously this year. In addition to getting more exercise, he’s been including more fiber-rich foods in his diet. Although oatmeal has been his go-to breakfast the last few months, he asked if I could incorporate more oats into my bread recipes. I was more than happy to oblige.

The last time I used oats in a recipe, I made Sourdough Maple Oat Sandwich Bread. The flavor and texture were positively divine. However, the recipe required a much longer rise time than I could manage with a newborn.

I decided to come up with an entirely new honey oat sandwich bread recipe that I could make quickly with minimal effort. Although my first attempt resulted in a dense loaf, my second attempt resulted in an airy, fluffy bread that everyone in my family could enjoy.

Bigger Bread for Bigger Sandwiches

As with most recipes I make, I have to undergo a bit of trial and error before I get the loaf I want. When I first played around with adding oats to my bread, I ended up with a loaf so dense that my husband nearly choked on it.

I wanted my Simple Honey Oat Sandwich Bread to be soft and fluffy, so the second time I made it, I increased the water, butter, and honey amounts. Unfortunately, I overshot and the dough was too wet. In a panic, I added more flour to compensate for the extra liquid.

With all the extra ingredients, I worried that I would have more dough than my bread pan could handle. However, the end result was a larger loaf perfect for extra-filling sandwiches. My husband loved the bigger size, and I don’t have the heart to scale it back.

Time

Prep time:  15 Minutes
Rise time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Cook time:  40 Minutes
Total time: 2 Hours 25 Minutes

Ingredients

Simple Honey Oat Sandwich Bread requires a few basic ingredients to make:

• 236 Grams Warm Water (1 Cup)
• 17 Grams Dry Active Yeast (1 Tablespoon)
• 510 Grams All-Purpose Flour (4 1/4 Cups)
• 42 Grams Quick Oats (1/2 Cup)
• 9 Grams Salt (1 1/2 Teaspoon)
• 85 Grams Honey (1/4 Cup)
• 56 Grams Butter (1/4 Cup)
• 1 Large Egg

This recipe also has an optional topping:

• 1 Large Egg
• 15 Grams Water (1 Tablespoon)
• 10 Grams Quick Oats (2 Tablespoons)

Keep in mind that the dough for this recipe can easily become too dry or too wet depending on the consistency of your honey and how much liquid your oats absorbs. Be prepared to add a little more flour or a little more water as needed.

Additional Equipment

Simple Honey Oat Sandwich Bread needs a few kitchen basic essentials to make:

• Small and Large Mixing Bowls
• Wooden Mixing Spoon
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Kitchen Scale
• Cambro Container with Lid
• One 9-inch by 5-inch pan
• Cooling Rack
• Oven Mitts

I also prefer to make this recipe with a KitchenAid standing mixer. The mixer makes this recipe much easier and faster to make. However, you can make this bread by hand.

Also, as an Amazon associate, I earn a small commission for affiliate links. However, I don’t get paid for my opinions and only recommend products that I regularly use and enjoy.

Instructions

Simple Honey Oat Sandwich Bread is a great choice for beginners because it doesn’t require a lot of baking knowledge to get right. All you have to do is mix your dough, let it rise, and bake it in the oven. Easy peasy!

Mix Your Dough

In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix together your warm water and your yeast. Stir until well combined, and then let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes until foamy.

While your yeast proofs, whisk together your flour, oats, and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients to your yeast mixture. With your standing mixer set to low, use a dough hook to gradually add in your your honey, butter, and egg.

Continue to mix your dough until it pulls away from and cleans the sides of the bowl. The dough should feel tacky but not overly sticky. If it feels too sticky, gradually add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it’s the right consistency. If your dough seems especially dry, dense, and difficult to work with, add a tablespoon of water or milk at a time until pliable.

Let Your Dough Rise

Loosely shape your dough into a round and place in a lightly greased container. I prefer to pop my dough in a Cambro container with a lid, but you can simply opt for a large bowl covered with plastic wrap if that’s what you have available.

Let your dough rise until doubled in size and puffy. In my kitchen, my dough only needed about an hour before it was ready to work with. Colder kitchens may needed longer times, and warmer ones may need shorter times.

Shape Your Loaf

Once you’re dough has risen, it’s time to shape it into a sandwich loaf. To start, turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface. Flatten and dimple your dough until it’s more or less a rectangular shape.

Next, fold your dough into thirds. It doesn’t matter if you pull the bottom third up or the top third down first. This is a horizontal fold, so it’s long like a hot dog bun.

After folding your loaf into thirds, fold the ends toward the middle. I like to flatten the dough somewhat so it’s relatively the same thickness throughout the loaf.

Finally, loosely fold your loaf in half again (horizontal once more). Flip your dough over so the seams face down. Feel free to adjust and reshape the sides as needed to make your loaf look somewhat uniform.

Transfer your dough to a lightly greased 9-inch by 5-inch bread pan. Cover and let your dough rise for a second time, about 30 to 45 minutes. The dough should reach slightly above the top of the pan.

Not sure if your dough has risen enough? Give it a slight poke. Dough that springs up quickly needs to prove a bit longer. If your dough springs up slowly, it’s ready to go in the oven. Dough that collapses a bit has over proofed, but it should still bake just fine.

Bake Your Bread

Once you’re dough has risen, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). While your oven preheats, beat together an egg with 1 tablespoon of water to create an egg wash.

Brush the egg wash over the top of your dough. You don’t need to use the entire egg wash – just enough to moisten the crust. The egg wash will give your bread a shinier, smoother crust, and it will allow the oats to stick.

Sprinkle oats onto the top of your loaf. Feel free to use as many (or as few) as you’d like. Keep in mind that some of the oats may fall off when you remove the bread from the pan.

Bake your bread for 40 minutes. The top of your simple honey oat bread will have a nice dark color. If you have a probe thermometer, the internal temperature should read about 195 degrees Fahrenheit (90 degrees Celsius). If you don’t have a thermometer, you can thump the bottom of your loaf and it will sound hollow.

Remove the bread from the pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Allow your bread to cool completely.

Let the residual heat from your loaf finish baking your bread. If you cut into your loaf too soon, the interior will have a gummy texture.

Once your bread has cooled completely, feel free to slice, serve, and enjoy. When stored at room temperature, your simple honey oat bread should stay fresh for about 3 to 5 days. If you need your bread to last longer, please do not refrigerate it, as it will go stale faster. Instead, freeze your bread and then toast it when you’re ready to eat.

Just the Basics

Secrets to Success

The first time I made this simple honey oat sandwich bread, I used a much smaller recipe. It was flavorful, but dense. So, I set out to make a fluffier, softer bread. When playing around with the ingredients, I thought it would be a good idea to use more water, butter, and honey. However, I used too much of all three, resulting in dough that was little more than a sticky goop.

I panicked and I added more flour to compensate for the extra liquid. I eyeballed the bread’s consistency, and I managed to create a light and airy loaf, albeit an extra large one. My husband loved the big loaf so much that I had to try again.

Fortunately, I tracked all the changes I made with the initial recipe, and I was able to duplicate it a second time around. Now that I’ve the proportions right, I’ve saved you the hassle of guessing and checking your work. For best results, measure by weight rather than volume and you should be good to go.

However, you should make one small note. When I worked with this loaf, my honey had crystallized. I warmed it until it ran smoothly, but I can see warm honey being easier to work with than cold honey. If you use cold honey in your recipe, your dough might seem dense, dry, and difficult to work with. Adding more water might help initially, but the other ingredients might soften the honey on their own. Add too much water, and you’ll end up with a gooey dough just like I did. Go slow – and you’ll bread will turn out just fine.

Nutritional Information

Simple Honey Oat Sandwich Bread has quite a bit of honey and butter to give it flavor. Furthermore, it’s a larger loaf, so slices are naturally bigger even if you cut them thin. If you’re keeping track of your health, here’s a look at the nutritional information:

I managed to cut my loaf into about 14 slices, and the nutritional information reflects that. However, you might cut your simple honey oat sandwich bread into thicker (or thinner) slices. Bigger slices have more calories.

Did You Try It?

Simple Honey Oat Sandwich Bread was one of the few loaves I had time to make during my hiatus. Hopefully as I adjust to my new schedule, I’ll have time for many more exciting recipes this year. Thank you for your patience. I look forward to baking with you this year.

If you tried my recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating or review. Feedback and comments are appreciate, as your suggestions help me improve my recipes. I love reading what you have to say.