Homemade Oatmeal Bread

Homemade Oatmeal Bread (A Recipe From My Bakery)

I enjoy baking and have ever since I was in early elementary school. In my adult years, I established my own bakery and specialized in making yeast breads, although I did make a lot of other goodies too. Little by little, I’m creating YouTube videos demonstrating how to make a lot of the breads I made in the bakery. To accompany the videos, I’m writing blog posts so you can print out the recipes if you want. They can also be downloaded in .PDF format from my website at http://HandMadeInIowa.com.

Below is my recipe for homemade Oatmeal Bread. The recipe has been scaled down to make two loaves, the usual amount for home recipes. It’s truly delicious and was a BIG seller at my bakery! Give it a try. It’s really not hard! To SEE how it’s made, check out the video below, where I walk viewers through the process step-by-step. Enjoy! Judi

Homemade Oatmeal Bread
Makes Two Loaves

1-1/2 cups rolled oats (either quick or old fashioned)
1-1/2 cups boiling water (or reserved water from cooking potatoes)
3 Tbsp (1-1/2 oz) butter
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
2 room temperature eggs, lightly beaten
1 lb, 4 oz bread flour
1/2 oz Rapid Rise Yeast

Note: This recipe is designed for being prepared in a home stand mixer. If you don’t have one, simply hand mix the ingredients per the instructions and hand knead, being careful to work in as little extra flour as possible.

In a stand mixer bowl, combine the rolled oats, boiling water, butter, honey, brown sugar and salt. Place the bowl on the mixer stand and mix on low speed, using a standard paddle blade. Mix until the ingredients are well blended and oats appear to be “cooked.” Remove bowl from mixer stand.

Test the temperature of the mixture with an instant read thermometer. When it cools to between 120 and 130ºF, it is safe to proceed forward. Stir in the lightly beaten eggs. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, weigh out the bread flour. Stir in the yeast. Stir the flour mixture into the oat mix, just enough so the flour won’t spray out of the bowl when the mixer is turned on. Place mixer bowl onto the mixer stand, insert the dough hook, and mix on low speed for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the dough hook and bowl from the stand.

Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile bring a medium size saucepan of water to boil and prepare the oven to use as a proof box. Turn the oven light on. Place the lower rack at the lowest position in the oven and the top rack in the middle of the oven. When the water comes to a boil, place the saucepan on the lower oven rack and close the door. (This method can be used with both an electric and gas range.)

After the dough has rested, remove it to a VERY lightly floured board. Form into two loaves and place each loaf into a sprayed, oiled or greased loaf pan. (I used 8×4 pans, but 9×5 pans would also work, making shallower loaves.)

Place the formed loaves in their pans on the middle oven rack over the pan of hot water. Close the oven door and allow them to rise for 30 to 40 minutes, until about doubled in size. Remove loaves and saucepan from oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

An optional step to adorn the loaves: In a small bowl, mix one whole beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush each loaf with the egg mixture and sprinkle with extra oats. (If you do not do this optional step, simply brush the BAKED loaves with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.)

When the oven is preheated, bake bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove loaves to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before slicing.

9 thoughts on “Homemade Oatmeal Bread (A Recipe From My Bakery)

  1. catherine reno

    Judy
    I made your oatmeal bread and it came out than it rose and then when baked it did collapse. any suggestions

    Reply
    1. Judi Post author

      It sounds like it may have been over-proofed. Bread will collapse when it’s allowed to proof too long. When that happens, there is so much gas/air in the bread cells that the structure can’t hold it any longer and hence it collapses. I’m sorry this happened to you! I appreciate your asking, so hopefully next time it will turn out better. Best wishes to you, Judi

      Reply
  2. Diversity

    Hello Judi,

    Can I use white whole wheat flour and vital wheat gluten instead of bread flour? Also, can I use SAF instant yeast?

    Reply
    1. Judi Post author

      Hi Diversity! Thanks for checking in and asking your question! Go ahead and try the substitution you want in flour. The final texture of the bread may be a little different…more coarse using whole wheat flour. Also, the liquid needs may be slightly different, with whole wheat needing slightly more. But…I wouldn’t add more liquid unless you see that the dough is dry. Only then would I change the ratios. Any instant yeast should work well. Thanks for asking! Happy baking 🙂

      Reply
  3. Kathy

    Hello Judi,

    I just happend upon your site as I was looking for a good oat bread. I’ve been making my own sweet rolls and dinner rolls for years. I seem to fail at regular bread. It never taste the same the next day or it tends to be more dry/crumbly.

    I do understand that going by weight is always best as flours don’t all weigh the same cup for cup; hence, the 1 lb 4 ounces in your recipe. Now if I use a all purpose flour, isn’t it heavier? I have cake flour on hand but not bread flour.

    The next question I have is the yeast. I use a German brand and it is not a rapid rise. Should I reserve some liquid and sugar to dissolve yeast in?

    Thanks again!! Have an awesome day!

    Reply
  4. Ric

    Hi Judi,
    First I’d like to say thank you for sharing your recipes with us.
    I just found you and this recipe..been looking for an oat bread recipe—preferably simple without a lot of unusual ingredients.

    I guess it can’t be 100% oat flour from everything I’ve been able to find so I’m trying to find a “compromise” recipe.
    You should know I’ve never made bread other than banana nut bread and I’ve never done any baking requiring yeast.
    Any tricks I need to know?

    2 questions re your recipe…
    1) Could I use gluten free flour – it says it’s an all purpose mix good for baking?

    2) Can I use 1/2 that and 1/2 homemade oat flour?
    I’ve read you can make it by putting whole oats in a blender—I’d have to use a bullet type usually used for making smoothies.

    I don’t have a stand mixer. What I do have is an old food processor and a hand mixer. Which would be the best? Food Processor was my mother’s and I don’t think I have all the accessories. (?) The hand mixer only has the regular beaters.

    Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and for your words of wisdom.

    Reply
    1. Judi Post author

      Hi Ric!
      Thank you for your comments and questions. You have a loaded question! There are MANY tips and tricks to behold when baking with yeast. I’ve shared a number of them on my YouTube channel “Judi in the Kitchen” at https://www.youtube.com/user/JudiInTheKitchen. Most importantly, when working with yeast, it’s important to remember it’s a live organism and so certain factors are important to follow so it’s not killed in the process. It requires gluten to grow and the temperature of ingredients when mixing/kneading and during proofing are important so it’s allow to grow and thrive during the process (too much heat will kill it).

      Regarding question (1)…NO, unfortunately. If you’re going to make an oatmeal bread with yeast, a gluten free baking mix will not work. Again, yeast requires gluten to grow, so the bread would not bake properly and would be flat and hard as a brick. A gluten free flour mix might be OK for a banana bread or some other quick bread that doesn’t require yeast. BUT it’s important to follow a recipe designed for gluten free baking. Baking with any gluten free recipe/mix is entirely different than baking with wheat flour. Absolutely different! Unless you want to do a LOT of experimenting, I suggest you find a recipe specifically designed for a gluten free baking mix rather that substituting. Otherwise, your results will most likely be very undesirable. When baking with yeast, I suggest you follow the recipe as written, unless you’re a “seasoned” yeast baker and are comfortable with what you’re doing.

      Regarding question (2)…I’m assuming you’re suggesting using 1/2 gluten free baking mix and 1/2 oat flour? Again, I think not. Gluten free baking mixes are best in recipes specifically designed for them and they’re not designed to be used in yeast-containing recipes. Yes..you can make your own oat flour by putting it in a food processor and that would be fine in any recipe calling specifically for oat flour. However, oats themselves don’t contain gluten. If you’re suggesting substituting oat flour for wheat flour in a yeast-containing recipe, it probably won’t work…again because of the gluten factor and yeast needing it to grow.

      Yeast breads can easily be made without a stand mixer. I would not use any hand mixer when attempting to mix yeast bread dough because the dough can be thick and might damage a hand mixer. Simply mix the ingredients by hand until it’s well blended, then turn it onto a floured surface and knead it by hand for the specified amount of time, usually 10 minutes.

      If you are wanting to make a gluten-free yeast bread, there are mixes out on the market available with everything in them, including yeast packets. Such breads are usually leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda (already incorporated into the mix) and yeast is included basically for flavor. I’ve tried a few of them and some are better than others, but they do offer an alternative for bread when one must eat gluten free. It’s worth giving those mixes a try if you’re looking for a homemade-type yeast bread that’s gluten free.

      I hope this answers your questions! Thanks again for your comments and questions.
      Best wishes to you and yours,
      Judi

      Reply
  5. Hilda

    Hi Judi, I looove your oatmeal bread! I made it, and it came out DELICIOUS!
    I had a bit of trouble when it came to measuring the flour, I don’t have a scale. Could you provide me with the flour measurements in cups?
    Next time I’m going to try to make your cinnamon rolls!, in your video they look delicious!
    I also LOVE how you explain every step. GREAT videos and recipes!!!

    Reply
    1. Judi Post author

      Use 4 cups of bread flour in this recipe. Sorry…I try to clarify that as I’m baking. I guess I didn’t in that video! Glad it turned out well for you!

      Reply

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