Honey oat bread is easy to make in the bread machine with just a few simple ingredients.  You can use all-white flour, or substitute a bit of whole wheat flour for a heartier loaf.

Honey oatmeal bread is one of my favorite sandwich breads, and the extra texture from the oats really goes well with deli meats and crisp lettuce.  A little bit of honey makes it just sweet enough, but not too sweet.

The butter added to this honey oat bread makes it just rich enough to make a truly excellent french toast as well, and it’s lovely as plain breakfast toast too.

(I’m baking this as a 2-pound loaf in my Zojirushi Supreme Bread Machine, which makes beautiful horizontal loaves in a pan that uses two paddles for more efficient mixing.  I’ve worked with a number of different machines over the years, and this one’s my favorite.  I’ve also included instructions for a 1 1/2-pound loaf if you’re working with a smaller machine or a machine that bakes vertically since they don’t work as well with full-sized loaves.  To make an extra small 1-pound loaf, just divide the 2-pound quantities in half.)

Ingredients for Bread Machine Honey Oat Bread

The ingredients for this simple honey oat bread aren’t all that different from my Bread Machine Honey White Bread, but this recipe uses just a slight bit more milk (and less water), and a bit more honey for extra sweetness.  And, of course, it also incorporates oats for a heartier loaf.

I’ve also opted for butter in this recipe instead of oil, but you can substitute vegetable oil instead if that’s your preference.  Butter has a better flavor in bread, but vegetable oil often gives a better texture.

The following recipe is adapted from the “Old Fashioned Oat Bread” recipe (pg. 45) in The All New Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook.

The ingredients for bread machine honey oat bread are quite simple, and you probably have all these things in your pantry already.

For the flour, you can use either all-purpose white or white bread flour, and both will work well.  I tend to use King Arthur Flour All Purpose because that’s what I have on hand in bulk. 

If you use bread flour, you may need to add a tablespoon of extra water at the beginning, just watch the dough as it starts to knead and make sure it’s coming together nicely.  Bread flour tends to help a bread rise better, and creates a firmer crumb that will hold up better to cutting (without falling apart).  This recipe works well with all purposes and cuts just fine without falling apart, but bread flour would come out a bit fluffier because it’s higher gluten and would help hold the air pockets as it rises.

I make this recipe with SAF instant yeast, as it works well in both bread machine recipes and oven-baked goods. 

If you’re using specialty bread machine yeast, you’ll need to use a bit more (as described below). 

If all you have is active yeast, that is used a bit differently.  Active yeast is added to the water (instead of on top of the flour) as it needs to rehydrate for about 10 minutes before it works.  To use active yeast, add it to the water, stir, and wait 10 minutes, then proceed with the recipe (knowing that you’ve already put the yeast in the water, so it doesn’t need to go on top of the flour). 

Don’t use the delay timer with active yeast, but you can delay baking with instant yeast and bread machine yeast if placed on top of the flour.

Two Pound Loaf Ingredients

To make a 2-pound loaf of Bread Machine Honey Oat Bread, you’ll need the following:

Liquid Ingredients (add first)

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 1 cup (240 ml) milk (or more water)
• 1/4 cup (84 g) honey
• 3 Tbsp. (42 g) butter (or canola oil)

Dry Ingredients (on top of wet)

• 3 1/2 cups (420 g) flour
• 1/2 cup (45 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 1/2 tsp (9 g) salt
• 2 1/2 tsp (8 g) SAF Instant Yeast (or 3 tsp. Bread Machine Yeast)

If you’d like a heartier loaf, you can substitute some of the white flour for whole wheat.  I’d suggest not using more than half whole wheat in this recipe.  My best suggestion is to add 1 1/2 cup whole wheat and 2 cups white in place of the 3 1/2 cups of flour in this recipe, if you choose to add any whole wheat at all.

One other thing I’ll mention is that it’s important to use old-fashioned rolled oats if you really want the “oat-y” texture in this bread.  Instant oats are pre-cooked so they tend to fall apart and more or less dissolve in bread.  If all you have is instant oats, it will work, but I prefer the old-fashioned ones so you really taste the oats.

One and a Half Pound Loaf Ingredients

To make a 1 ½ pound loaf of Bread Machine Honey Oat Bread, you’ll need the following:

Liquid Ingredients (add first)

• 3/8 cup (90 ml) water (or ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk (or more water)
• 3 Tbsp. (63 g) honey
• 2 Tbsp. (28 g) butter (or canola oil)

Dry Ingredients (on top of wet)

• 2 5/8 cup (315 g) flour (or 2 ¾ plus 2 Tbsp) 
• 3/8 cup (34 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (or ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
• 1 1/4 tsp (7 g) salt
• 2 tsp (6 g) SAF Instant Yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp. Bread Machine Yeast)

Making Bread Machine Honey Oat Bread

The basic process is the same as any yeast bread in the bread machine. 

You start by adding in your wet ingredients, then make an “island” with the flour on top.  The other ingredients, such as salt and yeast, are then set in wells on top of the flour, so they don’t get wet until the machine starts mixing.

This allows you to set a delay timer if you want, and it also keeps the yeast from activating before its time.

First, add the water, milk, honey, and butter (or oil).

Next, make an “island” with the flour, and then make small wells to hold the yeast and salt.  If the oats fall into the liquid, it’s fine; they can get wet at this point, just like the flour, without issue.

Select the “basic white” setting on your bread machine, and I’d suggest the “medium” darkness for crust color (if your bread machine allows you to choose).  Turn it on and let it run.

In the end, you should have a beautiful loaf of bread machine honey oat bread.

Yield: Makes a 2 Pound Loaf (1 1/2 pound in notes)

Bread Machine Honey Oat Bread

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Bread machine honey oat bread is a delicious, lightly sweetened oatmeal bread that's perfect for sandwiches, toast and french toast.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 55 minutes

Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

Liquid Ingredients (add first)

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 1 cup (240 ml) milk (or more water)
• 1/4 cup (84 g) honey
• 3 Tbsp. (42 g) butter (or canola oil)

Dry Ingredients (on top of wet)

• 3 1/2 cups (420 g) flour
• 1/2 cup (45 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 1/2 tsp (9 g) salt
• 2 1/2 tsp (8 g) SAF Instant Yeast (or 3 tsp. Bread Machine Yeast)

Instructions

1. Prepare your bread maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
2. Place wet ingredients in the bottom of the pan.
3. Add dry ingredients on top of wet, making a small well in the flour to add the salt and yeast.
4. Bake using the "basic" or "normal" bread cycle. (If your bread maker allows you to choose crust darkness, I'd suggest "light" as the honey in the bread causes the crust to darken more than some bread, and a "light" setting will give you a medium crust.)
5. Remove from the bread machine when complete, and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting for best results.

Notes

I suggest using old fashioned oats in this recipe. Quick cooking or instant oatmeal will work, but it's better with the old fashioned stuff.

The oats should be dry/raw, not cooked into oatmeal when they go into the bread machine.

If you'd like a heartier loaf, you can substitute some of the white flour for whole wheat.  I'd suggest not using more than half whole wheat in this recipe.  My best suggestion is adding 1 1/2 cup whole wheat and 2 cups white in place of the 3 1/2 cups of flour in this recipe, if you choose to add any whole wheat at all.

One and a Half Pound Loaf Ingredients

The ingredients listed above make a 2 pound loaf. To make a 1 ½ pound loaf of Bread Machine Honey Oat Bread, you’ll need the following:

Liquid Ingredients (add first)

• 3/8 cup (90 ml) water (or ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk (or more water)
• 3 Tbsp. (63 g) honey
• 2 Tbsp. (28 g) butter (or canola oil)

Dry Ingredients (on top of wet)

• 2 5/8 cup (315 g) flour (or 2 ¾ plus 2 Tbsp) 
• 3/8 cup (34 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (or ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
• 1 1/4 tsp (7 g) salt
• 2 tsp (6 g) SAF Instant Yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp. Bread Machine Yeast)

Bread Machine Recipes

Looking for more bread machine recipes?

• Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread
• Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread
• Bread Machine Challah
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