This recipe for hearty and flavorful homemade Oatmeal Bread is simple, easy to make for bakers of any skill level, and does not require any special equipment!
This oat bread is slightly more dense and almost chewier than white or whole wheat bread; yet still fluffy and delicious! Adapted from my recipe for Molasses Oatmeal Dinner Rolls, the deep and nutty flavor of this bread is amazing. So flavorful and perfect to accompany a soup, make a sandwich with, or just toasted for breakfast!
For other great homemade recipes made with yeast, try my Homemade White Bread for a simple soft loaf, popular Glazed Yeast Doughnuts, or flavorful Herb Dinner Rolls next!
Jump to:
⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Texture - This bread is soft and hearty with some added texture from the oats inside.
- Flavor - Oats, brown sugar, and molasses bring a unique depth of flavor and a light sweetness to this bread.
- Yield - This recipe makes 2 loaves; eat 1 now and slice and freeze the other to have homemade bread anytime!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make this fluffy and soft oatmeal bread.
Ingredient Notes
- Rolled Oats - Also called large flaked oats, rolled oats retain their shape better to give a bit of texture to the finished bread but I think smaller quick-cooking oats would work too in a pinch.
- Molasses - Provides a depth of flavor that goes well with the oats.
- Instant Yeast - Sometimes called quick-rise yeast, instant yeast can be mixed directly into the flour and does not require "blooming" in a bowl of warm water before adding. See the notes below the recipe for how to use active dry yeast in this recipe. I also use instant yeast in my Monkey Bread Muffins!
- Flour - Regular all-purpose flour works great for this bread.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Stir together the boiling water, oats, brown sugar, molasses, salt, and oil. Let the mixture cool down until the temperature is no hotter than 110℉.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups of flour and instant yeast.
Step 3: Add the oat mixture that has cooled down to 110℉.
Step 4: Stir until a loose dough begins to form before turning onto a clean countertop. Knead for 5-7 minutes by hand. You could also work the dough in a bread machine or mixer with a hook attachment.
Step 5: Shape the kneaded dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl, oiling the top of the dough.
Step 6: Cover the bowl loosely and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Step 7: Punch down the dough once risen and use a sharp knife to separate it into 2 equal pieces. Shape into loaves and place in 2 loaf pans that have been greased with oil. Press some oats onto the top of the bread.
Step 8: Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven while the dough is rising.
Bake the loaves in a preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and hollow-sounding. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling to avoid sweating.
💡 Top Tip
Be careful not to over-proof the dough at either rising period. The dough should only rise until it is roughly doubled in size during each rise. This takes approximately 1 hour in a warm place for the first rise and then 30 minutes once shaped into loaves right before baking.
Over-proofing will result in large air bubbles throughout the bread and the loaves might collapse while baking.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Homemade oatmeal bread is a great choice as part of a balanced diet. Oats provide more fiber than white bread.
This oatmeal bread is great served fresh out of the oven with butter or toasted with jam or nut butter. It is also great made into sandwiches.
View the nutrition information for this recipe in the bottom of the recipe card below the instructions.
Store leftover bread in an airtight container or bread bag at room temperature for up to 5 days.
🌾 More Oatmeal Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Homemade Oat Bread or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Oatmeal Bread
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- measuring cups & spoons
- 2 9x5-inch loaf pans
- non-stick cooking spray
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups boiling water
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 - 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast (quick-rise) (see recipe notes for substitute)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted (to brush on the loaves after baking)
Instructions
- Stir together the boiling water, oats, brown sugar, molasses, salt, and oil in a heat-safe bowl or measuring cup. Let mixture cool until lukewarm (110℉), it will thicken slightly as the oats soak up the water.
- In a large bowl, stir together 4 cups of flour and instant yeast. Add the oat mixture only once it has cooled to 110℉. Stir together to form a loose dough before turning onto a lightly floured counter. Knead for 7-10 minutes, adding flour as needed until the dough is smooth and just slightly tacky without sticking to your hands. Be careful not to add too much extra flour or the dough will become tough. ½-3/4 cup added is normal.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl that has been greased with oil, seam side down. Spead a little oil over the top of the dough and cover loosely with plastic wrap and then a dry towel and put in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
- Grease 2 (9x5-inch) loaf pans with nonstick spray or butter. Once the dough has risen, punch down to deflate all air bubbles. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a loaf and place each loaf in each prepared pan. Cover each pan with plastic wrap and then a dry towel and put in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ right before the loaves are done rising. Bake the risen loaves together on the middle rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes or until browned on top and around the bottoms. Brush the loaves with a little melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven to add a glossy look and soften the crust. Let the loaves rest in their pans for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Let the bread cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Amanda
This bread is by far the best bread I've ever made. It's been our go-to bread for the last year, I've even passed it along to family members and friends who have asked! Highly recommend. Thanks, Naomi!
Naomi Andres
That is wonderful to hear!! Thank you for making and sharing this recipe, Amanda!
Naomi
Maria Yerema
We made Oatmeal Bread and it was delicious! The recipe is easy and the end result is terrific.
Naomi
That's great to hear, Maria!! Thank you for leaving a review!
Naomi
Isabel Olivetti
This was super easy to make!! I was a bit worried about my yeast, but I ended up getting a really good rise both times. Everyone in the family loved it, especially the littlest one, who repeatedly said "just one more piece" and then "i ate all the breads" :')
Naomi
Yay, that's fantastic, Isabel! So cute, I love it!
Naomi
Susan
A baking challenge...fun!! We are lacking cookies at our house (how sad is that?!) so I think I will try your oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. BTW-Happy Birthday!!! 🙂
Naomi
Thank you so much!
Lacking cookies is a very real (and sad) plight! 😉 Sounds like a good plan! Let me know what you think of them!!
Naomi
Casey W
I love bread, and I love oatmeal, so this recipe is pretty much perfect. There is a subtle sweetness to this bread that makes it delicious eaten alone, but not so sweet that you can't eat it with savoury toppings either (we also enjoyed it topped with sloppy joe meat). I was almost out of rolled oats, so I substituted with quick oats and just patted a sprinkling of rolled oats on top right before baking for aesthetics. I will definitely be making this recipe again and again!
Naomi
I'm so glad you loved this recipe, Casey!
Yes, quick oats would work just fine!
Naomi
Mrs. J
Of course this is a 5-star recipe . . . it's bread, right???? 😊 And it has oatmeal in it, so that makes it even better! I actually had all the ingredients on hand, so that was a huge plus. I will confess to using my bread maker to mix the ingredients because why get a workout kneading for 7-10 minutes when I have a machine that will do that for me?? 😉 After soaking the oats in the bread pan, I realized that I was in trouble since the only thermometer in this kitchen is a meat thermometer that starts at 140. After 10 minutes or so, I felt safe enough to trust that it was "lukewarm" and tossed in the flour and yeast. When the mixing and first rise were finished, I popped half of the dough into my one and only loaf pan (you now know how infrequently I make shaped loaves!) and used a cake pan for the other half. We maybe let the bread cool for 20 minutes after it was done. But maybe not. 😉 It is positively delicious!! I realized afterwards that you must have put some kind of wash on your loaves before baking to give them that lovely glossy look. Another great recipe, Naomi!
Naomi
Thank you, Mrs. J! Using your bread machine sounds like a great idea!
Sorry, I forgot to add in the recipe that I do brush the loaves with butter as soon as they come out of the oven for that glossy look! I will add that to the recipe now!
So glad you loved this bread!!
Naomi
Liz
Happy early birthday! This sounds like a super fun challenge! I think I'll definitely be participating -- I love baking! 🙂
Naomi
Thank you, Liz! I'm glad to hear that, I can't wait to see which recipe you decide to make!!
Naomi