Honey Whole Wheat and Oat Sandwich Bread
A light and hearty sandwich bread made with 100% whole wheat flour, oats, and honey.
One of my biggest frustrations since moving to a small rural town is that often there are shelves of the grocery store that sometimes go days or even weeks before getting restocked. And bread seems to be one of the biggest offenders. During every weekly trip I wonder— will they have bread today?
I got fed up and decided that it was time to ditch the store bought stuff and bake my own. And so that’s just what I did. After the first slice of this honey whole wheat and oat sandwich bread I knew there was no turning back. Why have I not done this sooner?
Now we can have as many sandwiches and slices of toast as we like, without any trips to the store. And this bread is so much better for us— no preservatives or unpronounceable ingredients. It’s just whole wheat flour, rolled oats, a little honey, butter, milk, water, yeast and salt. Better still, it’s homemade. Doesn’t get much better than that.
Since it’s made with 100% whole wheat I was worried it might not make for the best sandwich bread, but the milk, butter and honey all work to tenderize the dough and aren’t just there for flavor. Be sure you don’t skimp on kneading or rising time, and you’ll pull a near perfect loaf from the oven.
This bread has a tender texture and hearty flavor, and it sure beats anything you can find at the grocery store.
(If you’re looking for an even heartier loaf, check out my 100% whole wheat bread. It’s lower in fat, but has a denser texture. Still scrumptious, though!)
Honey Whole Wheat and Oat Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup water (250 ml)
- 1 cup milk (250 ml)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (56 grams)
- ¼ cup honey (80 grams)
- 3 - 3½ cups whole wheat flour (340-395 grams)
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats , plus extra for sprinkling (100 grams)
- 1 packet active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg + 1 teaspoon water , for egg wash
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over low heat warm the water, milk, butter and honey until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool for a few minutes, or until 120-130°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or in a large bowl if you plan to mix by hand, combine 2 cups of the whole wheat flour, oats, yeast and salt. Add the milk mixture and mix until combined. Add the remaining whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough is still sticky but clears the side of the bowl. You may not need all 3 ½ cups flour, or it's possible you'll need a bit more.
- Continue to mix or knead by hand until smooth and elastic (7-8 minutes with a mixer, 15 minutes by hand). Place dough in a grease bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Gently punch down dough and knead a few times. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle 9 inches wide. Starting with a short end, roll up the dough. Place seem side-down in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled again, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush top of loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with oats, if desired. Bake until crust is dark golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 45-50 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Oh my goodness, what a wonderful recipe!! I have been making yeast breads my whole adult life (I’m 70+ years) and I have never, before now, come across a bread recipe I love as much as this one. What a keeper! The bread is delicious, nutritious, full bodied, and the texture holds up as a sandwich bread. I did need to add slightly more flour for those wanting to know but it did not worry me in the least. It’s a ‘feel’ you get for making bread. When you know, you know. The dough raised very quickly. I think my next time I will make two smaller loaves out of it. But I want to keep it exactly as written! A KEEPER!! Thank you!!
What a wonderful review and comment, Lynda! Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to give this feedback, and I am so overjoyed that this recipe worked out so well for you. 🙂
Love this recipe! Swapped out the butter for Olive oil and almond milk for the milk. At 400 degrees my bread was done in 30 mins. Thanks so much!
Can you make this on the “dough” cycle of a bread machine and then do one more rise and bake in the oven?
I do not have experience with a bread machine unfortunately. But if you are familiar with how they work, I’m sure you could adapt this recipe to work with it!
Great recipe it was easy to follow .
I made rolls instead of a loaf.
They turned out well .
We’re trying to reduce sugars. Would it work to use half the honey?
Tasted great, but I also had to add more flour. I also agree that 400 oven was too hot. I might try again with less liquid and at 350 oven
This is my favorite whole wheat bread recipe! I’m in Wisconsin. I had to add about 1 more cup of flour than the recipe called for. It’s March, so I was able to put it next to the wood stove, which made rise times at only an hour each. What is your advice on doubling this recipe? With a family of 7, one loaf of bread only last about a day.
On the nutrition section, is this for the whole loaf or for each slice?
It’s per slice, if you slice loaf into 12 slices.
Great recipe!
Made this yesterday and it’s the best honey whole wheat I’ve tried thus far. May just stop looking. Apparently many have had issues. All I can say is there are so many variables to keep in mind when baking bread. For instance, my rise times were much shorter as it’s currently over 100 degrees here. Even with the A C blasting, the rise was super fast. Altitude and humidity also play a big part. While I think it’s good to research other sites and brands and bring that information to what you’re baking, I also think it’s important to remember that whatever recipe you’re using, that baker has tested it over and over before they posted it. I’ve tried some recipes from other sites that just don’t work no matter what adjustments I make. I’m sticking with this one for sure!
I appreciate this feedback! Yes, there are so many factors that affect bread baking, and I’m so happy to hear this recipe worked well for you.
Can i substitute the honey? My kid is allergic to it. Should I use sugar or maple? What to do recommend?
I’d probably try maple syrup, though you could use some white or brown sugar.
How much brown sugar can I use?
Maybe up to 1/4 cup? I haven’t testing this, so it’s just a guess!
The reason a couple people have mentioned needing more flour for this recipe is because the ratio of flour to liquid is way off. Similar recipes (see King Arthur Flour for instance) call for just 1 1/4 cups liquid for this amount of flour and oats. If you do the math for the baker’s ratio, you’ll see there is more than 100% hydration called for here (500 grams of liquid and 495 grams combined flour and oats), where most sandwich bread is more like 65%.
I also made this recipe and had to add a good deal more flour, and then more salt to go with the extra flour.
Also, I think 400 degrees is too high a baking temperature for an enriched dough. The King Arthur Flour recipe calls for 350 degrees for 40 minutes.