Honey

Honey Oat Whole Wheat Loaf

January  2, 2015
5
2 Ratings
Photo by Erin McDowell
  • Makes one 9-inch loaf
Author Notes

A versatile, chewy, nutty whole wheat loaf. Perfect for sandwiches all year round. —Erin Jeanne McDowell

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup (4 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (31 /4 ounces) oats, plus more for finishing
  • 2 teaspoons (8 grams) salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 cups (9 1/2 ounces) warm water
  • 1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey
  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
Directions
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flours, oats, salt, and yeast to combine. Add the water, honey, and butter and mix on low speed until the mixture forms a ball around the hook. (This can also be done by hand in a large bowl using a wooden spoon).
  2. Raise speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5 minutes more. (This can also be done by hand on a clean surface for 10 to 12 minutes).
  3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased medium bowl and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
  4. Shape the dough into an oblong shape by pressing it out into a rectangle about 1-inch thick, then folding it over onto itself to expel excess air. Seal the final fold using the heel of your hand, then gently roll into an oblong loaf. Place the dough, seal side down, into a lightly greased 9-inch loaf pan.
  5. Let the dough rise inside the pan until nearly double in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Brush the surface with water and sprinkle with more oats.
  6. Bake the loaf until golden brown and crusty (and until the internal temperature reads about 195° F), 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Sarah Marx
    Sarah Marx
  • citlalnahuac
    citlalnahuac
  • Gail 🐝
    Gail 🐝
  • LauritaQ
    LauritaQ
  • Susan Martin
    Susan Martin
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!

26 Reviews

YazzleDazzle August 5, 2023
Question: in general and in this recipe is it okay to use a glass loaf pan? I’ve heard you should decrease oven temp by 25 degrees and increase bake time by ten mins. Any thoughts on this? Thank you!
 
theeema November 17, 2020
This loaf came out so delicious! I made the following changes: All 80% whole wheat flour, coconut oil instead of butter. Silan (date syrup) instead of honey. This recipe is a winner. This bread has a great consistency. Thanks so much for this winning recipe!
 
CanadaDan January 9, 2016
great recipe! substituted olive oil for butter and maple syrup for honey and came out really nice, not too dense and not dry at all. only took 45 minutes in for 375 oven. really easy and quick recipe that will now be a staple in my house...thanks so much
 
mick November 9, 2015
I made this bread in this morning. I let it rise overnight in the frige for the first rising. Took two hours for the second rising. Turn out beautiful. Thanks for the nice recipe. I will make it again soon.
 
Laura I. January 31, 2015
Great recipe! I substituted the honey for organic maple syrup and the white flour for organic spelt flour. Absolutely delicious!
 
Sarah M. January 19, 2015
This is a great recipe! Just made it with a few substitutions: I used 2 c of whole wheat flour and 1 c of white whole wheat. I ended up having to add about 1/3 c more white whole wheat during kneading (with a mixer) to get the dough to the desired consistency. I replaced 1/4 c of the water with orange juice to combat the potential bitterness of the whole wheat and subbed 4 tbs of coconut oil for the butter to make it dairy-free. Turned out light and fluffy with a nutty flavor. Thanks!
 
Sarah J. February 21, 2016
I am impressed by your substitutions!
 
citlalnahuac January 19, 2015
The loaf I made in my bread machine was fine, and the half-loaf of that that I froze and just thawed out yesterday is still fine. I did have to add a little extra water, but that was my only adjustment.
 
Gail 🐝. January 19, 2015
Hi
Has anyone tried to freeze this bread. Is it good for the freezer.
Thank you
 
Gail 🐝. January 19, 2015
Hi
The pre heating of the oven is separate from the rising of the dough in number 3.
To rise the dough, sit the dough a bowl in warm area of the room with tea towel or cling film over. For 1 1/2 to 2 hrs.
 
BR95510 January 11, 2015
Some people weigh their measurements of flour, water, etc. I'm guess that a 1/4 cup of honey actually weighs 3 oz? But why pre-heat the oven for an entire 1 1/2 to 2 hours? That seems like a waste of energy.
 
Scott January 11, 2015
Also, water says 1.25 cups (10 oz) or 9.5 oz. which is it?
 
GLP January 11, 2015
I do love crusty whole wheat bread and this was a great article, but I have two questions: what is the % of ww flour needed to call a loaf ww? and what is the least amount of honey to use that will still taste yummy? (I gave up added sugar 2 months ago and I try to minimize the amount I use no matter what I am making...) Thanks!
 
Scott January 11, 2015
1/4 cup or 3oz of honey? Which is it?
 
Erin J. January 14, 2015
Hi Scott, all of these recipes in this series include a weight and a volume measurement. Weight is the most accurate method for scaling these recipes, but they've all been tested using the volume measurements too - so just use whatever is best for you!
 
Barbara January 11, 2015
Can I use white whole wheat ( King Arthur ) in this recipe?
 
Nancy January 12, 2015
I used King Arthur wheat flour with a mix of King Arthur White. I never thought about the white whole wheat, but experiment to see if it works for that's the fun of baking. My bread turned out very tasty and wholesome. I made this bread using my Cuisinart mixer. I had to add about 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white flour during the process of kneading with my mixer and it came out wonderful! I have an oatmeal bread using only white flour, although, I must say this recipe is more flavorful. I hope this helps answer your question.
 
Erin J. January 14, 2015
Barbara - I think the white whole wheat should be fine. Let me know if you try - my only concern is that the dough may need a little extra flour, which you could tell easily if it's a little too "tacky" after mixing.
 
citlalnahuac January 10, 2015
I have become disatisfied with the honey-oat-ww recipe I've been using (volume measurements, and therefore inconsistent), so will be trying this in my bread machine tomorrow. When using ww flour, I usually stop the machine after the first rise, and then restart it, thereby getting three rises. (My machine could be programed for three rises, but this works and I'm too lazy to figure out programming.) I'll let you know...
 
Erin J. January 14, 2015
Can't wait to hear how it turns out!
 
LauritaQ January 10, 2015
I have the same question - can this be made in a bread machine?
 
Erin J. January 14, 2015
Laurita, I don't have a bread machine, but take a look at Betsy's super helpful comments below!
 
Susan M. January 10, 2015
I was wondering the same thing. But make it totally in the bread machine.....
 
Erin J. January 14, 2015
Susan - I don't have a bread machine, but Betsy's comments below are super helpful!
 
Betsy S. January 10, 2015
Can I make this dough in my bread machine on the dough cycle & then shape & bake It in the oven??
 
Betsy S. January 11, 2015
I mad this bread today on the "dough" cycle of my bread machine. I added 1T. gluten. It rose very high at 1 hr. in the bread pan. I baked it at 375 for 30 minutes. It looks gorgeous. I brushed it with water, as specified, and sprinkled with oats. After baking, the oats did not stick well. Next time I will use an egg glaze with the oats. Scott: I used 1-1/4 C. water and 1/4 C. honey.