Sometimes I can’t believe the fun we get to have here! ย All the biscuits, all the cookies, and all in the name of work!ย Today we’re exploring a whole wheat bread recipe. Specifically, Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread! ย It’s the last in our 4-challenge King Arthur Flour Baking Bootcamp!
First we madeย Triple Berry Cinnamon Swirl Bread, a braided bread stuffed with loads of fresh berries, cinnamon and butter.
We madeย Apple Pie Biscuitsย with sweet fall apples and tender biscuit dough.
This Winter we made Gruyรจre and Green Olive Loaves, big salty, satisfying and cheesy loaves.
Now! ย Hearty loaves of honey, oat, and wheat!
These oatmeal studded loaves bake up light and golden! ย Perfect for slicing thick and topping with softened butter, ripe avocado, or fruity jam.
As we move through January, I find myself craving staples… simple foods that I can slather in butterย for warmth and comfort.
Here’s what we’re going to need for this whole wheat bread recipe:
1 โขย King Arthur Unbleached White Whole Wheatย Flour. ย A sweeter and more mild whole wheat flour. ย Perfect for adding whole wheat goodness without being too dense.
2 โข I use thisย King Arthur Flour Bench Knifeย just about everyday in my kitchen. Itโs perfect for scraping little dough bits from the countertopโฆ something a sponge just pitifully attacks. You might also use the bench knifeย to slice though the center of the rolled dough. Itโs sharp too! I love this tool!
3 โข Kitchen fashion is important to me.ย Hedley & Bennettย understands my needs for a functional, durable, totally chic apron. Not too frilly. I always want to be more badass than 50โs housewife-y in the kitchen.
4 โขย Lovely and durable kitchen towels for resting our dough from LoomedNOLA.
5 โข Havingย Colorful Mixing Bowlsย is the kitchen equivalent of having a great black dress in your closet. Necessary treat.
6 โขย Loaf pans for loaves of bread and pound cakes.
7 โขย Theseย wooden spoonsย just get better with time.
8 โข Is it normal to have a completely mismatched set ofย Measuring Cups, or should I just treat myself to a matching set like this? Donโt answer thatโฆ
9 โขย Theย Pyrex glass measuring cup. ย A forever kitchen classic.
10ย โขย Same goes for theย Measuring Spoonsโฆ itโs nice to have a full matching set.
Let’s get baking! ย We’re in this together. ย Here are some important details!
โขย Baking 101: The Difference Between Baking Floursย for all the nitty-gritty on bran and germ and protein content.
โข King Arthur Flourโsย Bakerโs Hotlineย is a fantastic resource for curious home bakers to discuss your fears, concerns and eventual successes. Give them a ring! Itโs magic. 1-855-371-2253
Our ingredients:
Oatmeal, brown sugar, honey, butter, salt, cinnamon, and yeast.
Two kinds of flour: ย white whole wheat and all-purpose flour for heartiness and balance.
Warm water to bring it all together.
The old-fashioned oatmeal goes into a large glass measuring cup.
Brown sugar along with the honey, butter, salt and cinnamon.
Warm water will help plump the oatmeal, dissolve the sugar and honey, and melt the butter.
Stir stir for cohesive flavors.
White Whole Wheat plus unbleached All-Purpose Flour.
The whole wheat flour adds a hearty and nutty texture to the bread. ย A lovely balance to the oats and honey.
Active dry yeast stirred into the flour. ย We’re going to need theย umph.
Stir the flour and yeast together to combine.
Wet ingredients meet dry. ย Oatmeal and all!
A wooden spoon to bring it all together.
The mixture will be fairly thick.
In the bowl, the dough will be rather shaggy.
We’re going to need some knead time.
Generously flour a clean work counter.
Transfer the shaggy dough to the floured counter.
I use the heel of my hand to knead the dough together.
Keep kneading into a smooth dough ball.
I like to clear any dough scraps off the counter, still keep the space covered in flour, and then continue kneading.
Knead and fold. ย The dough will become cohesive and smooth.
This little dough baby is ready to rest!
Into a large, lightly oiled bowl to rest and rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Look at that perfectly fluffy rise!
The risen dough is dumped back onto the floured counter and, using a bench knife, sliced in half. ย We’re making two loaves of bread!
Each half of dough is sprinkled lightly with flour and then it’s time for shaping.
Log-shaped. ย Loaf-shaped. ย Knead gently and fold under so any seams are on the underside.
Perfect for the loaf pan!
Just make sure the corners are tucked in and the dough is ready to rise again.
Simple loaves. ย Risen and light. ย Ready for the oven!
These loaves bake up perfectly hearty and pleasing. ย Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. ย The loaves need time to rest so the inside texture is just right. ย I like to serve this bread sliced thick, spread with salty softened butter, and either jam or cinnamon sugar.
Print
Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves 1x
- Category: bread
Description
Hearty and wholesome whole wheat loaves made with honey and oats.
Ingredients
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt or 2 1/2 teaspoons table salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon instant or active-dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
- 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, oats, brown sugar, honey, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Let cool to lukewarm, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the yeast and flours, stirring to form a rough dough. Knead (about 10 minutes by hand, 5 to 7 minutes by machine) until the dough is smooth and satiny.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour. Since the dough is warm to begin with (from the boiling water), it should become quite puffy.
- Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a loaf. Place the loaves in two greased 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ bread pans.
- Cover the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the loaves to rise until they’ve crowned about 1″ over the rim of the pan, about 60 to 90 minutes.
- Bake the loaves in a preheated 350ยฐF oven for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting them lightly with aluminum foil after 25 minutes, to prevent over-browning. Remove them from the oven when they’re golden brown, and the interior registers 190ยฐF on a digital thermometer.
- Turn the loaves out onto a rack to cool. Store at room temperature, well-wrapped, for several days; freeze for longer storage.
137 Responses
This has become my go-to homemade bread recipe. I have taken it in to work where it was an unexpected hit. It’s especially good as toast. As for the thread on when to add yeast, I follow the instructions as written and it has turned out well every time. Definitely a good recipe for beginning bread bakers.
Hello, I live in the UK where we canโt buy White whole wheat flour. I would need to mix it myself. What ratio of white to whole wheat flour mix would give the same results? Thank you ??