Sometimes I can’t believe the fun we get to have here! All the biscuits, all the cookies, and all in the name of work! Today we’re exploring a whole wheat bread recipe. Specifically, Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread! It’s the last in our 4-challenge King Arthur Flour Baking Bootcamp!
First we made Triple Berry Cinnamon Swirl Bread, a braided bread stuffed with loads of fresh berries, cinnamon and butter.
We made Apple Pie Biscuits with sweet fall apples and tender biscuit dough.
This Winter we made Gruyère and Green Olive Loaves, big salty, satisfying and cheesy loaves.
Now! Hearty loaves of honey, oat, and wheat!
These oatmeal studded loaves bake up light and golden! 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 butter for warmth and comfort.
Here’s what we’re going to need for this whole wheat bread recipe:
1 • King Arthur Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour. A sweeter and more mild whole wheat flour. Perfect for adding whole wheat goodness without being too dense.
2 • I use this King Arthur Flour Bench Knife just about everyday in my kitchen. It’s perfect for scraping little dough bits from the countertop… something a sponge just pitifully attacks. You might also use the bench knife to slice though the center of the rolled dough. It’s sharp too! I love this tool!
3 • Kitchen fashion is important to me. Hedley & Bennett understands my needs for a functional, durable, totally chic apron. Not too frilly. I always want to be more badass than 50’s housewife-y in the kitchen.
4 • Lovely and durable kitchen towels for resting our dough from LoomedNOLA.
5 • Having Colorful Mixing Bowls is the kitchen equivalent of having a great black dress in your closet. Necessary treat.
6 • Loaf pans for loaves of bread and pound cakes.
7 • These wooden spoons just get better with time.
8 • Is it normal to have a completely mismatched set of Measuring Cups, or should I just treat myself to a matching set like this? Don’t answer that…
9 • The Pyrex glass measuring cup. A forever kitchen classic.
10 • Same goes for the Measuring Spoons… it’s nice to have a full matching set.
Let’s get baking! We’re in this together. Here are some important details!
• Baking 101: The Difference Between Baking Flours for all the nitty-gritty on bran and germ and protein content.
• King Arthur Flour’s Baker’s Hotline is a fantastic resource for curious home bakers to discuss your fears, concerns and eventual successes. Give them a ring! It’s magic. 1-855-371-2253
Our ingredients:
Oatmeal, brown sugar, honey, butter, salt, cinnamon, and yeast.
Two kinds of flour: 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. A lovely balance to the oats and honey.
Active dry yeast stirred into the flour. We’re going to need the umph.
Stir the flour and yeast together to combine.
Wet ingredients meet dry. 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. 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. 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. Loaf-shaped. 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. Risen and light. Ready for the oven!
These loaves bake up perfectly hearty and pleasing. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. The loaves need time to rest so the inside texture is just right. 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 350°F 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 190°F 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.
Emily
I only have regular whole wheat flour (It’s not the white whole wheat) is it still okay to use? Thanks.
Jamie
I really hope that was a technical glitch and not an intentional effort on your part. After receiving the same post on Oatmeal Bread for weeks on end, I asked, via (private) email to be removed from all JoytheBaker Posts to help stop the Oatmeal Bread loop. I looked for an Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the correspondence I had access to but found no such link. Fairly common I thought but I couldn’t find it in on the pages I had. Last night, I received 27 emails in my Inbox with Unsubscribe links in them.
I do not know what to think here. I really don’t Technical difficulties or malicious intent? I am really praying for the former, truly. I have hit the Unsubscribe link, let us hope with that and this reply, the technical problems are resolved. Best of luck.
joythebaker
Malicious intent? Never. You’ve received the same Oatmeal Bread post for weeks on end? From Joy the Baker? Must certainly be a technical glitch. I believe I wrote you back yesterday (or the day before?) about the unsubscribe button at the bottom of any newsletter email, but let me look into why you might be receiving so many email. I can totally understand your frustration and I’m sorry!
Jane Goodman
I’ve also received several comments from Joy the Baker. They all began with Joy’s original post, but we’re generated because individuals participating in the contest had just tried the recipe, we’re about to or needed advice. No harm. No foul.
Kelsey
I only want to make one loaf of bread as I only have 1 pan; I’m assuming I can just halve the ingredients? I only ask because you’re recipe says one tablespoon of yeast, and half of that is 1.5 teaspoons, but every bread recipe I’ve ever made requires one full envelope of yeast which measures to 2 1/4 teaspoons. Please let me know, Thanks!
joythebaker
Hi Kelsey! I would say that you could halve the recipe but use 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast.
Blissmamaof3
I made this yesterday and now my dogs have the world’s biggest dog biscuit :( After spending time online and talking to the KAF baker’s hotline, my problems are solved! There are three gorgeous loaves cooling on my counter right now, cannot wait for breakfast! Thank you for this bootcamp ????
Nicole B.
Ooooooh Joy, this bread looks delicious! I will definitely be making it this weekend! When is the deadline for this challenge?? I don’t see it posted on here…
Erin M.
This is baking in my oven right now! My house smells so good!!
Donna at NothingChocolate
Hey, your site has really changed! Wow! Since when? I am in love with the idea of MORE images and your images are GREAT so keep ’em coming!
And Bread Lovin’ once again. Must get into more healthy bread baking. Nice.
Phillip || SouthernFATTY.com
Classic honey oatmeal sounds so great. So many different things you could add in to this base for variations.
Kim
I have submitted a pic, does my IG account need to be public?
Rebecca @ DisplacedHousewife
I just made this and it’s delicious. Just delicious. Futzed around with the recipe a hair and jammed some goodies in the middle. Will definitely make again and I highly recommend. Super easy to make.
Nicole Barreiro
Joy! When is this bootcamp deadline?! I’ve got to schedule my baking and photography sessions around school and work :( Which is yucky but when I have the time to bake it feels like such a reward. And an excellent stress reliever!
Jana H.
Yes, yes, yes. This is sooooo gonna happen in my kitchen this weekend.
Andrea Chapman
Can I make this without a loaf pan? Its the only thing I don’t have!
Emily
Could you use Whole Wheat Pastry Flour for this? I happen to have a whole bag that I don’t know what to do with
Tammy
Making this bread right now, but dying to know where you got that beautiful watch from?!?!