Very Little Bother Oat Bread

This simple oat bread recipe turns out moist, fluffy, and slightly chewy for the perfect sandwich or side to your bowl of soup. Slather it with butter and enjoy a slice hot out of the oven!

In our house, we like to eat homemade bread. It’s healthier than store-bought bread, made of real food ingredients, and it’s simply delicious!

However homemade bread takes time. Between work, family obligations, kids’ school activities, and household duties, who has the extra time to make bread from scratch?

I started making homemade oat flour quite some time ago. I often substitute a cup or two for all-purpose flour in muffin and cookie recipes without a huge impact on flavor. In fact, oat flour often keeps the baked goods from drying out so quickly!

This simple oat bread is the best combination of everything I’ve learned about bread baking and oat flour so far! It’s slightly sweet and chewy and my family gobbled down a whole loaf in one day!

EASY OAT BREAD RECIPE

Not only will your family devour this delicious oat bread recipe, but it’s also a great recipe to try because:

• Oat flour breads are full of fiber and minerals, which increases the nutrition of your homemade bread!
• It’s easy! Without complicated ingredients and techniques, this oat bread is perfect for beginning bread bakers. That’s why we call it “very little bother oat bread” – it doesn’t take much effort to whip up a loaf or two!
• Holds up well for slicing. This oat bread makes great sandwich bread or French toast.
• It’s just plain yummy! With a slightly sweet and nutty flavor, oat bread is perfect plain, with butter, or even for sandwiches.

OAT FLOUR BREADS INGREDIENTS

• Water**. See the note below if you’re using a different wheat flour – einkorn behaves a bit differently, so you’ll need to adjust the amounts of water and flour.
• Granulated sugar. I like coconut sugar. You can also substitute honey for honey oat bread.
• Yeast. We’ll use active dry yeast and proof it first before adding the rest of the ingredients.
• Oat flour. Here’s how to make homemade oat flour – it’s really easy! Old fashioned rolled oats or quick oats work best for making oat flour.
• All-purpose einkorn flour**. See the note below if you’re using a different wheat flour – einkorn behaves a bit differently, so you’ll need to adjust the amounts of water and flour.
• Vital wheat gluten. Oat flour breads turn out a bit denser and chewier, so adding vital wheat gluten helps the bread to turn out soft and tender.
• Salt. If you’re going to use salt, make sure it’s a good one like Ava Jane’s Kitchen that doesn’t have microplastics! You can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt right now (just pay shipping and handling!).
• Butter, soft or melted. A little bit of butter in the dough makes for a richer, melt-in-your-mouth bread.

**If you’re using modern wheat (whole wheat flour, bread flour, or all-purpose flour) you’ll need to increase the water, and you may also need additional flour to get the right consistency for your bread dough. See the recipe card below for specific amounts.

HOW TO MAKE OAT BREAD

Step 1. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, water, and sugar and let sit until foamy.

Step 2. Add salt, butter, oat flour, vital wheat gluten, and 3 cups of flour. Mix until a sticky dough forms. Gradually add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough is slightly sticky but thick, smooth, and elastic.

Step 3. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes, then punch down.

Step 4. Cover the bowl and let rise again for 30 minutes, then punch down.

Step 5. Preheat the oven. Split the dough and shape it into two loaves. Place the loaves seam side down into 2 lightly greased loaf pans. Cover the pans with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. You can sprinkle additional rolled oats on top of the oat bread before baking.

Step 6. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Allow to completely cool on a cooling rack before slicing (if you can!).

This oat bread recipe is best the day it’s baked, but it will keep for up to 3 days in a resealable bag or airtight container at room temperature, or you can store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

SERVE WITH HONEY OAT BREAD

This honey oat bread is delicious on its own spread with butter or for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

It’s also a great accompaniment to these:

You can also make a great batch of French toast with oat bread!

This oat bread recipe has a perfect slightly sweet and chewy texture that also inspired two more bread recipes – Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread and Maple Oatmeal Bread!

FAQS FOR BREAD RECIPES WITH OATS

MORE EASY BREAD RECIPES

Ready for more delicious bread? Try one of these easy homemade bread recipes: