Julie’s Rustic Honey Oat Bread Recipe

Posted on by Julie M. Watkins | Category: Recipes

Two freshly baked loaves of Julie's Rustic Honey Oat Bread cooling on a wire rack atop a warm wooden farmhouse kitchen table.

Let’s be honest: this isn’t a 100% whole grain brick of health-food store bread. This is a classic, comforting Rustic Honey Oat Bread that finds the perfect balance between artisan baking and real, clean ingredients.

While it uses white flour to keep the texture light, soft, and easy to knead, it is packed with a hearty foundation of real whole-grain oats and raw wheat flour.
 
More importantly, it contains absolutely zero chemical dough conditioners, zero shelf-life preservatives, and no high-fructose corn syrup. It is pure, simple, real food that keeps your wallet full and your body fueled. At just 139 calories and 161 mg of sodium per slice, it is the perfect artisan staple to layer into your daily food blueprints. Just cut it into slices and freeze the sliced loaves, thawing only what you want when you want it.

Julie's Rustic Honey Oat Bread

Print Recipe
Servings: 32 Slices
Calories: 139
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Packets Active dry yeast
  • 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 tsp Raw sugar
  • 1 1/4 Cups Warm water (115 degrees)
  • 1 Cup Old fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 Cups Boiling water
  • 1/4 Cup Pure honey
  • 1/4 Cup Pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp Fine sea salt
  • 6 Tbsp Real butter
  • 4 to 5 Cups Unbleached white flour (measure into separate bowl)

Method
 

  1. Prep the Oats and Activation Base
    Place 1 cup of oats into a small pot or heat-safe container. Pour 2 cups of boiling water completely over them, stirring once to submerge. Set aside to cool until the temperature drops below 115°F.
    While the oats cool, stir together the yeast packets, 1 cup of wheat flour, 1 teaspoon of raw sugar, and 1 ¼ cups of warm water in a large mixing bowl. Let stand while oats cool. The volume should expand and the surface should look frothy and active.
  2. Build and Knead the Dough
    Pour the cooled oat mixture directly into your active yeast bowl. Add the honey, maple syrup, salt, butter, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, and 2 cups of white flour. Stir until a cohesive, sticky dough forms. Gradually turn in up to 1 additional cup of white flour until the dough holds together. It should remain quite sticky and wet.
    Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead for 10–15 minutes, working in more white flour (up to 1 cup) as needed. The finished loaf should remain slightly tacky to the touch.
  3. The Rises and Bake
    Place the kneaded ball into a large, well-greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let rise in a warm room for 1–2 hours until completely doubled in size.
    Punch the risen dough down. Turn it back out onto your workspace board and slice it perfectly in half with a knife.
    Shape each half into a loaf form and tuck them into two separate, well-greased 9-inch bread baking pans.
    Let the loaves rise a second time for roughly 45 minutes, or until the dough dome crests about 2 inches over the top lips of the pans.
    While dough is rising, preheat your oven to 350°F.
    Bake loaves for 30–40 minutes until the top crust glows a deep golden brown.
    Remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Notes

Homemade Honey Oat Bread Nutritional Breakdown
 
Per Individual Slice (1 of 32 total slices excluding)
  • Calories: 139 kcal
  • Protein: 3.3 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 25.9 g
  • Healthy Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g
  • Total Fat: 2.6 g
  • Natural Calcium: 8.1 mg
  • Total Sodium: 161 mg