Oat Bread Recipe (Amish Oatmeal Bread with Honey)

This Amish Oat Bread recipe makes three soft, hearty loaves sweetened naturally with honey and packed with wholesome oats. With simple ingredients and easy step-by-step instructions, you'll have golden, tender honey oatmeal bread that's perfect for sandwiches, toast, or fresh-from-the-oven slices with butter or Amish peanut butter.

The oats add a subtle nutty flavor and hearty texture, while the honey brings just the right touch of sweetness. Whether you're baking for your family's weekly bread supply or simply craving homemade bread, this Amish-style oat bread is a dependable, comforting classic.

Why You'll Love This Amish Oatmeal Bread Recipe

• Soft yet hearty - Tender enough for sandwiches, sturdy enough for toast.
• Lightly sweetened with honey - Just the right touch of natural sweetness.
• Makes three loaves - Great for families or stocking the freezer.
• Simple pantry ingredients - No complicated steps.
• Reliable yeast bread - A dependable, beginner-friendly homemade bread recipe.

Ingredients

1. Quick Oats provide a hearty texture and enhance the nutritional profile with whole grains.
2. Boiling Water plays a role in activating the oats, creating a softer texture.
3. Honey adds natural sweetness, providing a delightful flavor that complements the hearty oats. (If desired, honey can be replaced with molasses or maple syrup.)
4. Milk contributes richness and moisture, resulting in a tender crumb, while also enhancing the overall nutritional value. (For dairy intolerance, replace it with almond milk.)
5. Canola or Vegetable Oil adds moisture, tenderness, and a subtle richness. It also aids in the overall softness of the loaf. (If desired, you can substitute the oil with melted butter or light-tasting olive oil.)
6. Egg Yolk adds moisture, tenderness, and richness to the texture, while also contributing to a golden-brown crust. Adding an egg yolk is optional. However, its fat content contributes to the moisture of the bread, making it softer and more tender.
7. Active Dry Yeast Dissolved in Warm Water acts as the leavening agent, helping the bread rise and develop a light, airy texture. "Dissolving yeast in warm water" is crucial for activating the yeast properly.
8. Bread Flour provides the necessary structure for the bread. (You can use all-purpose flour or substitute some of the bread flour with whole wheat flour. However, white bread flour yields the best results.)
9. Salt balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor profile, creating a well-rounded taste.

How to Make Oat Bread (Amish Honey Oat Bread)

This recipe for hearty oatmeal bread can be made with a large mixer using a dough hook attachment, or you can knead it by hand.

1. Activate Oats:
   • In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), pour the boiling water over the quick oats. Let them sit for approximately ten minutes, allowing the oats to absorb the water and soften, while also giving it time to cool.
2. Dissolve Yeast:
   • In a separate bowl, dissolve the active dry yeast in warm water. Let it sit for a few minutes until it's frothy, showing that the yeast is activated and ready to work its magic.
3. Sweeten It Up:
   • Add honey to the warm softened oats, stirring well to incorporate sweetness. Add the milk, oil, and egg yolk, and mix to combine.
4. Mix Yeast In:
   • Add the activated yeast mixture to the warm oat mixture (make sure it's not hot). Add the salt and approximately 5 cups of the bread flour, then mix until a dough forms.
5. Knead and Rise:
   • Knead the dough with your mixer on speed 2 for several minutes, adding more flour as needed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and elastic.
   • By hand, knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface for about 8 - 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
   • Place the bread dough into a greased bowl, cover it with a light cloth, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
6. Shape and Second Rise:
   • Punch down the risen dough and divide it into three even-sized pieces. With buttered hands, roll each piece of dough into a loaf shape, tucking in the ends, then place them into greased loaf pans. (If desired, you can line the pans with parchment paper.)
   • Lightly cover the pans with a kitchen towel, set them in a warm place (room temperature), and let the dough rise again until it reaches the top of the pan.
7. Bake to Perfection:
   • Preheat your oven, then bake the bread until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches around 195°F. (Insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the loaf.)
   • Thirty-five minutes is perfect in my oven, but there is a difference in ovens and pans, so you'll have to figure out what is the right amount of time for your loaves. Thinner pans require less baking time.
   • Brush the tops of the bread with butter, and let it rest in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing.
8. Cool and Enjoy:
   • Cool the bread on a wire rack. Once cooled, slice, and enjoy your homemade nutty oat bread - perfect for sandwiches or as a delightful side!
     • (Honestly, my bread never waits to get sliced till it's cool, because it's never better than fresh and warm out of the oven. Lay a warm loaf of bread on its side and carefully slice a few pieces, using a sharp bread knife with a sawing motion. Enjoy it slathered with butter and honey. So yummy!)

Storage

Some people will tell you to completely cool your homemade bread before bagging it. However, I do not wait until it is completely cool. I bag my bread when it's still slightly warm because it helps to keep more moisture in, and the bread won't dry out as quickly.

Place whatever you won't get eaten within three or four days into the freezer. Homemade bread is best fresh. But it does tend to dry out and get moldy sooner than commercial bread because it doesn't contain preservatives.

Freezing it, however, helps to keep it fresh. Just remove it from the freezer an hour or so before you want to slice it.

It might take a while to eat three loaves of bread if you're living by yourself. You can slice the bread and wrap a few pieces in separate portions. Make sure though, that you wrap it tightly in freezer bags or containers. I find that bread freezes better as a whole loaf versus sliced. But if properly stored it will still be fine.

Refrigerating your bread is another option to lengthen the shelf life.

Homemade Bread

Amish women are known for their delicious homemade breads and baked goods. My Amish mom baked at least five loaves of bread every week, and it was on the table with almost every meal.

The most common kind was regular homemade white bread. Sometimes we also had honey wheat bread, quick dinner rolls, or oat bread.

Store-bought commercial bread doesn't even come close to comparing with homemade bread, especially when it's fresh out of the oven. So I challenge you, if you've never tried homemade fresh bread before, do yourself a favor and make some.

Amish Bread Recipes

There are many different kinds of bread, and I love all of them. Bread is simply an amazing creation, whether it's fresh homemade yeast bread, French bread, croissants, quick bread, etc. There are too many delicious breads 🙂 .

Yeast breads are typically used for sandwiches and toast. (Homemade white yeast bread, Cinnamon Swirl Bread, and Iced Raisin Bread make the very best pieces of breakfast toast. While japlapeno cheese bread makes the best egg sandwiches.)

Some of my favorite quick breads are banana bread, pumpkin bread, cinnamon friendship bread, and apple bread. These sweet quick breads are delightful with a morning cup of coffee or tea.

In many Amish homes, bread baking is simply part of the weekly routine. Homemade bread is a staple, and this soft oat bread is one of those dependable recipes that fills the house with warmth and keeps everyone coming back for another slice.

If you try this Amish recipe for honey oat bread, I would love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you and Happy Baking!

Check out my YouTube channel at My Amish Heritage

Visit my shop to purchase my cookbook