This easy sourdough honey oat bread recipe makes the perfect sandwich bread! Instructions for added yeast included.
Bread is my love language.
I love making it.
I love gifting it,
And I love eating it.
There are more bread recipes out there than you can shake a stick at.
In case y’all aren’t from the South, that means there’s LOTS of them…
And since I’ve never met a recipe that I didn’t want to fiddle with, I’m always coming up new stuff to try out.
Some are winners and some are epic flops! But it’s so much fun to play in the kitchen!
This Sourdough Honey Oat Bread is definitely one of the winners! It’s a great sandwich bread that has a lovely soft crumb but it’s still substantial enough for a sandwich.
I love this type of bread for grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. I usually make it the day before I’m going to use it.
But one time I went to make it and I realized my yeast hadn’t come in yet and I was out.
I order bulk yeast online.
So I decided to play a little and make it a sourdough recipe.
And it was perfect for those sandwiches. It’s also great for toast. And it’s really amazing for French toast!
I haven’t gotten around to using it for bread pudding yet, but it’s close to the top if the list.
Don’t have a sourdough starter yet? Learn how to make your own sourdough starter here.
Recipe Notes
This recipe calls for rolled oats and not instant oatmeal. The instant won’t give you the same texture as the rolled oats.
If you want to add whole wheat flour, you can sub out up to 1 cup without having to adjust the liquid.
Make sure you are using recently fed starter that is active.
I know that all y’all don’t always have time to let the sourdough starter do it’s thing with the long rises, so I’ve also added yeast as an optional ingredient for shorter rise times.
It still has a little bit of tang from the sourdough and some of the health benefits, just not as much as a full on sourdough only bread.
I am not now, nor will I ever be, the sourdough police.
Yeast often gets added to my sourdough breads when I’ve not got all day to wait.
So feel free to do the same!
Ready to go?
Grab an apron and let’s make us some Sourdough Honey Oat Bread!
Sourdough Honey Oat Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water, divided
- 3 Tablespoons butter + more to melt and brush on top
- 1/3 cup honey (mild in flavor)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 cups sourdough starter (fed and active)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast OR 2 packages (optional)
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt
- 3 to 4 cups all purpose flour or bread flour
Instructions
Put one cup of water in a small saucepan and heat to boiling.
Remove from heat and add honey and butter. Stir to dissolve.
Then stir in rolled oats. Just like making oat porridge. Set aside to cool slightly.
Pour the sourdough starter into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the remaining water and stir till thoroughly mixed.
If you are mixing by hand, I highly recommend a Danish Dough Whisk. These are also called Danish dough hooks and work much better than a spoon for mixing bread doughs.
Add the egg, the honey and cooked oats mixture, the salt, the yeast (if using), and 2 cups of flour. Mix well.
Add the remaining flour a little at a time until you’ve got a soft dough.
Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
Or attach the dough hook and knead in the stand mixer for 8 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning to oil the top.
You can use butter, coconut oil, or olive oil to grease your bowl.
Cover with a damp bread cloth or plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise till doubled. Yeast added method, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Sourdough only method, 4 to 6 hours.
Butter 2 bread pans. Or you can use a banneton or 2 depending on how big they are. Make sure the banneton baskets or liners are well floured.
These are the banneton proofing baskets I like to use for sandwich loaves.
Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a slightly floured surface. Using a bench knife, or other sharp knife, divide the dough in half.
Form each half into a loaf. Place seam side down in the loaf pans, or seam side up in the bannetons.
Cover again and let it rise again until doubled. Yeast method, 45 minutes to and hour. Sourdough only method, 1 to 3 hours.
About 20 minutes before your honey oat sourdough bread is ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F.
If you used bannetons, turn the loaves out onto a baking sheet that has been greased or covered with parchment paper.
Right before baking, brush melted butter on the top of the loaves.
If you want to sprinkle the loaves with a little bit of rolled oats, use an egg wash instead of butter so the oats stick.
An egg wash is one egg beaten with 1 Tbsp of water.
With a sharp knife or bakers lame, make a slash down the center of the loaf lengthwise.
Now, pop those sandwich loaves in the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned.
Remove from the pans. If the crust is not as dark as you would like, you can return them to the oven for about 5 more minutes.
If you have any remaining melted butter, brush that on the top of your loaf now.
Put on a wire cooling rack to cool off.
Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
This sourdough oatmeal bread recipe makes a great all around sandwich loaf. You can also use the dough to make dinner rolls, or make a large boule to bake in a Dutch oven.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sourdough Honey Oat Bread
This bread should last for about a week on your counter. If it’s really humid it won’t last as long. It was last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Yes! Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and put into a zip lock freezer bag. Then pop it into the freezer for 3 to 5 months. Allow to thaw on the counter top.
Yes you can. But you’ll get a little softer bread without as much structure.
You can replace up to 1 cup of white flour with whole wheat flour.
Indeed you can! After shaping the bread, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put in a zip top freezer bag. Freeze the dough for 3 to 5 months. To bake, unwrap the dough and place in bread pans or heavily floured bannetons. Allow to thaw and then rise to double size before baking.
More sourdough recipes you should try:
Sourdough Honey Oat Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water divided
- 3 Tablespoons butter + more to melt and brush on top
- 1/3 cup honey mild in flavor
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 cups sourdough starter fed and active
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast OR 2 packages optional
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt
- 3 to 4 cups all purpose flour or bread flour
Instructions
- Put one cup of water in a small saucepan and heat to boiling.
- Remove from heat and add honey and butter. Stir to dissolve.
- Then stir in rolled oats. Just like making porridge. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Pour the sourdough starter into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the remaining water and stir till thoroughly mixed.
- Add the egg, the honey and cooked oats mixture, the salt, the yeast (if using), and 2 cups of flour. Mix well.
- Add the remaining flour a little at a time until you’ve got a soft dough.
- Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
- Or attach the dough hook and knead in the stand mixer for 8 minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning to oil the top.
- You can use butter, coconut oil, or olive oil to grease your bowl.
- Cover with a damp bread cloth or plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise till doubled. Yeast added method, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Sourdough only method, 4 to 6 hours.
- Butter 2 bread pans. Or you can use a banneton or 2 depending on how big they are. Make sure the banneton baskets or liners are well floured.
- Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a slightly floured surface. Using a bench knife, or other sharp knife, divide the dough in half.
- Form each half into a loaf. Place seam side down in the loaf pans, or seam side up in the bannetons.
- Cover again and let it rise again until doubled. Yeast method, 45 minutes to and hour. Sourdough only method, 1 to 3 hours.
- About 20 minutes before your honey oat sourdough bread is ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F.
- If you used bannetons, turn the loaves out onto a greased or parchment covered baking sheet.
- Right before baking, brush melted butter on the top of the loaves. You can sprinkle them with a little bit of rolled oats if you want to be a little fancy.
- With a sharp knife or bakers lame, make a slash down the center of the loaf lengthwise.
- Now, pop those sandwich loaves in the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Remove from the pans. If the crust is not as dark as you would like, you can return them to the oven for about 5 more minutes.
- If you have any remaining melted butter, brush that on the top of your loaf now.
- Put on a wire cooling rack to cool off.
- Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
I have made alot of bread recipes, but this recipe Excels! I love it! my bread raised really high was firm yet soft. Very easy to cut! my new go too! Now i followed with sourdough starter and yeast and only change was that i added 1/2 cup of oat bran and 1/2 of the oatmeal. So pleased! Thank you!
Hi Vickie!
I am so very glad that you love the recipe! You are very welcome.
Cery