Sweet Honey Oat Brown Bread

Name: Sweet Honey Oat Brown Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 180 min
Ingredients: 370 grams of bread flour (about 3 cups); 65 grams of oat flour (about 2/3 cup); 7 grams of instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons or 1 envelope); 1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder; 1 tablespoon of brown sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; 1 teaspoon of espresso powder (optional); 1 cup of water, warm (around 110 degrees); 1/3 cup of honey; 3 tablespoons of butter, softened; additional water (if necessary); 1 large egg; 1 tablespoon of honey; 1 teaspoon of water; 2 tablespoons of oats (optional)

June 17, 2024

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A great bread basket usually includes a few crusty baguettes, some soft white rolls and some brown bread and although I love all breads, there is something special about a great brown bread.

This sweet honey oat brown bread is fantastic. It has a chewy outer crust with a super soft and tender crumb inside. The flavors are earthy and grainy with just the right amount of sweetness. This bread is perfect for sandwiches, pairing with soups and of course a great bread basket to enjoy with Sunday dinner.

Let’s get started…

Something I really love about this bread is how easy it is to bring together. We are using instant yeast, so no need to bloom the yeast and if you have a stand mixer, there is no need to hand knead the dough either. Easy peasy.

Begin by gathering 370 grams of bread flour (about 3 cups), 65 grams of oat flour (about 2/3 cup), 2 1/4 teaspoons of instant yeast (a 7 gram envelope), 1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and an optional teaspoon of espresso powder, which I recommend adding to enhance the subtle cocoa flavor in this bread.

Add those ingredients into a large bowl or a stand mixer and give them a quick whisk to combine.

Now add 1 cup of warm water (around 110°) and 1/3 cup of honey and begin mixing on low with a dough hook.

Once everything comes together, increase the mixing speed to medium and knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough is elastic and has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.

Note: If mixing by hand, knead for about 8 minutes or until the dough feels slightly tacky and elastic.

If the dough feels too dry or stiff while kneading, add 1-2 tablespoons of additional warm water to help soften the dough enough to bring everything together. Sometimes I need to add the extra water, but not all the time, so start off with 1 cup and add more later, if necessary.

Once the dough comes together, add 3 tablespoons of softened butter and knead until completely incorporated. This should take another 2 minutes or so.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer it into a large lightly greased bowl. Flip the dough over a few times to ensure that all sides greased. This helps the dough be free to lift as much as it wants to during the proofing stage.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place for an hour or until the dough has doubled in volume. If your house is chilly, it make take the dough a little longer to rise.

Flip the proofed dough onto a lightly floured surface and press it out into a loose rectangle shape with your finger tips. Roll the rectangle into a cylinder, brushing any excess flour away and transfer the dough into a greased 8 1/2″ by 4 1/2″ loaf pan.

In a small bowl, whisk an egg with a tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of water and brush the top of the loaf. If you like the look of an oat topped loaf then sprinkle some oats over the egg wash.

Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place for an hour or until the dough has puffed up over the sides of the loaf pan.

This is what the loaf should look like before the second proof…

… and this is how much it grows during the second proof. This bread is so soft and tender inside and when you see how much it grows during both of the proofing stages, this will not be a surprise.

Bake the loaf in a 350 degree oven for around 45 minutes.

Note: Most ovens have hotter zones, so I always recommend rotating the loaf pan half way through the baking time to ensure that both sides get the same amount of heat. If you notice that your loaf is getting too browned on top towards the end of the baking time, fold a square of foil into a tent shape and set it over the loaf pan to prevent the top from getting too dark.

The bread is fully baked when the interior temperature reaches 190 degrees.

Once the bread is baked, transfer it out of the loaf pan and let it cool fully on a cooling rack.

I recommend using a serrated knife to slice into your sweet honey oat brown bread loaf. It is so wonderfully tender that the serrations help to cut through the crumb without squishing the loaf.

This bread is the best! The flavors are wonderful. The addition of cocoa powder and espresso powder help with both the color and the flavors of this brown bread. It definitely doesn’t taste like chocolate or coffee, but it is warm and subtly sweet, which makes for a truly comforting loaf of bread.

The texture of this loaf is just as wonderful as the flavors are. The honey egg wash creates a beautiful looking and nicely chewy feeling crust which protects the soft and tender interior perfectly.

My personal recommendation for enjoying your sweet honey oat brown bread is smothering a slice with sweet cream butter and giving it a tiny drizzle of honey. It is absolutely delicious and definitely one of my favorite types of bread.

I think it will be your favorite too…

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