No knead oatmeal bread

Ingredients

To make this easy dutch oven oatmeal bread, all you need are a few basic ingredients.

For the full ingredient measurements, scroll down to view the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Luke warm water, the water should be warm, but not hot to the touch or it will kill the yeast. Around 110F (40C) is a good temperature. Just a little warmer than the body temperature. 
• Active dry yeast, make sure it is fresh and not expired, or the bread will not rise. 
• Honey, give the bread a lovely sweetness and also helps activate the yeast.
• Bread flour, use a good quality flour. I prefer to weigh the flour when I am baking, that will give the most accurate amount.
• Oats, rolled oats will give the best texture for this no knead honey oat bread recipe.
• Salt, this bread needs salt to bring out the flavours, regular table salt works great.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This no knead honey oat bread is really easy to make, just stir the dough together and follow along with the step-by-step photos below. 

For the full instructions see the recipe card at the bottom.

Why Bake Bread in a Dutch Oven

Baking the bread in a Dutch oven is one of the easiest ways to achieve bakery-quality bread at home. The Dutch oven traps steam inside the pot while the bread bakes. This steam helps the dough rise properly and creates a crispy golden crust while the interior is soft and fluffy. Achieve professional-looking homemade bread using this method.

No Dutch oven pot?

No problem, you can still bake this bread in two ways:

• Cast iron skillet, preheat the skillet and then place the bread on it. Cover the bread with an oven safe pyrex bowl, enamel, or ceramic bowl and bake as directed.
• Baking sheet, place the bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Throw in a small glass of water in the bottom of the oven (not on the bread) before closing the oven door. The steam will give the bread a crispier crust.

Substitutions and Variations

• Nuts – For a little crunch, add in some roughly chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans to your bread.
• Seeds – Top the bread with some crunchy seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
• Flour – For the fluffiest bread, I recommended using bread flour but all purpose flour also works well.
• Sweetener – The honey gives a lot of flavor and some sweetness to this honey oat bread. It can also be replaced with other liquid sweetener like maple syrup or agave, Normal caster sugar or brown sugar also works. These are all good vegan alternatives.

Serving Suggestions

Eat this honey oatmeal bread as is, or topped with one of the options below. It also makes excellent breakfast toast.

• Toasted with butter or jam, try this homemade Strawberry Chia Jam.
• Topped with avocado like this Avocado Toast with tomato.
• Spread with some nut butter, store bought or this homemade Pecan Almond Butter
• Served with soups like this Lentil and sweet potato soup or this Vegetable Rice Soup.
• Used for sandwiches topped with some Chickpea Salad.
• Served with hummus or a spread like this Zucchini dip or Pesto Hummus.

Baking Tips for Perfect Homemade Bread

If you’re new to baking bread, here are a few of my best tips:

• Measure the ingredients correctly – Using a kitchen scale will give the absolute best result. 
• Use warm water for the yeast – Water that is too hot can kill the yeast, while cold water slows fermentation, around 110F (40C) is the perfect temperature. Leave the yeast for about 5-10 minutes until foamy before adding the flour, oats and salt.
• Use bread flour – Bread flour contains more protein than all-purpose flour, which helps create a better structure and chewier texture. If you don’t have bread flour, all purpose lour will also work.
• The dough should be slightly sticky – Adding too much flour can make the bread dense. A sticky dough produces a lighter loaf.
• Give the dough enough time to rise – Leave the dough to rise in a warm and draft free place. The dough is ready when it has doubled in size and will spring back after lightly pushing down with your finger. 
• Preheating the Dutch oven – A hot Dutch oven creates steam and helps the bread rise quickly.
• Let the bread cool fully – Cutting bread when it is still piping hot with give you a compact and deflated slice of bread.

These tips will help you bake perfect no knead bread every time!

Storage

This bread tastes best fresh, the same day it is baked, like all breads! It can be stored for up to 4 days in a bread box, airtight container or plastic bag. I like to slice any leftovers before storing and then pop them in the toaster. 

This no knead oat artisan bread also freezes well. Use a freezer friendly plastic bag and try to remove as much air as possible before sealing the bag well. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let the bread defrost in room temperature before serving, or toast slices directly from frozen.

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