The process of making homemade yeasted bread can be fussy and complicated, but this no-knead honey oat bread recipe is straightforward and simple AND delivers delicious, flavorful results. Most of the “work” is completely hands off as the dough rises. If youโre new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Can you make a good thing… better? Originally published in 2013, this deliciously chewy no-knead bread is EASY to make. But over the years, I’ve added clearer instructions which are extremely useful for a bread beginner. I also made some small improvements to the recipe including reducing the honey and cinnamon, plus adding a little more yeast to achieve a better rise. I also updated the photos and added plenty of step photos, too.
So, to answer the question… when it comes to the original version of today’s bread recipe… yes!
Tell Me About This No-Knead Honey Oat Bread
- Texture: This dough is very hydrated, so expect a chewy, soft, and spongey baked bread. And by spongey, I don’t mean damp nor gummy. Rather, if you squish a slice, it will mostly spring back into shape. The crust is a little crisp when the bread comes out of the oven, but it softens over time.
- Flavor: Honey and oats provide most of the flavor while cinnamon adds a little something extra. You’ll notice the cinnamon is there, but it doesn’t overpower the other delicate flavors. This is a sweeter bread, so I wouldn’t serve it to soak up your savory tomato sauce (but honestly, it would still probably taste great that way!).
- Ease: Like my artisan bread, this is a very easy bread recipe and perfect for bread beginners because there’s hardly any hands-on work required. You don’t need a mixer, there’s no dough starter, no complicated shaping, and the dough doesn’t require kneading. In fact, the less you handle the dough, the betterโthe bread wants you to do less work. Set aside enough time to let the dough rise, at least 12 hours (or overnight) for the 1st rise and 1 hour for the 2nd.
- Serving: There are many ways you can serve this bread and my favorite is toasted with honey butter and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt. It’s hearty, so it’s the perfect bed for your avocado toast or dipper for soft/runny eggs. It also makes one heck of a pb&j and tastes phenomenal as a slightly sweet grilled cheese sandwich.
In a rush to start? You can find the full printable recipe below. If you have more time, the following headnotes will help you grasp a better understanding of the recipe before you begin.
Best Ingredients to Use for Honey Oat Bread
This is an egg free baking recipe and dairy free recipe.
- Bread Flour: For the chewiest and sturdiest no-knead honey oat bread, I recommend bread flour and I love using King Arthur brand (not sponsoredโjust a genuine fan of their flours). All-purpose flour definitely works, but you get a sturdier and more bread-like texture from bread flour. I love using whole wheat flour when I can, but this dough is not fit for all whole wheat flour. Over the years, I’ve found that replacing up to 1 cup (around 130g) of the bread flour with whole wheat flour works very well. The bread is a bit more dense, but has great flavor.
- Oats: Oats make up some of the dry ingredients in this dough. As the dough rises, the oats soak up some moisture and expand. You’ll love the extra texture they bring to the finished loaf! Whole oats are best, but you can use quick oats if that’s all you have.
- Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast, but I highly recommend an instant (aka โrapid riseโ or โquick riseโ yeast). The bread will rise faster. I usually use Platinum Yeast by Red Star, which is an instant yeast. 1 and 1/2 teaspoons is a little less than 1 standard packet. If using active dry yeast, there are no changes needed to the recipe. The rise time in step 5 may take longer.
- Salt: You can use regular fine table salt in this dough. If using kosher salt, no need to switch the amount. If you want to use a coarse sea salt, I would increase the amount to 1 and 3/4 teaspoons.
- Cinnamon: I do not recommend skipping the cinnamon. Again, you’ll note that it’s there but the bread is not necessarily cinnamon flavored. Without it, the bread tastes like denser white sandwich bread.
- Water: I normally encourage you to use warm liquid with yeast because warm liquid helps the yeast work faster. However, use cool or room temperature water here because you want a longer rise to help establish better flavor. 70ยฐF (21ยฐC) is great, but the exact temperature doesnโt matter as long as itโs not hot or warm. The cooler the water, the longer the dough takes to rise and, usually, the better the breadโs flavor.
- Honey: Honey adds flavor and helps give the bread the springy, sponge-like texture. I do not recommend any substitutions, but if you’re looking for a less sweet bread, I recommend the following recipes: multigrain bread, sandwich bread, homemade bread, cranberry nut no-knead bread, no-knead jalapeรฑo cheddar bread, no-knead seeded oat bread, asiago-crusted skillet bread, ciabatta bread, or olive bread.
- Oil: 2 Tablespoons of fat gives the bread flavor and richness. I recommend vegetable oil or a neutral-tasting olive oil. You can use melted butter if you’d like, but keep in mind this dough sits out for 12-18 hours. (Shouldn’t be an issue, but keep that in mind.) Melted and slightly cooled coconut oil works, but taste testers preferred the flavor and texture of the bread made with vegetable or olive oil instead.
Step-by-Step Photos: No Knead Honey Oat Bread
Though this is a very hands-off recipe, let me show you a few process photos so you have a solid understanding of the instructions below.
This is a sticky dough, so a mixer will not do you any favors. Mix it by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula (photo below, left). The picture below on the right shows the dough after the 1st rise. Notice how the dough rises OUT more than it rises UP:
Pictured below is a close-up of the dough after risingโI pulled the dough inward so you can see the strands of dough. This dough is full of AIR and that’s exactly what you want:
Next you will add a little flour to the sticky risen doughโjust enough so that you can gently shape it into a loaf. Careful not to deflate the dough:
Shaping: The picture below on the left shows the loaf after you shape it. Do not overthink the shaping step because the less you handle and tinker with the dough, the better. As shown below on the right, place into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan and use a sharp knife or bread lame to score it on top. Scoring allows the airy dough to “breathe” as it rises and bakes. (The pictured bread lame was a gift, but if you’re shopping for one, I also have and love this bread lame.)
Let the dough rise again in the loaf pan. This 2nd rise takes at least 1 hour.
After that, it’s time to bake the bread. Before baking, you can sprinkle the top of the loaf with oats or add a cinnamon-sugar topping. See details for both optional toppings in the recipe notes below. Usually my loaf is just covered in baked flour leftover from the shaping step:
Cool for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Again, homemade honey butter is a fantastic finishing touch and you can quickly prep it as the bread cools. And if you love honey in your homemade breads, youโll enjoy these honey butter rolls too.
Additional Easy Bread Recipes
Yeast Bread Success Tips
If you’re a bread beginner, reference this Baking with Yeast Guide for helpful, easy-to-understand answers to many yeast FAQs.
No-Knead Honey Oat Bread
- Prep Time: 13 hours, 20 minutes (includes rises)
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 14 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
The process of making homemade yeasted bread has the reputation of being fussy and complicated, but this honey oat bread recipe is straightforward and simple AND delivers delicious, flavorful results. Most of the “work” is completely hands off as the dough rises. If youโre new to working with yeast, reference myย Baking with Yeast Guideย for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Ingredients
- 3 cups + 2 Tablespoons (410g)ย bread flourย (spooned & leveled), divided
- 1 cupย (85g) old-fashioned whole oatsย orย quick oats (not instant)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons (4g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star or any instantย orย active dry yeast
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) water, close to room temperature at about 70ยฐF (21ยฐC)
- 6 Tablespoons (128g) honey
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil (or other neutral tasting oil)
Instructions
- In a large ungreased bowl, whisk 3 cups (390g) bread flour, the oats, yeast, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside. In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk the water, honey, and oil together. Pour water mixture into flour mixture and gently stir together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to combine. Dough will be heavy and very wet/sticky. Do not overwork dough. (Tip: Stir dough by hand. Dough is too sticky for a mixer.)
- 1st rise: Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set on the counter at room temperatureโhonestly any normal room temperature is fine. Allow to rise for 12-18 hours. (See note if you need to extend this time.) Depending on the size of your mixing bowl, the dough will mostly rise out to the sides of the bowl instead of rising up. Some upward rise is normal if your bowl is on the smaller side. The dough will stick to the sides of the bowl and have a lot of air bubbles. You want it to almost double in size during this time.
- Grease a 9ร5-inch loaf pan.
- Gently shape: After rising, uncover dough and gently fold in remaining 2 Tablespoons (about 20g) of bread flour. Dough is very sticky, but the extra flour makes it more manageable. Pour dough (and any excess flour that is not mixing in) onto work surface. Using lightly floured hands, gently form into a loaf shape, about 8×4 inches. Does not have to be perfect, so don’t over-think the shape or overwork the dough. Place in greased pan and using a very sharp knife or bread lame (some even use kitchen shears), score the bread loaf with 1 slash down the center or off-center, about 1/2 inch deep. (โScoreโ = shallow cut.)
- 2nd rise: Loosely cover loaf with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set on the counter at room temperature for 1 hour or until dough rises slightly above the rim of the pan.
- Meanwhile, towards the end of the 2nd rise, preheat oven to 375ยฐF (191ยฐC).
- After rising, remove plastic wrap/covering from bread and bake for 50-60 minutes. The loaf will begin to heavily brown on top, so tent it with aluminum foil after 30 minutes. How to test for donenessโgive the loaf a light tap. If it sounds hollow, itโs done. For a more accurate test, the bread is done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195ยฐF (90ยฐC). (Tip: Keep in mind that the bread will continue to cook for a few minutes as it cools.)
- Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan set on a wire rack before slicing and serving. Feel free to let it cool completely before slicing, too.
- Cover leftover bread and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions:ย This recipe is wonderful for making ahead because the 1st rise time (step 2) is so long. If needed, you can extend the 1st rise time by letting the dough rest in the refrigerator instead of at room temperature for up to 18 hours. Then, after refrigerating, let the dough sit at room temperature to warm and rise, about 4-6 hours. You want it to mostly double in size during this time. Do not extend these times further because the dough may begin to deflate.
- Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 4 and feel free to use a disposable loaf pan since it will be going into the freezer. Cover loaf tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. On the day you serve it, let the loaf thaw and rise for about 5 hours at room temperature. Bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked bread loaf. Allow the bread to cool completely and then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature and reheat if/as desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Bread Lame | Instant Read Thermometer | Cooling Rack
- Flour: For the chewiest and sturdiest bread, I recommend using bread flour. All-purpose flour definitely works, but you get a sturdier and more bread-like texture from bread flour. I love using whole wheat flour when I can, but this dough is not fit for all whole wheat flour. In my recipe testing, I found that replacing up to 1 cup (around 130g) of the bread flour with whole wheat flour worked just fine. The bread was a bit denser, but had great flavor.
- Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast, but I highly recommend an instant (aka โrapid riseโ or โquick riseโ yeast). The bread will rise faster. I usually use Platinum yeast by Red Star, which is an instant yeast. 1 and 1/2 teaspoons is a little less than 1 standard packet. If using active dry yeast, there are no changes needed to the recipe. The rise time in step 5 may take longer.
- Water: Use room temperature or cool water. Close to 70ยฐF (21ยฐC) is great, but the exact temperature doesnโt matter as long as itโs not warm.
- If You Want to Top with Oats or Cinnamon-Sugar: If you want to top the dough with oats prior to baking, carefully brush the dough after the 2nd rise (step 5) with 1 egg white beaten with 1 Tbsp water, and then sprinkle 2 Tbsp of oats on top. (The oats do not stick without the egg white and the bread will no longer be egg-free by doing this.) You can skip the egg white/oats and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on top instead. Combine 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of the loaf right before baking.
- Recipe updated in 2022 with clearer instructions and less honey, cinnamon, and slightly more yeast. Older version of this recipe used 1/2 cup (170g) honey but over the years, I’ve reduced it down to 6 Tablespoons (128g) so the loaf isn’t as sweet and sticky. The recipe also had 1 and 1/4 teaspoons of yeast, but I slightly increased it for better rise and it also used to have 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in the dough. I find that much takes away from the honey and oat flavors so I cut the cinnamon amount in half.
- Can I make this in a dutch oven? Yes and the process is similar to Cranberry Nut No-Knead Bread. You need a 6-quart or larger dutch oven or any large oven-safe pot with a lid. Prepare dough recipe above through step 2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using lightly floured hands, shape into a ball as best you can. Doesnโt have to be perfect! Transfer dough to a large piece of parchment paper. (Large enough to fit inside your pot and one that is safe under such high heat. I useย this parchment and itโs never been an issue.) Lift the parchment paper and dough up and place it all into a large mixing bowl. Using a very sharp knife or bread lame, gently score an X into the top. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap and leave alone for 30 minutes. During this 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 425ยฐF (218ยฐC). Place your dutch oven (with the lid) or heavy duty pot inside for 30 minutes so that itโs extremely hot before the dough is placed inside. After 30 minutes, remove the dutch oven from the oven and carefully place the dough inside by lifting it up with the parchment paper and sticking it allโthe parchment paper includedโinside the pot. Cover with the lid. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Carefully remove the lid and continue baking for 10-12 more minutes or until the bread is golden brown. You can test for doneness exactly how you would in step 7 above. Remove pot from the oven, carefully remove the bread from the pot, and allow to cool on the counter for 30 minutes before breaking/slicing/serving.
- Can I bake this free-form outside of the loaf pan or dutch oven? No, this bread needs a pan to help it hold shape.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Good morning! This is my second time making this bread. Last time I followed it to a T and it was delicious. My husband and grown sons enjoyed it. They call it Breakfast Bread and my husband asked for it this weekend for his birthday.
I loved it too, but it seemed dense to me. The dough didnโt seem to benefit from the extra flour (it wasnโt as sticky as I thought it would be) and I may have overworked it to get the flour to mix in. So this morning, I floured my spatula and just scraped the dough directly into the greased loaf pan and then used the spatula to gently shape it to look more โloaf likeโ.
It seems to have conserved a lot of the bubbles and itโs rising like a champ for this second rise. Cannot wait to eat this!!!
I wanted to say thank you Sally. Iโd been searching for a new hobby. Something I could enjoy doing and that would bring joy to others. I think I may have found it. The sandwich bread is amazing. The artisan bread is spectacular. The banana bread was delicious too!! All easy to make, delicious and far better for us than store bought bread.
Thank you!
We’re so glad you’re enjoying this, MaryLynn!
I made this last week. It was my second time making bread. I also made whipped honey butter. My friend raved about both. Thank you so much for your recipes. I am going to make the cranberry nut bread today.
Question about the temperature of the water: The Red Star packet says that my water should be hot when mixed with the flour/oat mixture – between 120-130 degrees F, while the recipe tells me to use room temperature water – 70 degrees F. Is the outcome better if I use the recipe’s 70 degree water instead of the Red Star 120-130 degrees? Thank you.
Hi Joan, we use cooler water (room temperature) here to help slow the rise, which gives the bread fantastic flavor. We recommend following the recipe as written for best results. Enjoy!
I have made this twice and rather been disappointed in my results. I am looking for a daily sandwich/toast bread that will hold up in a lunchbox (more like a bakery yeast bread than a quick bread for texture) in wheat or combo.
I’ve already commented on this great bread but I wanted to note that the recipe also stands up to abuse. I was making it for about the 20th time and thought I could do so from memory. But I confused the 1 cup of oats for the bread with the 3 cups of oats for an oatmeal cookie recipe I also bake frequently. The mistake was not apparent until I added the wet ingredients at which point it was clear something was wrong. I went ahead anyway. It rose and baked and…was delicious! Heavier and denser with 3 cups of oats of course but still tasty!
I just made this delicious bread! I started it last night and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and baked it later today. It was very easy to make too. It was so yummy and my husband ate three slices! I will definitely make it again.
I made this exactly to recipe. It was very dense. Smelled so good! However taste fell flat. I was expecting the cinnamon smell to reflect in the bread it didnโt
Very good flavor, easy to make. However, when I substituted a cup of whole wheat flour it did not rise as well. Should I have added some vital wheat gluten?
Hi Mel! This is a denser bread to begin with, and will be more dense with whole wheat flour. We haven’t tested adding vital wheat gluten.
I made this and my dough seemed to rise quite well however I had a hard time getting it to temperature, and it turned out quite dense. I probably had it in the oven 20 minutes longer than the recipe called for. Any suggestions as to why it might have turned out quite dense and taken so long? The flavor still turned out amazing however! I just would have liked a little bit more bounce.
Hi Melissa, weโre so glad you enjoyed this bread! No-knead breads are inherently a tad denser than, say, sandwich bread, but if it seemed especially dense then itโs possible it was over-handled a bit, which can pop all the air bubbles in the dough. Hope this helps for next time!
Sally, I have never been disappointed with any of your recipes! I made this last week and just put another batch together to bake tomorrow. This bread is delicious!
Such an easy recipe for a novice bed baker. The flavor is delicious though it seems a little heavier that I expected. Probably needed a few more minutes in the oven even though the instant read thermometer read 195 when I took it out of the oven.
Iโm a bread beginner myself and was looking for an easy recipe to start out. This is a fantastic recipe for newbies to bread making. I make this the night before, 2nd rise in the morning before my son gets up and pre work and bam! Delicious, easy homemade bread. I was skeptical of the cinnamon but it really gives it a nice flavor and itโs not overpowering at all. This has quickly become a weekly staple. Thanks Sally!
This is a very delicious recipe. I made it using 1 C of freshly ground whole wheat flour. It’s simplicity reminded me of peasant bread.
Easy and great tasting! I’ve made it 3 times – once in Dutch oven and twice in bread pan. Turned out great both ways. After the first loaf, I left out the cinnamon and didn’t miss it. Cinnamon fans will want to keep it in but I prefer the taste without.
Hi, Sally,
Just wanted to let you know that this recipe works beautifully in a breadmaker, without any modifications. My oven isn’t working at the moment, so yesterday I decided just to dump all the ingredients into my breadmaker and see what happened. It came out perfectly and is delicious! I use your cookie and cake recipes regularly, but this is the first time I’ve used one of your bread recipes. Thank you so much for all you do!
What settings did you use on the bread machine?
Trying this for the 1st tine. There’s no mention of where to place the oven rack–lower 3rd? middle?
Hi Suzy! Lower third is generally best.
That’s why I used, lower 3rd.
Hello, can this recipe be doubled or will it affect measurements? Thank you
Hi Megan, For the best results we recommend making two separate batches. Enjoy!
I made this last night and this morning. The recipe seemed a bit different, bit it was AMAZING and simple!
Bread didn’t rise, and I’ve never had an experience where anything I made with yeast didn’t rise. It’s in the oven now, and even after trying to get it to rise a second time, it hasn’t. Not expecting this to turn out well. I’ll proof the yeast next time before mixing.
Hi Mishie, is your yeast expired by chance? That could be the culprit for the bread not rising. Be sure to use room temperature water, too, and that it’s not so hot that it kills the yeast. Hope this helps for next time!
Iโve been making this bread for friends and family ever since the first time I saw it on one of your emails. It is ALWAYA a big hit, and people request it regularly! AND itโs so easy! Absolutely deeeelish!!
Can I add raisins to the dough
Hi LJ, absolutely, you can add up to 1 cup of raisins to this dough.
Can I make this safely in a 5.5 qt Dutch oven?
Hi Gabrielle, yes, you would bake the bread at 425ยฐF (218ยฐC) in the Dutch Oven, as detailed in those instructions in the Recipe Notes. Let us know if you give this bread a try!
I made this yesterday. It turned out great! It tasted wonderful.
I made this bread for the first time today using my Dutch oven. Itโs delicious and I will definitely be baking it again!
Can I substitute any other cereal grains for the oats? I’ll be baking this tomorrow.
Hi Sheila, instead, we’d recommend this multigrain bread recipe.
Hello! I like your recipes very much. They are highly professional and at the same time clear. It is good to know not only how but why to do things.
1. Please is it possible to leave out the honey (without substitution)?
2. Could I substitute some wheat flour for rye flour?
Hi Miroslav, for absolute best taste and texture, we recommend sticking with honey, although a few readers have tried with maple syrup or molasses instead. If you do swap it, the bread will undoubtedly have a different taste. It would take some recipe testing to properly incorporate rye flour, so we recommend sticking to the bread flour and whole wheat flour combination listed in the recipe notes. Hope you enjoy this bread!
Hello, can I use whole wheat flour?
Hi Teresa, this dough is not fit for all whole wheat flour. In our recipe testing, we found that replacing up to 1 cup (around 130g) of the bread flour with whole wheat flour worked just fine. The bread was a bit denser, but had great flavor.
I know you said , “No substitutes” with the honey. But what about molasses? I love it in bread!!
Hi Gia, We have not tested it, but that swap should be fine. The bread will undoubtedly have different flavor.
Mine came out super heavy and gross. I followed the directions.