This seeded oat bread is crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside, and has the most delicious crunch in every bite, thanks to all the seeds. This is a hearty loaf that can stand up to any meal, from thick and chunky stews to delicate poached eggs. You’ll use an easy no-knead method to make this yeast bread, which produces a beautiful homemade loaf with minimal hands-on work.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
One reader, Rob, commented: “Best bread we’ve had in a long time! Crusty, chewy, flavorful, nutty, and delicious with some good butter. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you. โ โ โ โ โ “
You know those gorgeous seed-encrusted loaves of bread you see in bakery windows?
The kind that look like they took ages to make, and you wonder how much kneading, shaping, and work went into just 1 loaf? Well, you can make those same beautiful seeded loaves right at home, with hardly any work involved. No kneading, no complex shaping, no mixer needed.
Yes, this crusty, chewy, golden-brown, seed-speckled oat bread doesn’t require any complicated work.
This bread, like my homemade cranberry nut no-knead bread, asiago-crusted skillet bread, pizza bread, and olive bread, will convince anyone that you either bought it from a bakery or spent all day in the kitchen making itโwhich, of course, you didn’t. Don’t feel like you have to let them in on our little secret. ๐
Hearty Homemade Bread for Beginners
This texture-lover’s seeded oat bread recipe is based off of my homemade artisan bread, a wonderfully easy and widely popular no-knead bread that’s used by both beginners and experts.
If you’re nervous to try homemade bread, this recipe is a great introduction. Even though the recipe is easy, the bread does NOT skimp on flavor. It’s just a simple way of baking homemade bread inspired by the no-knead technique originating from bread expert Jim Lahey.
Here’s why it’s so simple:
- Absolutely no kneading (just like homemade English muffins)
- Zero complicated shaping
- No mixer required
- 90% of the time is totally hands off
- Dough can rest in the refrigerator for up to 3 daysโa great make-ahead recipe
- Can bake in a dutch oven or on a baking sheet
The trick is giving the risen dough a rest in the refrigerator. The cool air slows the fermentation process and helps develop better flavor.
Grab These Ingredients:
Here’s why each ingredient is so important:
- Bread Flour: While you could use all-purpose flour in this recipe, I strongly recommend using bread flour. Bread flour produces a stronger, chewier bread, and that makes a big difference in an artisan-style loaf like this oat bread.
- Oats: Oats provide a little wholesome texture. As the dough rises, the oats soak up some moisture and expand. Whole rolled oats are best, but you can use quick oats if needed.
- Salt: I recommend using coarse sea salt because I find the breadโs flavor lacking with regular table salt.
- Instant Yeast: I always use Platinum Yeast by Red Star, which is an instant yeast (aka โquick riseโ yeast). 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 may just take slightly longer.) I use more yeast in this recipe compared to my cranberry nut no-knead bread and jalapeรฑo cheddar bread. Why? Those doughs rest and rise at room temperature. However, for more flavor and just as much rise, I use more yeast and let this dough rest in the refrigerator.
- Seeds: Pumpkin, sunflower, and flax seeds are all highly nutritiousโthey’re pretty much superfoods. I love that these 3 types of seeds vary so much in size and texture, but if you’d like to change up the types of seeds in this mixture, go for it. I use a medley of seeds in this multigrain bread, too. (And even these quinoa snack bars!)
- Honey: Honey helps give this bread a springy, spongey texture. It also adds a little sweetness, but we’re using half as much honey here than in my honey oat bread recipe, so the bread isn’t super sweet.
- Water: You’ll also need a little warm water to bring all the ingredients together. I use cool, room temperature water in olive bread and artisan homemade bread, two other no-knead doughs, but with the addition of oats today, the yeast has to work harder, and warm water helps it work quicker.
Let Me Show You How to Make This Seeded Bread
The full written recipe is below, but use the following explanations and step photos to help you get started. Bring the dough ingredients together as instructed in the recipe. At first the dough will seem very dry and shaggy and youโll question if it will even come together. It will. In fact, the dough is a little sticky after it has been thoroughly mixed:
Let it rise. Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for about 3 hours. Notice that the dough rises OUT more than it rises UP. That’s ok.
You can move on to shaping and baking the dough, but for best flavor, I strongly recommend refrigerating the risen dough, even if it’s just for a couple hours. I usually refrigerate it for 12 hours.
After the dough rises and rests in the refrigerator, use generously floured hands to shape the dough into a round boule or ball-like shape.
Use a Baking Sheet or Dutch Oven
Baking the seeded oat bread in a covered dutch oven traps steam inside the pot, creating that perfect crispy crust. If you plan to bake a lot of bread in the future, you wonโt regret buying a dutch oven. If you don’t have a dutch oven, a nonstick baking sheet is best. (I use a baking sheet in the video tutorial below. And even have a trick for creating a steamy oven!)
- Baking Sheet: If you’re using a baking sheet, dust the pan with cornmeal and/or a little flour. Place the dough on top, cover it, and let it rest as the oven preheats. You will find these detailed instructions in the recipe below, along with my optional steamy oven trick for a crispy crust in step 10. (Adding boiled water to a pan beneath the baking bread. Works great!)
- Dutch Oven: Place the empty dutch oven with lid in the oven as it preheats. Place the ball of dough on high-heat-resistant parchment paper (I use this parchment paper), and then fit it inside a bowl. Cover and let the dough rest as the oven preheats, then place it (with the parchment) in the hot dutch oven before baking. You will find these detailed instructions in the recipe Note below.
Whichever baking method you use, don’t forget to add seeds/oats to the exterior of the dough (I usually just press them on). And make sure you score the dough with a bread lame or sharp knife before baking. Scoring allows the wet, airy dough to โbreatheโ as it expands and bakes.
Baking sheet method:
Dutch oven method:
The bread is unbelievable when it’s fresh from the ovenโwarm, crispy, crusty, soft, and loaded with texture inside and out!
What Do I Serve With Seeded Bread?
Honestly, it’s fantastic plain, with a swipe of butter or a dip-dish of olive oil. The bread would also be delicious paired with homemade pesto or homemade honey butter.
But I especially love serving this seeded oat bread alongside a soup, like this creamy chicken noodle soup or homemade alphabet soup. It also gives phenomenal texture to grilled cheese sandwiches, and makes a hearty base for creamy smashed avocado and soft eggs.
If you manage to have any leftover, make use of the stale bread in this easy breakfast casserole!
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 Seeded Oat Bread
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours (includes slight cooling)
- Yield: 1 loaf; 10-12 servings
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Follow this easy no-knead recipe for a hearty loaf of homemade seeded oat bread. Review Notes before beginning. If youโre new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guideย for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (390g) bread flourย (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for shaping and pan
- 2 teaspoons (about 6g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast
- 1 cup (85g)ย old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1/4 cup (30g) unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1/4 cup (30g) salted or unsalted sunflower seeds
- 2 Tablespoons (18g) flax seeds or sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 2 Tablespoons (43g) honey
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (aboutย 95ยฐF (35ยฐC))
- optional: cornmeal for dusting pan
Topping
- 1 Tablespoon (5g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon flax seeds or sesame seeds
Instructions
- Watch the video below before you begin, and let that be your visual guide for this recipe.
- In a large un-greased mixing bowl, whisk the flour and yeast together. Add the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and salt and whisk to combine. Mix the honey and water together, and then pour over the dry ingredients. Using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, gently mix together. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened. If needed, use your hands to work the dough ingredients together. The dough will be very sticky. Shape into a ball in the bowl as best you can. (Tip: Stir dough by hand. Dough is too sticky for a mixer.)
- Keeping the dough in the bowl, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine). Allow to rise for 3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles.
- You can continue with step 5 immediately, but for absolute best flavor and texture, I strongly recommend letting this risen dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. (Even just a couple hours is good!) Place covered dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The dough will puff up during this time, but may begin to deflate after 2 days. That’s normal and nothing to worry about.
- Lightly dust a large nonstick baking sheet (with or without rims, and make sure it’s nonstick) with a little flour and/or cornmeal. Using generously floured hands and gentle pressure so as to not deflate the dough too much, shape the risen dough into a ball. (I just do this right inside the bowl it’s in, or you can do this on a lightly floured work surface.) Dough is very sticky.
- Transfer ball to prepared baking sheet. Mix topping ingredients together. Sprinkle on top of dough, and if the seeds aren’t sticking, press them into the dough as best you can. Loosely cover and allow dough to rest for 45 minutes. You will bake the dough on this prepared baking sheet. See recipe note if you want to use a pizza stone or dutch oven.
- During this 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 425ยฐF (218ยฐC).
- When ready to bake, using a very sharp knife or bread lame (you could even use kitchen shears), score the dough with a slash or X about 1/2 inch deep. (“Score” = shallow cut.) If the shaped loaf flattened out during the 45 minutes, use floured hands to reshape.
- Place the shaped and scored dough (on the flour/cornmeal-dusted pan) in the preheated oven on the center rack.
- Optional for a slightly crispier crust: Place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan or skillet (I usually use a metal 9×13-inch baking pan) on the bottom oven rack. Carefully and quickly pour 3โ4 cups of boiling water into the shallow pan. Quickly shut the oven to trap as much steam inside. The steam helps create a crispier crust.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. If you notice the exterior browning too quickly, tent the bread with aluminum foil. How to test for doneness: Give the warm bread 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).
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10โ20 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (step 4), so this is a wonderful recipe to begin ahead of time. You can also bake the bread, allow it to cool, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the dough. Complete the recipe through step 5. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. Freeze up to 3 months. To bake, allow dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for 2โ3 hours at room temperature. Continue with step 6, including allowing dough to rest for 45 minutes before baking. Keep in mind that the bread tastes a little heavier after freezing/thawing the dough and then baking it.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Baking Sheet | 2-cup Measuring Cup | Bread Lame | Instant-Read Thermometer | Coarse Salt
- Flour: For absolute best flavor and chewy texture, I strongly recommend using bread flour. You can use a 1:1 substitution of all-purpose flour in a pinch with no other changes to the recipe. I recommend avoiding whole wheat flour in this dough; however, if necessary, you can replace up to 1 cup (about 130g) of the bread flour with whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit heavy.
- Yeast:ย I always useย Platinum Yeast from Red Star, an instant yeast. You can use any instant yeast in this dough. If using active dry yeast, the 1st rise time is usually slightly longer, about 3.5โ4 hours. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guideย for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Salt: Use a coarse salt, such as coarse sea salt, in this bread. I find the flavor slightly lacking when using regular table salt. If you only have table or fine salt, reduce to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons.
- Seeds: Feel free to use more/less of a particular seed you love, or skip any seeds if you wish. Around 1/2 cup of larger seeds and 2 Tablespoons of smaller seeds is ideal. I usually use unsalted pepitas and salted sunflower seeds. Salted or unsalted are fine, but I don’t recommend 1/2 cup of salted seeds, so if you want to use salted, use 1/4 cup of salted and 1/4 cup unsalted. If you want to add poppy seeds, replace 1 Tablespoon of flax seeds/sesame seeds with poppy seeds. Or just use 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds and skip the flax/sesame.
- Using a Dutch Oven: You need a 6-quart or larger dutch oven or any large oven-safe pot with a lid. Prepare dough recipe above through step 4, including refrigerating the risen dough for at least 12 hours. After refrigerating, 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 use this parchment and itโs never been an issue.) Lift the parchment paper and dough up and place it all into a large mixing bowl. 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) inside for 30 minutes so that itโs extremely hot before the dough is placed inside. After 30 minutes, sprinkle seed topping all over dough. Using a bread lame or sharp knife, gently score a 1/2-inch-deep slash or X into the top. Remove the dutch oven from the oven and carefully place the dough inside by lifting it up with the parchment paper and placing it allโparchment 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 more minutes or until the bread is golden brown. You can test for doneness exactly how you would in step 11 above. Remove pot from the oven, carefully remove the bread from the pot, and allow to cool on a wire rack for 10โ20 minutes before slicing/serving.
- Using a Pizza Stone: If you want to bake your bread on a pizza stone, place pizza stone in the preheating oven. Remove hot pizza stone, dust with cornmeal or a little flour, and then transfer shaped and scored dough to hot pizza stone and bake as directed.
- No Nonstick Pan?ย If you donโt have a nonstick baking sheet, line it with parchment paper instead. Coat with a dusting of flour and/or cornmeal before placing the dough on top. Parchment paper can burn, so itโs best to check the box to see how much heat yours can tolerate. Lower your oven heat if necessary, and bake the bread for longer until it’s golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I followed your receipe and my bread looks great but is very heavy and dense. Not sure where I went wrong. After I had combined all the ingredients it was never sticky.
Hi Monica! It sounds like there may have been too much flour in your dough. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Hello Team Sally – I baked this for 55 minutes, but there was still an uncooked squidgy texture in the middle, even though it reached the correct temperature (90 degrees). Could it need more time to bake? Also, when using the boiling water method for steam, should the water be removed during the bake? I wonder if the moisture from the water is contributing to the uncooked texture. I’m excited to get this one right. Thank you!
Hi Nico! Leave the water in the oven, or you could try without to see if that works better for your oven. If the dough seems too wet, you can try adding a little extra flour next time as well. Thank you so much for making this recipe!
Hello, i have finally found a healthy bread recipe that makes sense! Thank you very much, and keep up the great work!
This bread turned out EXACTLY like it looks in the images in the post. This is a very simple and easy recipe, almost no knead, and It tastes fantastic. The crust is delicious and the amount of seeds is perfect for me. Definitely a keeper recipe. I followed the recipe, added the steaming step as well, but did not place it in the fridge. My loaf took just a little over 40 minutes to cook completely. I checked it starting from 30 minutes but needed more time than I thought, compared to other loafs I’ve baked. The crust browned very quickly so I had to cover it with foil, just as the recipe anticipated. Next time I’ll make sure to more properly shape the loaf both before and after the second rise for a nicer bottom. I’ll try to add the fridge step as well.
Hi,
I like to make sandwiches with seedy bread, how could I adapt this recipe so that it works in a loaf tin?
Thanks ๐
Hi Cate, you can certainly try a loaf pan. You may want to try this honey oat bread instead, and you can add seeds to that dough.
can this recipe be made with wheat flour and sourdough starter?
Thank you,
Hi Tamsen, See recipe note โ we recommend avoiding whole wheat flour in this dough, however if necessary, you can replace up to 1 cup (about 130g) of the bread flour with whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit heavy. We haven’t tested it with sourdough starter, but let us know if you do.
I made two batches of this bread and they turned out beautifully! I want to make this bread for a friend of mine who is vegan, so can you recommend an alternative for the honey (I wonder if molasses would be a fitting replacement)? Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Caitlin, molasses should work nicely in place of the honey. Let us know how it goes!
Thank you for response back in October, Lexi! I made the bread with molasses this time and it turned out just as good as the loaf with honey (we made one loaf with honey and one with molasses so we could do a side-by-side comparison). The dough for the molasses loaf definitely had a bit of a “tan” and had that distinct molasses smell, but once the dough had proofed, rested, and finally baked, the smell went away and there was barely a color difference between the two loaves. The taste appeared to be exactly the same.
All in all, if the honey needs to be swapped, I’d highly recommend this substitution. Thanks again!
Hello
Second time around baking this oat bread loaf, success!!! No fail.
Love your site and instructions, you are my hero baker, every recipe I tried came out 10/10.
Thank you
We loved this crusty, seedy loaf! We did find that it took nearly an hour for our bread to reach the correct internal temp. We just tented with foil once it was the crust was browned, and it didnโt get overbaked on the outside. Delicious as a side for butternut squash soup!
I’ve made this recipe before, and it is so great with soup! Defintely a go-to.
I’m wondering if I can double the recipe, and then after step 4 split it into two separate dough balls? It would be nice to be able to make one, and then another a day or two later.
Hi Jessica, we’re so glad it’s a favorite for you! For best results, we recommend making separate batches rather than doubling.
I’ve been making this for approx 2 years now, since I found the recipe and couldn’t be without it. I make it regular so I always have one in the freezer. I never do the fridge method. I mix the ingredients and turn it out onto my baking sheet covered in grease proof paper. I cover it and leave until it has risen, the duration depends on the time of year. Probably approx 60 minutes. I then bake in my pre-heated oven for 45 mins. When cooled I slice it and freeze. It has never failed me, it is very tasty and healthy. I wouldn’t call it dense either I find it quite airy. We love it !!
It did not rise at all ;(
This was my first attempt at baking bread and it is a disaster
I love all the photos and ideas of it but it didn’t work for me
I make good cakes so I was confident I can do it
Hi Sabflower! This is meant to be a more dense bread. How’s the flavor? Our baking with yeast guide may be a helpful resource!
I tried this recipe twice. The first time I did it with a steam bath below. Followed instructions to a Tee and it came out raw. Second round I baked it longer, I sprayed into the oven to create steam. I bake in a large deck oven, did it for 55 minutes. Still raw. No idea what I’m doing wrong. It smells and looks incredible but just won’t work for me no matter what I do.
Hi Sadie! It may just need longer to bake. The bread is done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195ยฐF (90ยฐC).
Easy to make. Very tasty and hearty bread. I used fine sea salt and accidently did 2 tsp instead of the 1.5 tsp–came out just fine. My dad LOVES seedy bread, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe as it allowed me to bring a smile to my dad’s face.
The bread did NOT rise & I didn’t want to start all over. I just baked it on a baking sheet with a loaf pan filled with hot water. It was VERY dense & VERY crusty. In fact, it’s hard to slice AND hard to chew.
Hi Lisa! Did the dough rise at all? If it didn’t rise at all, your yeast may not have been active. Our baking with yeast guide may be helpful!
Mine didn’t rise at all and I used fresh yeast (baked bread with it the day before and was just fine). I wonder if the oats and flax soak up all the moisture and so the usual reactions don’t happen. Wondering if I should use more water next time.
Hi Rachel, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. This is a denser bread and not expected to be light inside, due to the oats and seeds packed inside, plus the no knead technique. If you wish to try it again in the future, make sure to handle the dough with care after it rises to maintain all the air bubbles inside. Thank you for giving this one a try!
I agree – I made this twice and the dough was never “sticky” and didn’t rise well. I had the same thought, that the oats & seeds were sapping out all the water.
Can this bread be made with whole wheat flour?
Hi Johnnie, See recipe note โ we recommend avoiding whole wheat flour in this dough, however if necessary, you can replace up to 1 cup (about 130g) of the bread flour with whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit heavy.
Can you add water to lower rack in a regular pan or does it need to be cast iron?
Hi Ashley, you can use a metal pan instead (we usually use a metal 9×13-inch pan). Do not use glass.
Beginner-friendly bread that tastes delicious and stays moist and fresh after slicing! Dense and flavorful bread perfect for sandwiches. Iโve enjoyed it on the side of salads and soup. I left the dough in the fridge overnight as suggested and baked for exactly 40 minutes. Thanks for another great recipe, Sally!
Tried that bread and after the night in the refrigerator it became a solid lump. I did let it sit out and bake it but itโs a brick. Any suggestions?
Hi Marijke, this is a more dense bread, but shouldnโt be like a brick. Did your dough rise before baking, like the photos show above?
It did rise originally but once it came out of the refrigerator ( it was in for about 24 hours) it was totally deflated . Sitting on the counter did not revive it.
I followed the directions exactly as it was first time making it. I bake my own bread and have for most of my adult life. Your bread just looked like a nice change of pace.
Mmm i tried this and dough didn’t rise at all. I have made bread quite a few times. I used good bread flour, yeast was in date, only thing I can think of is water maybe too hot?
I followed the recipe exactly but after baking it came out like a brick. Am I supposed to do anything to it post refrigeration?
Hi Jenny, this is a more dense bread, but shouldn’t be like a brick. Did your dough rise before baking, like the photos show above?
Yes but in refrigeration it fell. I left it out for 45 min prior to baking but i wouldn’t say it rose to what it was pre-fridge.
I really like the flavor so will try again. Any tips are appreciated!