Name: Bread Machine Honey Wheat Oat Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 10 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups (195g) whole wheat flour; 1 1/2 cups (195g) white bread flour; 1 cup (81g) oats (instant or old-fashioned); 1 1/2 tsp salt; 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast; 1 TBS vital wheat gluten (optional); 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water; 1/2 cup (170g) honey; 2 TBS butter

I decided to dust off my bread machine today and bake a loaf of bread. I had not used it since before Christmas and thought it was about time I did!

When my children were growing up (I have five children) we always had homemade bread in the house. My ex husband used to bake all of our bread when he was home. He would make 12 loaves at a time. Every week. And we never had any left over. He used his mother's recipe for white bread. It was beautiful bread.

He made double loaves which were two balls of bread dough put together in a loaf tin and set to rise. The middle bits, or the fluff as I called it, were always my favorite bits of the loaf.

The secret to a good loaf of bread is in the kneading. This helps to develop the gluten in the loaf and creates a nice fluffy bread. I don't have the oomph or strength in my arms or hands due to arthritis and so I prefer to make my bread in the bread machine.

My particular model is the Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker, Model #SDRD250. This is the model of bread machine I have been using for almost 25 years now. I had one in the U.K. and when it came time to buy one back here in Canada, I chose to purchase the same one. I love this particular bread machine.

Today I am sharing a Bread Machine Honey Wheat Oat Bread recipe with you. It is a recipe I have adapted from one which I found on a blog called Adamant Kitchen. I had been looking for a recipe to use up some of the whole wheat flour I had bought to make the Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal the other week. I loved the combination of whole wheat and white bread flour in this recipe along with the addition of rolled oats.

I also loved that it was sweetened naturally with honey. It looked like an excellent loaf.

After it had kneaded, etc. in the bread machine, I decided to give it a go at baking it conventionally. Normally I let my bread machine do all the work, but I know many people who just use it for the initial mixing, kneading and rising. They then bake and shape conventionally. Today I thought I would try that.

It turned out to be a lovely loaf with beautiful flavors. My crust was a lovely golden brown and the texture of the bread was nice and tight and beautiful. I can highly recommend this recipe for anyone who is looking for a hearty and wholesome loaf that they can feel good about feeding their family!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BREAD MACHINE HONEY WHEAT OAT BREAD

Simple baking cupboard ingredients. Oh, and a bread machine. You can also mix and let rise in the machine and then shape and bake in the conventional way. Its your choice!

Dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (195g) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups (195g) white bread flour
1 cup (81g) oats (instant or old-fashioned)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
1 TBS vital wheat gluten (optional)

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
1/2 cup (170g) honey
2 TBS butter

I used regular Robin Hood whole wheat flour and Robin Hood white bread flour for this. I did use the vital wheat gluten, which is optional. You can purchase that online via Amazon.

I used old fashioned oats. I had picked up a bag of sprouted organic oats the other day. Large flake. It worked beautifully and also looked fab on the optional topping for baking.

I used liquid Greek Honey. This is runny and not as condensed as creamed honey. I also used regular salted butter.

HOW TO MAKE BREAD MACHINE HONEY WHEAT OAT BREAD

You can do this either one of two ways. You can do it completely in the bread machine, or you can take it out after the second rise and finish it in the oven. I tell you how to do this.

Place all of the ingredients into your bread machine according to the manufacturer's instructions for your particular machine. (For mine, you put the dry in first, making sure the salt is separated from the yeast, and then the wet.)
Bake using a basic or normal bread cycle, large loaf, light crust. (see notes for baking in the oven.)

Notes

To bake in the conventional way. Punch down after the second rising and shape into a loaf. Place into a greased 9 by 5 inch loaf tin. Cover with plastic wrap or place into a plastic bag. Place into a warm place to rise until double.

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when turned out, flipped over and lightly tapped on the bottom.

If you like you can brush with some melted butter and sprinkle some oats on top prior to baking.

HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST BREAD IN A BREAD MACHINE

Really if you follow the directions on your particular bread machine your bread should work out perfectly, but there are a few things you can do that will give you an even better loaf of bread.

1. Measure by weight and not volume. Weight is a much more precise way to measure. You can't go wrong. I have a set of digital scales that I use. I just pop the bread pan onto them and measure away. My scales measure in grams, Kg, pounds and ounces, milliliters, etc. I started baking by weight when I lived in the UK and I would now never bake any other way.

2. Bread machine loaves work best with bread flour. Bread flour can also be labeled "Best for Bread" or "High Gluten flour."

3. You can use regular flour, but if you do I recommend adding Vital Wheat Gluten to the recipe. This helps to boost the protein content of the bread.

4. Measure very carefully. If you don't add enough flour, no matter the type of flour you use, the bread will collapse and often ends up uncooked in the center. If you add too much flour, you will end up with a dense, hard heavy ball.

5. I add Vital Wheat Gluten to all of my recipes for bread making in a bread machine. You can purchase it online. It helps to yield a much better loaf, helping the loaf to rise higher with a nicer texture than without. I buy mine on Amazon.

Vital wheat gluten is best stored in the refrigerator (for up to one year), but you can store it on the counter if you think you will use it up within two months (highly unlikely for the home baker.)

6. Yeast is a vital component in making yeasted breads! Duh. It can come in many forms. I recommend using yeast which is prepared specifically for use in the bread machine. I store my yeast in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

7. Salt is another important component in bread making. Do not however, let the salt touch the yeast. Salt is important in bread making, not only as a flavor enhancer, but also in controlling the level of yeast fermentation.

8. Follow the recommendations when it comes to the order of adding ingredients to your machine. There are reasons why some machines put the dry ingredients first and the wet last. Others might recommend putting in the wet first and the dry last. YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THE EXACT ORDER AS RECOMMENDED BY YOUR PARTICULAR MODEL!!

Most of the time when a recipe fails it is because the baker fails to follow the correct directions as per the machine they are using.

I did bake my bread in the conventional way this time, just to see how it would work out and I was very pleased with the loaf I ended up with. It had a lovely shape, a beautiful texture and a delicious flavor. I highly recommend this recipe! (See recipe to find out what I did.)

Here are some other bread machine recipes that you might enjoy as well!

BREAD MACHINE ONION BREAD -If you’re a fan of onions, this bread is an absolute delight! Imagine warm, freshly baked bread with a subtle onion flavor, soft crumb, and a golden crust. It’s perfect for sandwiches, dipping into soups, or simply enjoying on its own.

FRENCH SANDWICH PAIN AU LAIT - Golden brown on the outside with a beautiful tight texture, this is a bread that is perfect for making sandwiches, be they grilled or not! So easily made in the bread machine. This is one of my favorite loaves to bake.

Yield: 1 loaf

Author: Marie Rayner

Bread Machine Honey Wheat Oat Bread

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 4 HourTotal time: 4 H & 10 M

A classic loaf that is easy to make in the bread machine, or you can let it do the mixing/rising in the bread machine and then shape and bake conventionally. Excellent either way.

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (195g) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups (195g) white bread flour
1 cup (81g) oats (instant or old-fashioned)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
1 TBS vital wheat gluten (optional)

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
1/2 cup (170g) honey
2 TBS butter