This oatmeal molasses bread is incredible served warm with some salted butter! It’s earthy and textured from the oats and just slightly sweet from the molasses.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in the mood to bake lately. A LOT. There’s something incredibly comforting about baking bread, don’t you think?
I’ve been alternating between my milk bread (which is perfect for sandwiches), sourdough, and this oatmeal bread. The rich earthiness of this recipe is especially comforting, in my humble opinion. Try a warm slice with a smear of butter for a perfect soothing snack.
Recipe Ingredients
- Active dry yeast
- All-purpose flour
- Rolled oats
- Unsulphured molasses (see notes below)
- Honey
- Unsalted butter
Which Molasses To Use
I struggled with getting this recipe to rise properly on the first few tries, and it was ultimately an issue with the molasses. I’m still unsure about why this happened from the baking science side of things, so if you think you might have an idea, I’d love your feedback in the comments!
At first, I tried this recipe using Plantation Blackstrap Molasses, which I’ve used countless times in baked goods without any problems. The recipes never involved a rise, though (think soft and chewy molasses cookies). After the bread stubbornly refused to rise on 3 separate occasions, I tried switching to Grandma’s Original Molasses. Problem solved! You can see the results in the photos below.
In summary: don’t make this bread with blackstrap molasses.
How to Make Oatmeal Molasses Bread
I’ve omitted several photos to keep this from being a mile long, mainly focusing on the before and after rise photos so you know what to look for prior to baking. For example:
This is what the bread dough should look like right after you finish mixing it:
And this is what it will look like after you let it rest, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours:
After you punch the dough down and shape it into a loaf, you’ll place it in a greased pan for the second rise. This is what it will look like:
And this is what it should look like after it’s had another 1 to 1 1/2 hours of rise time:
The top will turn to a beautiful deep brown hue in the oven. That’s how you’ll know when it’s ready (that plus a hollow sound when you tap on it).
If you’re looking for some serious comfort food right now, this bread recipe is it. Try it and let me know what you think.
More Bread Recipes
If you love this recipe, be sure to check out my Milk Bread, Banana Bread, and Chewy Pretzel Bun Recipe.
You can also see my full archive of bread recipes here!
Oatmeal Molasses Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 3/4 cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)
- 12 ounces all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups using the Scoop & Sweep Method)
- 3/4 cup rolled oats (2 1/4 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap, see notes)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the active dry yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine. Wait 5 minutes, giving the yeast a chance to activate, then add the flour and oats to the bowl. Attach the dough hook and turn the machine on low speed. Add the molasses, honey, 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, and the salt. Mix for 6-7 minutes on low speed. The dough should be light and sticky, but should hold together.
- Lightly grease a bowl with a neutral flavored oil (such as vegetable oil). You can use the stand mixer bowl to save a dish. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat, then cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel. Set aside to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until double in size (see notes). Once the dough has doubled in size, gently punch down to deflate.
- Grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan using butter or baking spray. Form the dough into a loaf shape and place into the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let the dough rise until it reaches the top of the pan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the remaining melted butter on top of the bread dough, then bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown on top and hollow-sounding when tapped.
- Turn the bread out of pan and cool almost completely on a wire rack. Slice thickly with a serrated knife. Serve topped with butter or alongside soup.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
Blackstrap molasses, or simply blackstrap, is the dark, viscous molasses remaining after maximum extraction of sugar from raw sugar cane. This residual product of sugar refining is used in the manufacture of ethanol for industry and as an ingredient in cattle feed. The term is an Americanism dating from the 1870s. First known use is in a book by detective Allan Pinkerton in 1877. The third boiling of sugar syrup yields blackstrap molasses. The majority of sucrose from the original crystallizes through this process, though the calorie content of blackstrap molasses is still mostly due to the small remaining sugar content. However, unlike refined sugars, it contains significant amounts of vitamin B6 and minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the recommended daily value of each of those nutrients. Blackstrap is also a good source of potassium. It is sometimes used in baking. Blackstrap has long been sold as a dietary supplement, being touted as a health food or superfood
This bread looks delicious but it’s too high in sodium for us. I know that salt controls yeast and is necessary, but do you have any idea how much it can be reduced without affecting the finished product?
Looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try this when I’m back in the states and can find molasses easily!
This bread is delicious but quite dense as I could not get it to rise, even to the top of the pan. The crumb is fairly soft and it’s easy to cut.
Is it possible your yeast is expired or you used blackstrap molasses?
Hi. No, the yeast is new and I used Grandma’s molasses. I think my first rise was too short or too long. Not sure (if)/which one would impede the 2rd rise?
Gail