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 you’re 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 better—the 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 sponsored—just 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 “rapid rise” or “quick rise” 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. 70°F (21°C) is great, but the exact temperature doesn’t matter as long as it’s not hot or warm. The cooler the water, the longer the dough takes to rise and, usually, the better the bread’s 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 jalapeño cheddar bread, no-knead seeded oat bread, asiago-crusted skillet 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.

ingredients in bowls including honey, oats, yeast, salt, cinnamon, and bread flour

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:

oat bread dough in glass bowl before and after rising

Pictured below is a close-up of the dough after rising—I 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:

close-up photo showing no knead honey oat bread dough

Next you will add a little flour to the sticky risen dough—just 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.)

honey oat bread dough shaped as loaf and scored with a slit on top

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, you’ll enjoy these honey butter rolls too.

homemade honey oat bread slices with honey butter on white plate

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. And/or get on the fast track to baking bread like a pro with my free Beginner’s Guide to Yeast email series.