The Perfect Honey Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

This honey oat sourdough sandwich bread is so delicious and will be liked by even the pickiest eaters. If someone in your life doesn’t prefer the sourness and crustiness of an artisan loaf, this loaf will convert them!

So, my husband really doesn’t like traditional sourdough bread. He prefers a sweeter and softer loaf and he also prefers a sandwich bread.

*This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission on sales at no cost to you*

With that in mind, I wanted to try to come up with a sweeter loaf that would check all the boxes for his taste. This honey oat sourdough sandwich loaf has a great texture and is sweet with a little bit of tang.

I’ve been making sourdough bread for many years and made many different types, however, I always go back to sandwich loaf. Sandwich bread if perfect for not only sandwiches but for toast on those busy mornings.

One of my favorite recipes is my sourdough spelt sandwich bread: Sourdough Spelt Sandwich Bread

It’s not only tasty but uses an ancient wheat which makes it even more digestible for those who are gluten sensitive. This makes it the perfect loaf for those who want to eat more ancient grains.

If you find that you get bloated after eating bread products, try sourdough made with an ancient wheat. Many people have had great success with this method.

Why Sourdough?

Sourdough is a process of fermenting your bread dough with a sourdough starter. This process breaks down the gluten and proteins that can sometimes be hard to digest for gluten sensitive people.

In order to get the most benefits of the fermentation process, you need to let your dough ferment for at least 12-24 hours.

As you can see, the process of sourdough can be very helpful for many people. If you’ve never made a sourdough starter (How to make a sourdough starter) it’s easy and fairly quick to do.

The great news is that once you have an active starter, as long as you maintain it, it will last for as long as you want it. There are starters that have been handed down through generations!

If you are new around here, I choose to use freshly milled wheat in all of my bread products Why I Mill My Own Flour – The Rose Homestead, however, if you want to use all purpose flour for this recipe, it will work perfectly well.

For this bread, I use freshly milled hard white wheat which makes a milder flavored bread catering to those who do not prefer the stronger flavor of some of the other wheat varieties.

What you will need for this bread:

Flour

You can use bread flour, all purpose flour, or freshly milled whole wheat flour.

I find whole grains give such an amazing flavor to bread and have the added health benefits. This is one of those bread recipes that works with most any flour.

This is the Grain Mill I use.

Oats

You can use rolled oats or quick oats.

Water

For best results, I suggest using filtered water. Tap water commonly contains chlorine which can inhibit the good bacteria from working properly.

For an even softer, richer bread try using whole milk in place of the water.

Honey

Honey is what gives this sourdough honey oat bread it’s appeal! More of a sweet sandwich loaf, this bread will cater to more of the picky eaters.

Olive Oil

The olive oil makes the bread soft. You can use melted butter or coconut oil as well.

Salt

I use Redmond’s real salt in my baking. It’s mild and is an all purpose salt.

Sourdough starter

You will need to use active sourdough starter for this recipe. This is starter that has been fed within the last 24 hours and is bubbly and active. Feed your starter and the next day it will be ready to bake with.

Egg (optional)

Eggs help the texture of bread. Sunflower Lecithin can be used in place of the egg or they can be omitted all together.

Step by Step instructions for making this easy honey oat sourdough bread

Mixing the dough for honey oat sourdough sandwich bread:

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add the water, honey, oil, and starter. Optionally, you can add an egg. Mix well.

This is the Mixer I use.

If not using a stand mixer, you can add these ingredients to a large bowl and knead by hand on the kneading step.

*If using 100% whole grain freshly milled flour, let this mixture soak for 30 minutes before moving on to the next step*

Add the oats and 3 cups of flour. Mix well then add the salt.

Kneading the dough:

Continue to add the flour until a soft dough forms that starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

The dough will still be sticky but after allowing it to knead for 10 minutes, it will come together into a cohesive ball of dough.

After kneading for 10 minutes, turn the dough onto a work surface. Roll or press the dough out into a rectangle. Roll the dough up into a loaf shape. I find a bench knife helpful in working with the dough.

If you find the dough to be pulling back when you roll it out, let the dough rest for 10 minutes and come back to allow the gluten to relax.

Fermentation time:

This recipe calls for one rise. There is no first rise and second rise. The rise in the pan is the bulk fermentation.

Place dough into a greased loaf pan. Alternatively, you can line your loaf pan with parchment paper.

The loaf pans I use are linked here: Lodge Loaf Pan Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 4-8 hours. I use a proofing box to proof my dough Proofing Box

Once the dough rises to the top of the pan, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the loaf:

For a fancy looking loaf you can score the top of your loaf down the middle with a sharp knife.

Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes or until it reaches 190-200 degrees F when using an instant read thermometer.

Promptly place on a cooling rack to cool and let the bread cool before slicing.

This bread makes the best toast! I like to heat a skillet on low to medium heat and spread the bread with butter. I toast it in the pan until golden brown. It is so delicious!

Storage Tips:

Store in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Store in freezer in a freezer safe bag for up to 6 months.

Serving suggestions:

This honey oat sourdough sandwich bread makes the best French toast!

Use for sandwiches and toast alike.

If bread becomes stale, cut in cubes and bake in a low oven until dry. Process in a food processor until fine for breadcrumbs.