Oat Nut Bread (Bread Machine & Oven Recipes) + Video

This oat nut bread recipe creates a deliciously “crunchy” bread with extra oat fiber. On this page, you will be shown how to bake this bread in your oven or in your bread machine. Thus there are two easy ways to make this delicious oat nut bread!

Oat nut bread is a nice change from plain old white bread or whole wheat bread because it has a more varied interior texture (due to the addition of the small walnut bits).

Oat Nut Bread

Recipe Sections

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Recipe Video
• Helpful Tips

Your family will enjoy this bread because it is perfect for making hearty lunch sandwiches. It is also a more interesting & “crunchy” bread to use for your breakfast toast. FYI – This bread is one of my favorite sandwich breads. A chicken salad sandwich with oat nut bread. Yum!!

Disclaimer – Since this bread recipe contains chopped nuts, please do not serve this bread to anyone with potential peanut or tree nut allergies.

Close-Up of Oat Nut Bread – Lots of Nuts!!

Ingredients

• 1 1/8 Cups – Milk (warm) – 266 milliliters – FYI – 1 1/8 cups is equal to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of milk.
• 4 Tablespoons – Unsalted Butter (sliced & softened) – 57 grams
• 2 1/2 Cups – Bread Flour – 300 grams
• 3/4 Cup – Oat Flakes (oatmeal) – 68 grams – Do not pre-moisten the oat flakes. I like to use plain old-fashioned oat flakes (oatmeal) to make this bread.
• 1/3 Cup – Light Brown Sugar (packed cup) – 72 grams
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Salt – 9 grams
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Instant Yeast (or Bread Machine Yeast) – 4.5 grams – This recipe does not use active dry yeast.
• 1 Cup – Chopped Walnuts – 115 grams

Servings – Roughly 18 slices (oven-baked version) or 12 slices (bread machine version)

Equipment Needed (for oven-baked version) – Measuring cup & spoons, flexible spatula, cutting board, 9×5 bread pan, oven mitts, oven, wire cooling rack and a kneading machine to make the dough (either a bread machine or electric stand mixer with dough hook).

Equipment Needed (for bread machine-baked version) – Measuring cup & spoons, silicone spatula, oven mitts, cooling rack and a bread machine.

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Recipe Video – Watch How Recipe Is Made (Bread Machine Version)

Instructions (Bread Machine Baked Version) – Click on links below to jump to the appropriate sections

• Mixing, kneading & baking in a bread machine

Instructions (Oven Baked Version)

• Creating dough with a bread machine
• Or creating dough with an electric stand mixer & dough hook
• Shaping the dough & baking the bread in the oven

Oven-Baked Oat Nut Bread – Fresh From The Oven

Instructions – Creating Dough with a Bread Machine

• Your bread machine should be unplugged.
• Remove the bread pan from the bread machine (so when you add the ingredients, they can not accidentally spill into the machine).
• Pour the milk & softened butter into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients. Place the instant yeast (bread machine yeast) in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together by the bread machine). Some bakers like to make a small indent on top of the flour to prevent the yeast from spilling into the liquids or mixing with the salt before the machine is turned on.
• Put the bread pan with ingredients back into the unplugged bread machine.
• Plug in the bread machine. Enter the “Dough” setting on your bread machine and then press the “Start” button.
• Add the chopped walnuts to the bread pan about 5-10 minutes after the start button was pressed. FYI – You do not want to wait too long or the chopped nuts will not be mixed into the dough properly. Of course, you do not want to add them too early or they will be covered in flour which can impact the taste of the nuts.
• When the bread machine has finished making the bread dough, unplug the bread machine.
• Remove the bread pan from the bread machine.
• Now go to the instruction section below on “shaping the dough & baking the bread”. FYI – Ignore the instructions for the electric stand mixer below if you are using a bread machine to make your dough. Skip down to the shaping the dough & baking the bread section.

Instructions – Creating Dough with an Electric Stand Mixer with Dough Hook

• Your electric mixer should be unplugged.
• Remove the mixing bowl from the electric mixer.
• Insert a dough hook into the electric mixer.
• Pour the milk & softened butter into the mixing bowl and then add the other ingredients. Place the instant yeast (bread machine yeast) in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid (until the electric mixer is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together). Some bakers like to make a small indent on the top of the flour to prevent the yeast from spilling into the liquids or mixing with the salt before the machine is turned on.
• Place the mixing bowl back into the electric stand mixer.
• Plug in the electric mixer and use a low speed (i.e. setting 2) to mix the dough. Mix the dough for 7-10 minutes.
• Add the chopped walnuts about 3-4 minutes after the mixer was turned on. FYI – The dough should be fully mixed and the kneading process underway. To be safe, unplug the machine when adding the chopped nuts. After adding the nuts, plug in the machine and finish the kneading.
• When done with the kneading, turn off the electric mixer and unplug the machine.
• Remove the mixing bowl from the electric mixer. Pour the dough into a second large mixing bowl that has been lightly “greased” with olive oil, cooking spray, etc.
• Optional – Lightly coat the top of the dough with olive oil in order to prevent the dough exterior from drying out.
• Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes until it doubles in size.
• After the dough has risen, go to the instruction section below on “shaping the dough & baking the bread”.

Instructions – Shaping the Dough & Baking the Bread

• Sprinkle a little bit of flour onto a large cutting board.
• Remove the dough from the bread pan or mixing bowl and place the dough on the cutting board.
• Press down on the dough with your hands and create a “flattish” rectangle with the dough. The dough should be roughly 1 inch high.
• Roll up the dough into a tight “jelly roll”. FYI – Please see the short instructional videos in the tips section below on how to shape the dough if you haven’t shaped bread dough before. It is easier to watch & learn from these short videos versus trying to explain the rolling technique step by step.
• Place the rolled up dough into the bread pan.
• Press down on top of the dough so the edges of the dough press out towards the sides of the bread pan. This should result in little or no gaps between the dough and the bread pan. This helps the bread to turn into a nice loaf shape without any misshapen edges. Make sure that the top of the pressed down dough is roughly level (so one side isn’t much higher than the other).
• Optional – Brush olive oil on top of the dough with a pastry brush. This prevents the crust from drying out as the dough rises.
• Loosely cover the top of the bread pan with plastic wrap. Set the covered bread pan aside for 60-90 minutes for the dough to rise into a loaf shape. Once the dough has risen 1 – 1.5 inches (2.5 – 3.8 cm) above the rim of the bread pan, the dough should be ready to be placed in the oven. FYI – You want the dough to fully rise during this stage. So don’t try to shorten this rising time. If the dough is still significantly rising while in the oven, you are more likely to see crust/seam cracks or “bursts” in the oven. In addition, the speed of the dough rise will vary in part based on the temperature of your kitchen (i.e. rise faster in the summer & slower in the winter).
• Preheat the oven to 350 F about 20 minutes before you plan to put the dough in the oven. FYI – I like to set my timer to go off 40 minutes after I place the dough in the bread pan. Given variability in the dough rising time, this can be a little early sometimes (but better to be a little early versus being late!).
• Place the bread pan in the (preheated) oven to bake at 350 F for 37-42 minutes. Wear oven mitts when dealing with a hot oven. Place the bread pan in the middle of the oven.
• Rotate the bread pan in the oven after 15-20 minutes (in order to ensure an even browning of the bread).
• After the 37-42 minute baking period has finished, remove the bread pan from the oven. Wear oven mitts. Optional – Use a digital thermometer to confirm that the bread has been fully baked. See tips below.
• Remove the bread from the bread pan and place the bread on a wire cooling rack. Wear oven mitts.
• Allow the bread to cool down on the wire cooling rack for 1-2 hours before cutting the bread.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully.

Instructions – Mixing, Kneading & Baking in a Bread Machine

• Bread machine settings – 2 pound loaf, light color and “basic” bread setting.
• Unplug your bread machine.
• Remove the bread pan from the unplugged bread machine (so when you add the ingredients, they can not accidentally spill into the machine).
• Pour the milk & softened butter into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients. Place the instant yeast/bread machine yeast in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together by the bread machine). FYI – Many bakers like to make a crater/pocket in the top of the flour to hold the yeast so the yeast does not contact the liquid or salt in the bread pan.
• Put the bread pan with ingredients back into the unplugged bread machine.
• Plug in the bread machine. Enter the correct settings (2 lb, light color, basic bread) and press the “start” button.
• Add the chopped walnuts to the bread pan about 10 minutes after the start button was pressed. FYI – You will be adding the chopped nuts during the dough “rest” period between the first and second mixing/kneading cycles.
• When the bread machine has finished baking the bread, unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan from the bread machine. Wear oven mitts as the bread pan & bread machine will be hot.
• Remove the bread from the bread pan and place the bread on a cooling rack. Use oven mitts when removing the bread as the bread & bread pan will be hot.
• After removing the bread, don’t forget to remove the mixing paddle if it is stuck in the bread. Use oven mitts as the mixing paddle will be very hot coming out of the bread machine. Or wait until the bread is completely cooled and then remove the mixing paddle.
• Let the bread cool on the cooling rack for 1-2 hours before cutting.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully. You also can watch my recipe video to “see” how each recipe step is done.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below & give us a 5 star rating. Beginning bakers learn a lot from your baking comments, tips & recipe variations. Jump to comment section

Other Bread Dad Sections

• Bread Machines – My favorites
• Bread Machine Cookbooks
• Bread Mixes – Ingredient kits
• Bread Tools – Bread slicers, etc.

Bread Oat Nut – Bread Machine Baked

Helpful Tips

• The tips below are designed to help baking & bread making “novices”. Intermediate and advanced bread makers probably know most of these bread making tips.
• Click on our “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• If you would rather “see” how this recipe is made, please watch the step-by-step recipe video on this page. It is a short & simple video that shows you how to make this recipe.
• This oatnut bread recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on Easy Bread Recipes (such as recipes for extra soft white bread, multigrain bread, French bread and many more).

• For the best results, you should use NEW chopped walnuts (from an unopened package). After you have opened a bag of chopped walnuts, the walnuts can go rancid (bad) quickly due to their high oil content. Once the walnut package has been opened, you should store the chopped walnuts in an airtight container in your refrigerator or freezer. Do not use old walnuts that have been sitting in your pantry in an already opened bag. Also check the expiration date on sealed (unopened) walnut packages in order to make sure that they are still good.
• Try to use small chopped walnuts bits (versus large walnut chunks) for better walnut “dispersion” within the interior of the bread. Also large chunks have more potential to cause structural problems for the loaf (as more “binding” dough is displaced by large walnut chunks).
• Optional – For greater variety, you can use chopped pecans as an alternative to the chopped walnuts. Or you can try making a oat nut bread with a 50/50 blend of chopped walnuts & chopped pecans.
• FYI – Some bread machines have a fruit & nut dispenser. This dispenser will automatically add the chopped nuts at the correct time when you are making bread machine-baked oat nut bread. Please read your bread machine manual on how to use the fruit & nut dispenser correctly on your specific machine.
• Visitors – What do you like to add to your oat nut bread (to make it even more unique or special)? Different kinds of chopped nuts? Sunflower seeds? Multigrain cereal? Whole wheat flour? Please post your ideas in the comment section below.

• Do not pre-moisten the oat flakes before adding them to the bread pan.
• You need to use DRY oat flakes in order to make this bread (don’t use already cooked/boiled oatmeal). Boiled oatmeal has varying amounts of moisture and will mess up the recipe. If you use boiled oatmeal, the bread will have too much liquid (versus what is called for in the recipe) and come out undercooked.
• I like to use old fashioned oat flakes (oatmeal) because it has large less processed flakes. However, you can also use one-minute oatmeal (but it reduces the texture of the bread somewhat).
• Do not use steel cut oatmeal or the oat nut bread will not come out well. Steel cut oatmeal takes too long to absorb the proper amount of moisture.
• This oat nut bread recipe is based on using plain oat flakes (oatmeal). You should not use oatmeal packages flavored with sugar & seasonings to make this recipe.
• For bread machine users – This oat nut bread machine recipe shows you how to bake the oat nut bread in your bread machine or how to bake it in your oven (after making the dough in your bread machine). Of course, for non-bread machine users, it shows you how to make this oat nut bread recipe with an electric stand mixer.

• Use FRESH ingredients (i.e. flour) for the best results. Ingredients that have been sitting in the pantry for months can become stale or pick up weird smells & flavors.
• Try to keep your ingredients (i.e. flour) in airtight food containers in order to extend their shelf life. Airtight containers also help to prevent ingredients (i.e. flour and sugar) from absorbing moisture from the air. This extra moisture can throw off recipes (as it can disrupt the liquid-to-dry ingredient ratio in the recipe) and shorten an ingredient’s shelf life. They also help to prevent exposure to pests, dust, etc.
• This recipe calls for the use of bread flour. If you are out of bread flour, you can use all purpose flour in a pinch. However, an all purpose flour bread will be less airy and fluffy (when compared to oat nut bread made with bread flour).
• Do not use cold milk (or super hot milk) to make this recipe or the yeast may have trouble growing properly. Yeast is sort of like Goldilocks – it doesn’t like things too hot or too cold.
• I like to semi-melt the sliced butter in the microwave for better “mixability”.

• Optional – For a more buttery top, you can brush on 1 tablespoon of melted butter on the top crust of the nut bread. This should be done right after the bread comes out of the oven or bread machine (while it is the bread is still hot). Use a pastry brush to brush on the butter.
• The oven-baked version of this bread recipe calls for the use of a 9 x 5 inch bread pan. You can also use a 8.5 x 4.5 inch bread pan but the “crown” of the bread might come out too tall (or overflow) if your yeast is very active.
• The flattening & shaping of the dough and the press down of the dough in the bread pan is the “punch down” phase. This helps to squeeze out any large bubbles produced by the yeast in the dough.
• If you don’t do this punch down phase, your bread will have large air pockets. Large air pockets are fine for ciabatta-type breads but are not ideal for sandwich bread. The punch down & second rising helps to create a lighter & chewier bread. It also creates a more uniform & tighter bread texture which is better for sandwich breads.

• If you are having problems shaping your dough, you should watch the “how to” instructional videos below. These are links to bread dough shaping videos on Youtube.
• King Arthur Baking
• San Diego Artisan Bread School
• Father Dominic – a slightly different method versus the videos above
• Don’t worry if you are a beginner and the bread top comes out a little lopsided. The bread will still taste great. It takes a little while for new bakers to learn how to shape a bread consistently. 
• If you want more oat bread recipes, check out my recipes for Honey Oat Bread (bread machine & oven options) and Bread Machine Oatmeal Bread.

• How do you know when the dough has risen enough in the second rise (when the dough is in the bread pan)? After letting the dough rise for 60-90 minutes (and when it is roughly 1-1.1.5 inches above the 9×5 bread pan), you can try the “poke test“. Poke your finger into the dough (going in about an inch). If the poke hole rebounds immediately, you need to allow more time for the dough to rise further (it is “under proofed”). If the hole doesn’t come back at all, the dough has risen too much (it is “over proofed”). If the hole slowly fills over 2-3 seconds, the dough is at the right stage of proofing.
• Unfortunately, the temperature of your kitchen can make the timing for this perfect poke result hard to predict (because there is a faster dough rise in hot kitchens and a slower rise in cold kitchens). Experience with “proofing” will make this easier (but it can be a problem for beginning bakers).
• If the dough is “underproofed” (hasn’t risen enough) when you place it in the oven, the bread is more likely to burst/crack when baked in the oven (as the still rising dough will push against the hardening crust and “burst” at the seams of the crust). Bakers try to get around this issue via testing for the right “proofing” level (i.e. use the poke test), “scoring” breads (slicing the top of the dough so the cracks occur where you want them), adding moisture inside the oven (so the dough doesn’t harden as quickly), using a dutch oven (in order to trap the dough moisture inside the dutch oven container & not spread out into the oven), etc.

• Don’t overproof the dough (let it rise too long). This occasionally happens when someone forgets about the rising dough and comes back hours later to check. Overproofed dough leads to deflated dough as well as flat and/or sunken bread tops. According to Wikipedia, “Overproofing occurs when a fermenting dough has rested too long. Its bubbles have grown so large that they have popped and tunneled, and dough baked at this point would result in a bread with poor structure.”
• If your dough is “over proofed”, you might like to read the King Arthur Baking article “How to save over-proofed dough” as it gives tips on how to save the dough.
• For more information on dough proofing, please read this MasterClass article “Baking 101: What Is Proofing?“.

• This bread recipe uses instant yeast or bread machine yeast. It is not focused on active dry yeast. This recipe is targeted towards instant yeast & bread machine yeast as many of our visitors are bread machine users.
• Active dry yeast is different from instant yeast & bread machine yeast. Instant yeast & bread machine yeast are added directly to the recipe’s ingredients. In contrast, active dry yeast must be activated in water before being added to a recipe’s ingredients. Many bakers find it quicker to use instant yeast because you just add it to the dry ingredients. With active dry yeast, you need to spend roughly 10 minutes “proofing” (activating) the yeast with a liquid & sugar.
• Cooler home temperatures in the winter can cause rising problems for bread dough. Ideally, your room temperature should be around 75-80 degrees F. Colder winter room temperatures can significantly delay the rise of the dough. You will need to raise the temperature of your kitchen (if you like a cold house in the winter) or find a warm spot for the dough to rise. I often put my dough (covered of course) next to a heating vent in the winter to make sure it is getting enough heat.
• Conversely, dough can rise faster than expected in a very hot kitchen.

• Kitchen humidity can also impact a recipe. A winter kitchen tends to be drier due to your heating system drying out the air. In contrast, a kitchen in the summer can be much more humid. This change in humidity impacts baking as flour can soak up humidity from the air. Therefore, you might have to add 1-2 teaspoons of liquid in the winter if the dough is looking too dry. Or you might have to add 1-2 teaspoons of flour in the summer if the dough is looking too wet. If your kitchen is very dry or humid, you might have to add even a little more (but start with 1 teaspoon at a time until you achieve the right consistency).
• Of course, excessive kitchen humidity or dryness can impact a recipe at any time during the year (not just in the summer & winter)!
• Other factors that can impact the rise of the dough include old or expired yeast, contaminated yeast (i.e. the yeast was left in an open jar & air moisture contaminated it), water that is too cold or too hot, using heavily chlorinated tap water, placing salt next to or on top of the yeast (salt can kill yeast or inhibit its growth), not covering the dough during the rising period (as the exterior of the dough can dry out & limit the ability to rise), etc.

• It takes roughly 15-20 minutes to preheat most ovens with some variability due to the size of the oven, planned baking temperature (hotter takes longer), etc.
• Optional – Use an oven thermometer as your expected oven temperature may be different than reality. Some ovens can be 25-50+ degrees F hotter or colder than the number you set with your oven dial. An oven thermometer (which usually costs less than $10) is an easy way to measure the actual temperature inside your oven.
• Optional – Use a digital bread thermometer to test if your bread is completely done. The interior temperature of the bread should be 190-200 degrees F. This inexpensive tool can save you from underbaked breads.

• You should let your bread cool down for 1-2 hours on the wire cooling rack before you cut any slices (or the slices will be “gummy” and not taste as good as expected). Excess interior moisture is released (via steam) during the cooldown period.
• If you have not made bread in a long time, please buy some NEW bread machine yeast or instant yeast before making your bread. Old yeast can die or lose its potency and this will lead to bread that does not rise properly. Yeast is not likely to be viable if it has been sitting in your pantry for years.
• Once you have opened the container that contains the yeast, the yeast will last longer if you store the bottle in the refrigerator or freezer. Just make sure the bottle is sealed tight (as yeast will deteriorate quickly if exposed to air, moisture and/or heat).
• If you like “nutty” breads (like this oatnut bread), you should also try our Bread Machine Cranberry Walnut Bread or our oven-baked Cranberry Walnut Bread.

• My recipes are based on US ingredient measurements (i.e. US cups & tablespoons). However, as a courtesy to our European visitors, I have also included some very ROUGH European equivalents (i.e. grams & milliliters). Since I rarely use European measurements when baking, please let me know in the comment section below if any of the European ingredient measurements need to be changed (i.e. for XYZ ingredient, milliliters are more commonly used versus the grams information listed in the recipe).
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a bread machine and/or oven. Both can get very hot!
• For more easy bread ideas, please visit Bread Dad’s sections on Bread Machine Recipes and Homemade Bread Recipes.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below & give us a 5 star rating. It is ALWAYS fantastic to hear from someone who has enjoyed our recipes!! Jump to comment section

Gourmet Bread Mixes – Packaged bread mixes are an easy way to make delicious homemade bread because the ingredients are already pre-measured. At no extra cost to you, we make a small commission if you buy products via the links below.

• Farmhouse Honey Wheat Bread Mix
• California Raisin Gourmet Bread Mix
• Black Russian (Pumpernickel) Bread Mix
• New York Rye Gourmet Bread Mix
• San Francisco Style Sourdough Bread Mix
• Other Popular Mixes such as Buttermilk White Bread, Cranberry Nut Bread, Italian Country Bread, Lumberjack Bread, etc.

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Reference Sources

• Wikipedia, Bread
• Wikipedia, Bread Machine
• Wikipedia, Oat
• Wikipedia, Oatmeal
• Wikipedia, Walnut

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• Buttermilk Bread (Oven Baked)
• Cranberry Walnut Bread (Oven Baked)
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• Soft White Bread (Oven Baked) – Uses sour cream
• White Bread Instant Yeast (Oven Baked)

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