My Grandma just so happens to be one of the best people in my life. She’s gracious, warm, funny and lights up a room with her unique soul.
She also is 80, does Zumba and line dancing, still gardens at 6am and apparently goes down waterslides face first. Gotta love her.
My Grandma lived in New Mexico most of her life; I think she appreciates the dusty, dry beauty of the desert there. Her skin is golden year round and she’s rarely cold.
Truth be told, I miss her often; however I am lucky enough to see her twice a year for a few weeks at a time. During the time we are apart, we stay connected by handwriting letters and sending photos of our recent recipe creations in the mail. On those days, mail days are simply the best.
When I am able to visit, we spend the majority of our time cooking together. One of my most favorite recipes from my Grandmother is this Sunflower Oatmeal Bread made with whole grains, flax, sunflower seeds and a touch of honey. Each and every time I beg her to send me home with a loaf, but it just never seems to last long enough on my kitchen counter.
This year I mustered up the courage to bake a loaf. For some reason, I forget that the art of bread making can be deliciously rewarding and nutritious. Plus, it really isn’t that difficult. All you need is a little time to yourself. Rainy days are always my favorite baking days.
Basically I am in love with this bread from the bottom of my heart. It screams comfort and my breakfasts have been more satisfying because of it. If you get a chance, bake yourself a loaf. You won’t regret it.
Special notes about ingredients in this bread recipe:
- You’ll use white whole wheat flour. I haven’t tested it with regular whole wheat flour, but if you do, please know that it may be a tiny bit more dense.
- You also have the option of using regular milk or almond milk; I always use an unsweetened vanilla almond milk because it’s what I usually have in my fridge.
- Lastly, you can use either olive/coconut oil or butter. You’ll get great results either way.
How to serve this honey oatmeal bread:
The best way to serve this? Thickly sliced, toasted and spread with peanut butter. This isn’t really a sandwich bread, but more of a hearty breakfast bread. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Love you, Grandma.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below or tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram so I can see your creations! xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Grandma's Whole Wheat Sunflower Honey Oatmeal Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups almond milk (or regular milk)
- 3 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons melted butter (melted coconut oil will also work)
- 2 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour, plus more if necessary
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 3 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- Extra oats, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Heat milk in a small saucepan over low heat until milk is warm (about 115 degrees F). Remove from pan, stir in oats, yeast and honey. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes until yeast begins to foam.
- Next, stir in melted butter (or oil). Add in whole wheat flour, salt and cinnamon and mix with a spoon until a dough begins to form. Add in sunflower and flaxseed meal and gently mix into the dough. Place dough onto a well-floured surface and knead the dough with your hands for 8-10 minutes. Another option is to use the dough hook on your electric mixer to knead the dough (I prefer this method).
- Form dough into a ball and place in a large, oil-or butter greased bowl, turning the dough over to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and allow the dough to rise for a little over an hour, or until doubled in size.
- Lightly butter or grease a 8x4 inch loaf pan. After dough has risen, knead it just a few more times (about 1 min) then shape dough into a loaf and place in prepared pan, tucking the ends in. Cover the loaf with plastic wrap and a towel and allow it to rise again for another hour, or until the loaf has risen to the brim of the pan.
- Once dough has risen again, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat egg in small bowl and brush over the top of the dough. (Please note that you won't need to use all of the egg wash, but only a small amount.) Sprinkle a few more oats and sunflower seeds on top of the dough. You can also add sesame seeds if you'd like!
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until loaf is golden brown on top and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of the pan. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove bread from pan and place on wire rack to finish cooling for at least 2 hours. Do not cut the bread before it is completely cooled. Bread should be wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature.
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen
Photography by: Sarah Fennel // Broma Bakery
I have tried this recipe twice now. The texture and taste of the loaf is good and the cinnamon is a nice touch. My problem is that the dough rises very quickly, especially on the second rise in the loaf pan. On my second attempt, the loaf was perfectly shaped and risen after only 40 minutes into the recommended 1 hour second rise. Should I be using traditional yeast instead of instant or quick rise or simply use less than 3 tbs yeast? ‘d love to perfect this recipe
Depending on the heat and humidity in your home, it could rise faster! So if it is, that’s totally fine; you can bake it once it reaches the rising indicators.
One of the best breads I’ve ever made. I enjoy a more “closed crumb” bread vs airy, and this is the perfect balance! Tastes fabulous, too. I’m thrilled to add this to my saved recipes ᵕ̈
Perfect! So happy you loved it!
any replacement for sunflower seeds? I just realized i dont have any!
Whole flaxseeds would be great, otherwise feel free to omit!
This was the best whole wheat bread! It rose beautifully and was delicious!
So happy to hear that!
Can this bread be adapted for a bread machine?
I haven’t tested it out so I’m not sure what the instructions or changes would be!
My loaf cracked on the top during the second proof – can you please help why?
Also, the dough was pretty after initial kneading- is this how it’s supposed to be?
Hi! It sounds like the dough may have been too dry, but I missed your note about the texture (your comment says “the dough was pretty after the initial kneading.”) Be sure you’re measuring the flour correctly using this method!
I wanted to post a photo of the bread when it came out of the oven , but it doesn’t work , it truly a wonderful bread came up great and smells wonderful
So glad you loved it! Feel free to share a photo in our Facebook Group 🙂
I made this today and followed the recipe exactly. It was fabulous! I toasted it and put peanut butter on it. Yum yum yum!
Absolutely delicious – I couldn’t find flax seed meal, so I had substituted hemp seeds, but other than that I followed the recipe to the letter. Will definitely make this again. Thank you!
The flavor was super great! I tried to make it in my bread maker and it fell in the center of the loaf:( so im not sure if I did something wrong or if it just doesn’t belong in a bread maker. Otherwise it’s a 5 star recipe!!
Hi Lyndsay – I am not sure if I would recommend making this bread in the bread maker, I haven’t tested it.
I would love to make this! I need to be able to do it in a bread machine, I see some have done it but didn’t share info on how. Do you change any ratios? What settings? Thanks so much. I have a business and 4 kids so time is limited but this looks truly amazing! Any help with bread machine info would be amazing. Thanks
Hi Ashley! I’ve actually never tried it in a bread machine so I’m not 100% sure what the ratios or settings would be – sorry! Maybe a Google search would help?
I would love to make your bread but not sure what you mean by white wholewheat flour. Here in Britain, we have either white bread flour orwholemeal bread flour which is brown.
You could try regular whole wheat flour, but if you do, please know that it may be a tiny bit more dense.
Hi! My son and I are making this wonderful bread on a rainy day)) but I cannot find when in recipe you put oats (except for sprinkling). Are oats used in the dough itself? I feel silly but I can’t find it.
Thank you! I am looking forward to tasting it.
Hi, Alessia! Sorry if I’m too late. The oats are added in step 1 — into the warm milk with the yeast and honey 🙂
Can I make this with gluten-free all purpose flour?
Hi, there! I haven’t tested it with GF flour and I’m not sure it would work well, as the glutens in the wheat flour are what make the bread fluffy!
This is quite an easy bread recipe. I used whole wheat flour, rather than white whole wheat. It is darker in color, but the flavor of the bread is great!!! The crumb is dense but not crumbly. I had the end piece, but I am sure that this bread will be delicious when toasted! Thanks for a good recipe.
So glad to hear it worked well and that you enjoyed it, Sue!
Wheat Bread recipes are the best. Your wheat bread recipes are my first at a successful delicious loaf. I like your thoughts on ” fueling your body and honoring your journey you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to’.
So happy you loved this one, Pattie! 🙂
This bread turned out exactly as promised. It truly is a hearty bread that is dense and delicious! My only recommendation is, and only because of my own stupidity, don’t start this bread at 7:30pm on a Sunday night as the double rise and baking time will keep you up! I am so looking forward to enjoying this for breakfast this week! So far I’ve eaten it with butter ans then drizzled with honey! What a treat!
So glad you love this one! It is a bit labor intensive but worth it 🙂
The spread turned out beautiful! I cut the yeast back by one teaspoon for high altitude and it still came out gorgeous.
Perfect! I’m so glad!
I made this recipe with all whole wheat flour. It took a little longer to rise but it turned out tall and soft. I did use two tablespoons of vital wheat gluten which I frequently use in whole grain breads. The result is a softer texture and a longer shelf life. This bread is a great slice of toast at breakfast.
I’m glad that worked out well! Love this one for toast, too 🙂
Is this a sweet bread or is it more neutral flavored? I’m wondering how it would taste as avocado toast.
It’s slightly sweet with the honey but would be delicious as avocado toast! You could also try my seedy sandwich bread that’s even more neutral 🙂
This bread!! So, so, so good. I have made it twice in the last week. I made it exactly to the recipe the first time except I used plain whole wheat and I forgot to knead it for 8-10 min. before letting it raise and it was still good but kinda dense. The second time I kneaded it before setting it in front of our wood stove to raise it faster. I also kneaded it every 15 min. Before kneading it a last time and shaping it and putting it in the pan. It was way better! I will definately make this again!
Perfect! I’m glad that worked out better!
I tried this when I got bored of making sourdough and it is awesome! It’s hard to find a whole wheat bread that is so soft and tasty, but I could seriously eat this whole loaf in one sitting. I liked it as is, but found if I leave out the cinnamon it makes a great bread for sandwiches.
So happy to hear that! You’ll have to try my seedy sandwich bread next 🙂
Do you use old fashioned or quick cooking oatmeal?
Old fashioned!
This went wrong early for me. Not sure what I did but the dough wouldn’t come together properly for me. However I decided to try a little more flour and work it a bit more. Put it in the pan to finish rising and it did. It Is so DENSE. A meal all to itself. Very tasty. I will try again to see if I can get to be less brick like. Again still had great flavor.
This bread is a bit more dense but shouldn’t be like a brick. I’m not sure where to pinpoint what could have gone wrong here! I’m sorry. I suggest trying again
This is a really nice recipe. I ended up with a very large loaf, it was tasty but needs more than .5 tsp of salt.
I just think the recipe needs some tweaks. It’s a bit awkward to say heat the milk, and “remove it from the pan.” Better to put the honey (I used agave because bee spit, eww) and yeast (3 tsp is 1 Tbsp) etc. in a large bowl and add the milk. Then you’re set to continue.
I found the dough to be very sticky, I’m not sure if that’s the intent. Also, it’s critical to preheat the oven BEFORE the second rise is completed. If you wait until it’s risen, it will collapse as the oven is heating. It looks like the bread is slashed with a lame, but there is no instruction to do so so I didn’t. My loaf rose so high so fast, I thought it might fall if I slashed it. (I deflated it but did not knead it after the first rise)
Thanks for your notes! I didn’t end up slashing at all, but I’m glad you enjoyed 🙂
I baked the bread again yesterday and it turned out amazing, so delicious! It didn’t over-rise this time. Still, it would be great to clarify the instructions, especially for those new to baking. Regards!
So happy to hear that!
I’ve made this bread twice and let me tell you it is delicious. And when it’s toasted, forget about it! I love this spread and will make this a staple at my house!
I meant bread…
Amazing! So glad you loved it!
I made this bread exactly like the recipe. The white whole wheat bread was very dense and the cinnamon was not a good add in.
I remade it with only 1 cup of white whole wheat and the rest bread flour and no cinnamon and it raised very well and was fabulous.
Sorry to hear that! I’m not sure how that could’ve happened originally, but I’m glad it worked the second time around.
The first time I made this I messed it up. I put the egg into the recipe. The bread was still good. The second time I made it I deliberately put the egg in it but I also tried something else. I had seen other bread recipes that put 1/4 cup of wheat gluten in with anything that was made with whole wheat flour. I decided to give it a try and I liked it so now I do that every time I make this recipe. I believe it gives the texture a little more lightness. Either way this is the only recipe that I use for the white whole wheat bread.
I’m glad that works out well! One of my favs 🙂
Hello, I came across your bread and it looked delicious! I am planning to make it, but seem to be having some problems finding the whole wheat flour, is it possible to substitute it for Spelt flour instead? I’m new to bread making so I’m unfamiliar with how much it can change the outcome. Thank you, I appreciate the advice 🙂
Hi! I wouldn’t recommend, I’m sorry!
Great recipe! I added a few extras like chia seeds and wheat germ. About to go in the oven. Such a pretty loaf!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
I reduced the honey to 1 tbsp because I wanted it to be low in sugar and found that 1/2 tsp of salt was too little giving a bland bread. If I made it again definitely would use about 1 1/2 tsp instead but other than that it’s still very tasty!
Glad to hear your modifications worked! So good 🙂
What could I sub for the flaxseed meal?
You could try almond flour!
This recipe is amazing! I made it a couple months ago, Admittedly, i veganized (no egg, vegan butter) and adjusted a lot of the ingredients to make it healthier: flax seed for the egg, some honey and some maple syrup (about 50/50), about 1.25 cups rolled oats blended into flour and 1.5 cups whole wheat flour. I did add the butter but honestly I think I could probably skip the butter and substitute with mild olive oil or no oil and see how it turns out. I might try the olive oil method this time since it’s a healthier source of omegas than butter and I want to experiment.
I’m sorry I didn’t follow your recipe exactly, I hope you can understand, it’s not in my personality to follow recipes so I always get inspo from the recipe but do my own thing and personalize the recipe 🙂
I’m glad those adjustments worked out for you!
Fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly. It is delicious eaten by itself or with any type of sandwich It will definitely be a regular at my house. Thanks, Monique!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
Have you tried this with Spelt Flour? I prefer it as it agrees with me more.
I haven’t tried it! Let me know if you do 🙂
When the recipes says white whole wheat flour…can I also use whole wheat flour?
I’m afraid the bread will likely be way too dense!
Wow!! So yummy and hearty… So I made the recipe BUT put it into my crockpot…. YES, my crockpot… I didn’t let rise and it took 2 hours to cook..
make dough into a round, put on parchment paper and set into crockpot.. I pre-heated my crockpot on High.. I let it cook 2 hours, and used a digital thermometer and it’s cooked at 200 degrees. broiled it for 5 to brown the top.. rest 15 minutes and dig in…
Wow! I’m glad that method worked out well!
This recipe looks delicious! I can’t wait to try this. Adding the ingredients to my grocery list now!
Thanks for sharing!
Perfect! Hope you love it!
I have made this recipe twice because I have heard so many great things about it! And I love the part about your grandma! Both times it turned out too dense! It doubled in size in the first step but not a lot once it was in the pan. Cannot figure out where I went wrong, I followed the recipe exactly! Help!
So sorry to hear that! Maybe I need to test the recipe again 🙂
Made this last weekend and it was delicious! I am never sure when bread is really “done” – I’ve never been able to tell if it sounds hollow or not. Do you happen to know what the internal temperature should be once it’s done? Many bread recipes specify 190-200 degrees, not sure if that would work for this one. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed! Yes, typically 180-190 is when bread is done 🙂
Bread was very delicious. Made it with whole wheat flour (not the white variety) and still had a good texture that wasnt too dense. Making high altitude adjustments (7500′) were actually minimal. Only used one packet of active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp). Adjusted first rise to ~45 min and second rise to ~40 min, judging on how much its expanded instead of exact timing.
Was great with breakfast and with a hearty soup (we did broccoli cheddar).
I’m so glad those little adjustments worked out well! Sounds delicious with soup 🙂
I think I’ll try this using the bread machine on the dough setting, then follow your directions for the final rise in the pan then baking. Sounds delicious!!!
Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Not sure what happened but it came out like a paperweight never rised enough
So strange! I’m not sure what could’ve happened – I would double check you ingredient ratios and maybe the video 🙂