Vegan Molasses Oatmeal Bread

This hearty, yet soft loaf of bread is easy to make, has a tender, fluffy texture, and is so delicious!

You’ll get two loaves out of this recipe – one to enjoy now and one to freeze for later – so you’ll always have a tasty slice of oatmeal bread available for meals and snacks.

Yeast ~ We are using active dry yeast in this recipe, which seems to be the most readily available in grocery stores. It needs to be activated before adding to the reicpe. For this step, use warm water to activate the yeast, not boiling water.

You may have seen recipes that call for sugar in the activating process, but this isn’t necessary. [source]

If you have instant dry yeast, you can use that, instead.

Molasses ~Molasses provides sweetness and depth of flavor.

If you love molasses, don’t miss these: Chocolate Molasses Cookies, Vegan Gingerbread Cake, Oat Milk Gingerbread Smoothie, or Healthy Cookie Butter!

Oats ~ Oats have a mild, nutty flavor. They add moisture to this bread, making the inside soft and fluffy.

Use old-fashioned rolled oats for best texture. I do not recommend instant oats or quick oats in this case as they may cause the dough to be too sticky. Do not use steel cut oats as they won’t soften.

Oats are so versatile! Try them in my Healthy Oatmeal, Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars, Strawberry Overnight Oats, Vegan Carrot Muffins, and Spicy Bean Burgers!

Flour ~ I use all-purpose flour because it’s a pantry staple and I always have it on hand. If you have bread flour, that will work, as well.

Bread flour is marginally higher in protein than all-purpose, resulting in a denser bread with a slightly higher rise, but the difference is minimal and you likely won’t notice.

I have not trialed this easy homemade bread recipe with gluten-free flour, so proceed at your own risk if you choose to do so.

Butter ~ Your favorite vegan butter will work. Use the stick butter, not the spreadable kind in a tub.

1 Activate the yeast by whisking it with warm water. Set aside.

2 Make the oatmeal by mixing the oats, molasses, and boiling water.

3 Add the cubed butter to the oatmeal mixture.

4 Stir the butter until it melts. Set aside to cool down a bit.

5 Add the activated yeast mixture and the salt to the slightly cooled oatmeal mixture.

6 Add the flour, ½ cup at a time, mixing after each addition.

7 Continue adding flour until you can no longer easily mix it in, about 4 cups.

8 Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured work surface. Continue to knead in flour until the dough doesn’t stick to the counter.

9 Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap.

10 Set aside to rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

11 Divide the dough in 2.

12 Roll out one dough ball, on a lightly floured surface, into a rectangle.

13 Roll up the rectangle into a loaf shape. Roll the loaf in rolled oats. Repeat steps 12 and 13 for the second dough ball.

14 Transfer the loaves to prepared loaf pans. Allow to rise again for 30 minutes.

15 Bake the loaves in a preheated oven for 50 minutes, until the top and sides are golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

Storage and freezing

Counter: Store this bread in an air-tight container on the counter for 3 to 4 days.

Fridge: It will last up to 5 days in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Freezer: You can also freeze this oatmeal bread! It can be stored whole or sliced. Either way, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then foil or place in a freezer bag. It should keep well for up to 3 months.

Defrost the wrapped loaf at room temperature on the counter.

This easy homemade bread recipe can be used in the same way you would use any loaf of sandwich bread.

It makes great healthy breakfast toast or vegan avocado toast.

Make a hummus sandwich, vegan BLT sandwich, pesto tofu sandwich, vegan tuna salad sandwich, or vegan chickpea salad sandwich. Of course a good ol’ classic PB&J would be perfection on this vegan oatmeal bread!

Serve it alongside tofu veggie scramble in the morning, Butter Lettuce Salad for lunch, or a bowl of Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup for a cozy dinner.

~ Use warm water to activate the yeast. Not boiling water.

~ Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick or instant, and definitely not steel cut!

~ Allow the oatmeal mixture to cool just a bit (about 110°F…an instant read thermometer is great for this) before adding the activated yeast. If the temperature is too hot, it will kill the yeast and it’s ability to leaven the dough.

~ If you do not have a scale to weigh the flour, use the spoon and level method of measuring. Gently fluff up the flour with a spoon. Spoon it lightly into a measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Do not press it down into the measuring cup and do not scoop directly with the measuring cup as you will end up with too much flour resulting in a dense, tough bread.

~ Stop adding flour to the dough once it is no longer sticking to your work surface. You may not need the full amount listed.

~ Allow the dough to double in size before separating into two dough balls.

~ Allow one more quick rise in the loaf pans before baking.

~ Bake until the top and sides are golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when to tap on it with a wooden spoon.

~ Allow the oatmeal bread to cool for about 20 minutes before slicing.