Leftover Oatmeal Bread is a fantastic way to repurpose leftover oatmeal. This hearty bread is so delicious and satisfying that you’re liable to “accidentally” make too much oatmeal just to have an excuse to make the bread!
I’ve mentioned a time or two that I’m not overly coherent in the morning, so I either need to plan ahead and make something like baked oatmeal for breakfast, or breakfast has to be super easy to make like these Blueberry Protein Pancakes. Otherwise, I can’t be held responsible for what happens until after 10:00 a.m. If you know of a way that I can somehow train myself to like coffee so as to start the day with a little jolt of caffeine, then I’m listening!
Short of a caffeine infusion first thing in the morning, breakfast around here is usually simple with a larger meal happening around lunch time. Oatmeal is a good, hearty option that I make at least once a week. If I’m really organized, I’ll get a pot of Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats going before going to bed at night so that breakfast is ready when we wake up in the morning. Sometimes I top savory oats with a soft fried egg, like these Spinach & Sweet Potato Oats, or these Huevos Rancheros Oats.
Most of the time, I go the easy route and simply make a big pot of oatmeal and let everyone add their toppings of choice. We call it “Oatmeal Bar” breakfast. Such was the case the other day when I made what I thought was a standard batch of oatmeal. After dishing out heaping bowls of hot oats, I noticed that I still had a healthy amount left in the pot. As it turns out, I must have made a double batch of oatmeal. For those of you keeping score, that equals twelve servings of oatmeal rather than our usual six!
Oops. I apparently don’t math very well first thing in the morning.
Since I am firmly in the Oatmeal Doesn’t Reheat Well Camp, I had to come up with something to do with all of the extra servings!
A quick internet search later, and I found Alton Brown’s recipe for Leftover Oatmeal Bread. Bless Alton’s culinary-nerd-loving-soul, but his recipe only yields a single loaf of bread. Cute, eh? A single loaf of fresh bread lasts approximately 96 seconds around here. That along with the fact that I had a small trough of leftover oatmeal necessitated that I double the batch to make two loaves of bread.
Because I love ya, I weighed the ingredients as Alton does and converted them to standard measurements. The resulting Leftover Oatmeal Bread is nothing short of amazing! Leftover Oatmeal Bread is soft and chewy and stays that way for days!
Leftover Oatmeal Bread is a fantastic way to repurpose leftover oatmeal. This hearty bread is so delicious and satisfying that you’re liable to “accidentally” make too much oatmeal just to have an excuse to make the bread! Leftover Oatmeal Bread makes fantastic toast, delicious sandwiches, and really tasty french toast. If your family doesn’t plow through fresh bread as quickly as mine does, you can rest easy knowing that the bread freezes beautifully!
Make extra oatmeal just to make Leftover Oatmeal Bread!
Alton Brown, gently adapted with thanks by Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic
Yields 2 Standard 9-inch loves
Leftover Oatmeal Bread is a fantastic way to repurpose leftover oatmeal. This hearty bread is so delicious and satisfying that you’re liable to “accidentally” make too much oatmeal just to have an excuse to make the bread!
2 hr, 45 Prep Time
55 minCook Time
3 hr, 40 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- For the Bread:
- 4 2/3 C. (22 oz.) all purpose flour, divided
- 4 ½ tsp. (2 packets) rapid rise or instant yeast
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 24 oz. (1lb. 8 oz.) leftover cooked oatmeal, cooled*
- ½ C. warm (110 degrees F) water (warm but not so hot as to burn when touched)
- 2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. canola oil, divided
- ¼ C. honey
- For the Topping:
- 1 whole egg
- 1 Tbs. cold water
- 2 Tbs. rolled old fashioned oats, divided
Instructions
- Whisk 4 cups of the flour with the yeast and salt in a medium bowl to combine; briefly set aside.
- In a large bowl (preferably of a stand mixer,) stir the leftover oatmeal, water, 2 tablespoons of the canola oil, and honey together with the paddle attachment until blended (or with a by hand with a wooden spoon.) Gradually stir the flour mixture into the oatmeal mixture in three additions until the dough is smooth and sticky. Knead in up to the remaining 2/3 cup of flour into the dough until it is soft and less sticky, but not dry; that’s 2 minutes on speed 2 with a Kitchen Aid artisan stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, or about 8 to 10 minutes by hand.
- Drizzle the remaining 2 teaspoons of canola oil into a large bowl; briefly set aside. Turn the bread dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a large ball. Place the dough ball into the prepared bowl, turning it to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap then a clean kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm, draft free place to rise until dough has doubled in bulk; about 1 hour.
- Spray two standard 9”x5”x3” loaf pans with cooking spray. Once the dough is doubled, punch it down and divide it into two equal halves. Roll each half into a rectangular loaf. Place one loaf into each of the prepared pans. Lightly press the loaf down to reach all edges of the pan. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray, so as not to stick to the dough during the second rise. Place a clean kitchen towel over the plastic wrap and let the loaves rise to the top of the loaf pans; about 1 hour.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Once the loaves have completed the second rise, whisk the egg with water to create and egg wash. Slash the tops of the loaves with a very sharp knife to allow for expansion in the oven. Lightly brush the loaves with the egg wash. Divide the oats in half and sprinkle one half over each of the loaves. Very gently press the oats on the egg washed surface to adhere.
- Bake the loaves in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until bread is medium brown in color and sounds hollow when tapped. Allow loaves to cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. After the rest period, run a sharp knife around the interior edges of the loaf pans to loosen the bread. Turn the bread out of the pans, and cool on its side on a wire rack. Slice to serve once bread has cooled completely.
Notes
In the absence of leftover oatmeal, place 1 ½ C. dry old fashioned oats into a medium sized bowl. Pour 2 ½ C. boiling water over the oats and stir well. Let stand 30 minutes to give the oats time to absorb the water and then cool. Stirring the soaking oats periodically during the rest period will yield creamier oatmeal.
Warm bread fresh out of the oven is awesomely delicious—I get it! Leftover Oatmeal Bread may be sliced and served warm after being removed from the pans and cooling for about 10 minutes. However, bread that has been sliced before cooling will dry out faster than bread that has cooled prior to slicing.
Leftover bread may be wrapped and stored at room temperature for a day or two. Loaves may also be double wrapped with plastic wrap then aluminum foil, and then frozen for up to 1 month.
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