This seeded oat bread is crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside, and has the most delicious crunch in every bite, thanks to all the seeds. This is a hearty loaf that can stand up to any meal, from thick and chunky stews to delicate poached eggs. You’ll use an easy no-knead method to make this yeast bread, which produces a beautiful homemade loaf with minimal hands-on work.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
One reader, Rob, commented: “Best bread we’ve had in a long time! Crusty, chewy, flavorful, nutty, and delicious with some good butter. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you. ★★★★★“
You know those gorgeous seed-encrusted loaves of bread you see in bakery windows?
The kind that look like they took ages to make, and you wonder how much kneading, shaping, and work went into just 1 loaf? Well, you can make those same beautiful seeded loaves right at home, with hardly any work involved. No kneading, no complex shaping, no mixer needed.
Yes, this crusty, chewy, golden-brown, seed-speckled oat bread doesn’t require any complicated work.
This bread, like my homemade cranberry nut no-knead bread, asiago-crusted skillet bread, pizza bread, and olive bread, will convince anyone that you either bought it from a bakery or spent all day in the kitchen making it—which, of course, you didn’t. Don’t feel like you have to let them in on our little secret. 😉
Hearty Homemade Bread for Beginners
This texture-lover’s seeded oat bread recipe is based off of my homemade artisan bread, a wonderfully easy and widely popular no-knead bread that’s used by both beginners and experts.
If you’re nervous to try homemade bread, this recipe is a great introduction. Even though the recipe is easy, the bread does NOT skimp on flavor. It’s just a simple way of baking homemade bread inspired by the no-knead technique originating from bread expert Jim Lahey.
Here’s why it’s so simple:
- Absolutely no kneading (just like homemade English muffins)
- Zero complicated shaping
- No mixer required
- 90% of the time is totally hands off
- Dough can rest in the refrigerator for up to 3 days—a great make-ahead recipe
- Can bake in a dutch oven or on a baking sheet
The trick is giving the risen dough a rest in the refrigerator. The cool air slows the fermentation process and helps develop better flavor.
Grab These Ingredients:
Here’s why each ingredient is so important:
- Bread Flour: While you could use all-purpose flour in this recipe, I strongly recommend using bread flour. Bread flour produces a stronger, chewier bread, and that makes a big difference in an artisan-style loaf like this oat bread.
- Oats: Oats provide a little wholesome texture. As the dough rises, the oats soak up some moisture and expand. Whole rolled oats are best, but you can use quick oats if needed.
- Salt: I recommend using coarse sea salt because I find the bread’s flavor lacking with regular table salt.
- Instant Yeast: I always use Platinum Yeast by Red Star, which is an instant yeast (aka “quick rise” yeast). 2 teaspoons is a little less than 1 standard packet. (If using active dry yeast, there are no changes needed to the recipe. The rise time may just take slightly longer.) I use more yeast in this recipe compared to my cranberry nut no-knead bread and jalapeño cheddar bread. Why? Those doughs rest and rise at room temperature. However, for more flavor and just as much rise, I use more yeast and let this dough rest in the refrigerator.
- Seeds: Pumpkin, sunflower, and flax seeds are all highly nutritious—they’re pretty much superfoods. I love that these 3 types of seeds vary so much in size and texture, but if you’d like to change up the types of seeds in this mixture, go for it. I use a medley of seeds in this multigrain bread, too. (And even these quinoa snack bars!)
- Honey: Honey helps give this bread a springy, spongey texture. It also adds a little sweetness, but we’re using half as much honey here than in my honey oat bread recipe, so the bread isn’t super sweet.
- Water: You’ll also need a little warm water to bring all the ingredients together. I use cool, room temperature water in olive bread and artisan homemade bread, two other no-knead doughs, but with the addition of oats today, the yeast has to work harder, and warm water helps it work quicker.
Let Me Show You How to Make This Seeded Bread
The full written recipe is below, but use the following explanations and step photos to help you get started. Bring the dough ingredients together as instructed in the recipe. At first the dough will seem very dry and shaggy and you’ll question if it will even come together. It will. In fact, the dough is a little sticky after it has been thoroughly mixed:
Let it rise. Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for about 3 hours. Notice that the dough rises OUT more than it rises UP. That’s ok.
You can move on to shaping and baking the dough, but for best flavor, I strongly recommend refrigerating the risen dough, even if it’s just for a couple hours. I usually refrigerate it for 12 hours.
After the dough rises and rests in the refrigerator, use generously floured hands to shape the dough into a round boule or ball-like shape.
Use a Baking Sheet or Dutch Oven
Baking the seeded oat bread in a covered dutch oven traps steam inside the pot, creating that perfect crispy crust. If you plan to bake a lot of bread in the future, you won’t regret buying a dutch oven. If you don’t have a dutch oven, a nonstick baking sheet is best. (I use a baking sheet in the video tutorial below. And even have a trick for creating a steamy oven!)
- Baking Sheet: If you’re using a baking sheet, dust the pan with cornmeal and/or a little flour. Place the dough on top, cover it, and let it rest as the oven preheats. You will find these detailed instructions in the recipe below, along with my optional steamy oven trick for a crispy crust in step 10. (Adding boiled water to a pan beneath the baking bread. Works great!)
- Dutch Oven: Place the empty dutch oven with lid in the oven as it preheats. Place the ball of dough on high-heat-resistant parchment paper (I use this parchment paper), and then fit it inside a bowl. Cover and let the dough rest as the oven preheats, then place it (with the parchment) in the hot dutch oven before baking. You will find these detailed instructions in the recipe Note below.
Whichever baking method you use, don’t forget to add seeds/oats to the exterior of the dough (I usually just press them on). And make sure you score the dough with a bread lame or sharp knife before baking. Scoring allows the wet, airy dough to “breathe” as it expands and bakes.
Baking sheet method:
Dutch oven method:
The bread is unbelievable when it’s fresh from the oven—warm, crispy, crusty, soft, and loaded with texture inside and out!
What Do I Serve With Seeded Bread?
Honestly, it’s fantastic plain, with a swipe of butter or a dip-dish of olive oil. The bread would also be delicious paired with homemade pesto or homemade honey butter.
But I especially love serving this seeded oat bread alongside a soup, like this creamy chicken noodle soup or homemade alphabet soup. It also gives phenomenal texture to grilled cheese sandwiches, and makes a hearty base for creamy smashed avocado and soft eggs.
If you manage to have any leftover, make use of the stale bread in this easy breakfast casserole!
Yeast Bread Success Tips
If you’re a bread beginner, reference this Baking with Yeast Guide for helpful, easy-to-understand answers to many yeast FAQs.
No Knead Seeded Oat Bread
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours (includes slight cooling)
- Yield: 1 loaf; 10-12 servings
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Follow this easy no-knead recipe for a hearty loaf of homemade seeded oat bread. Review Notes before beginning. If you’re new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (390g) bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for shaping and pan
- 2 teaspoons (about 6g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast
- 1 cup (85g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1/4 cup (30g) unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1/4 cup (30g) salted or unsalted sunflower seeds
- 2 Tablespoons (18g) flax seeds or sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 2 Tablespoons (43g) honey
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (about 95°F (35°C))
- optional: cornmeal for dusting pan
Topping
- 1 Tablespoon (5g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon flax seeds or sesame seeds
Instructions
- Watch the video below before you begin, and let that be your visual guide for this recipe.
- In a large un-greased mixing bowl, whisk the flour and yeast together. Add the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and salt and whisk to combine. Mix the honey and water together, and then pour over the dry ingredients. Using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, gently mix together. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened. If needed, use your hands to work the dough ingredients together. The dough will be very sticky. Shape into a ball in the bowl as best you can. (Tip: Stir dough by hand. Dough is too sticky for a mixer.)
- Keeping the dough in the bowl, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine). Allow to rise for 3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles.
- You can continue with step 5 immediately, but for absolute best flavor and texture, I strongly recommend letting this risen dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. (Even just a couple hours is good!) Place covered dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The dough will puff up during this time, but may begin to deflate after 2 days. That’s normal and nothing to worry about.
- Lightly dust a large nonstick baking sheet (with or without rims, and make sure it’s nonstick) with a little flour and/or cornmeal. Using generously floured hands and gentle pressure so as to not deflate the dough too much, shape the risen dough into a ball. (I just do this right inside the bowl it’s in, or you can do this on a lightly floured work surface.) Dough is very sticky.
- Transfer ball to prepared baking sheet. Mix topping ingredients together. Sprinkle on top of dough, and if the seeds aren’t sticking, press them into the dough as best you can. Loosely cover and allow dough to rest for 45 minutes. You will bake the dough on this prepared baking sheet. See recipe note if you want to use a pizza stone or dutch oven.
- During this 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
- When ready to bake, using a very sharp knife or bread lame (you could even use kitchen shears), score the dough with a slash or X about 1/2 inch deep. (“Score” = shallow cut.) If the shaped loaf flattened out during the 45 minutes, use floured hands to reshape.
- Place the shaped and scored dough (on the flour/cornmeal-dusted pan) in the preheated oven on the center rack.
- Optional for a slightly crispier crust: Place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan or skillet (I usually use a metal 9×13-inch baking pan) on the bottom oven rack. Carefully and quickly pour 3–4 cups of boiling water into the shallow pan. Quickly shut the oven to trap as much steam inside. The steam helps create a crispier crust.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. If you notice the exterior browning too quickly, tent the bread with aluminum foil. How to test for doneness: Give the warm bread a light tap. If it sounds hollow, it’s done. For a more accurate test, the bread is done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F (90°C).
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10–20 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (step 4), so this is a wonderful recipe to begin ahead of time. You can also bake the bread, allow it to cool, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the dough. Complete the recipe through step 5. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. Freeze up to 3 months. To bake, allow dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for 2–3 hours at room temperature. Continue with step 6, including allowing dough to rest for 45 minutes before baking. Keep in mind that the bread tastes a little heavier after freezing/thawing the dough and then baking it.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Baking Sheet | 2-cup Measuring Cup | Bread Lame | Instant-Read Thermometer | Coarse Salt
- Flour: For absolute best flavor and chewy texture, I strongly recommend using bread flour. You can use a 1:1 substitution of all-purpose flour in a pinch with no other changes to the recipe. I recommend avoiding whole wheat flour in this dough; however, if necessary, you can replace up to 1 cup (about 130g) of the bread flour with whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit heavy.
- Yeast: I always use Platinum Yeast from Red Star, an instant yeast. You can use any instant yeast in this dough. If using active dry yeast, the 1st rise time is usually slightly longer, about 3.5–4 hours. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Salt: Use a coarse salt, such as coarse sea salt, in this bread. I find the flavor slightly lacking when using regular table salt. If you only have table or fine salt, reduce to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons.
- Seeds: Feel free to use more/less of a particular seed you love, or skip any seeds if you wish. Around 1/2 cup of larger seeds and 2 Tablespoons of smaller seeds is ideal. I usually use unsalted pepitas and salted sunflower seeds. Salted or unsalted are fine, but I don’t recommend 1/2 cup of salted seeds, so if you want to use salted, use 1/4 cup of salted and 1/4 cup unsalted. If you want to add poppy seeds, replace 1 Tablespoon of flax seeds/sesame seeds with poppy seeds. Or just use 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds and skip the flax/sesame.
- Using a Dutch Oven: You need a 6-quart or larger dutch oven or any large oven-safe pot with a lid. Prepare dough recipe above through step 4, including refrigerating the risen dough for at least 12 hours. After refrigerating, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using lightly floured hands, shape into a ball as best you can. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Transfer dough to a large piece of parchment paper. (Large enough to fit inside your pot and one that is safe under such high heat. I use this parchment and it’s never been an issue.) Lift the parchment paper and dough up and place it all into a large mixing bowl. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap and leave alone for 30 minutes. During this 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Place your dutch oven (with the lid) inside for 30 minutes so that it’s extremely hot before the dough is placed inside. After 30 minutes, sprinkle seed topping all over dough. Using a bread lame or sharp knife, gently score a 1/2-inch-deep slash or X into the top. Remove the dutch oven from the oven and carefully place the dough inside by lifting it up with the parchment paper and placing it all—parchment paper included—inside the pot. Cover with the lid. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Carefully remove the lid and continue baking for 10 more minutes or until the bread is golden brown. You can test for doneness exactly how you would in step 11 above. Remove pot from the oven, carefully remove the bread from the pot, and allow to cool on a wire rack for 10–20 minutes before slicing/serving.
- Using a Pizza Stone: If you want to bake your bread on a pizza stone, place pizza stone in the preheating oven. Remove hot pizza stone, dust with cornmeal or a little flour, and then transfer shaped and scored dough to hot pizza stone and bake as directed.
- No Nonstick Pan? If you don’t have a nonstick baking sheet, line it with parchment paper instead. Coat with a dusting of flour and/or cornmeal before placing the dough on top. Parchment paper can burn, so it’s best to check the box to see how much heat yours can tolerate. Lower your oven heat if necessary, and bake the bread for longer until it’s golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Can a bread maker be used for this receipe?
Hi Tammy! We don’t recommend a bread maker for this no-knead bread.
I make the no knead seeded bread all the time. Additionally I love the calamata olive no knead bread. Both are easy to make, require no equipment and are delicious every time. I love lots of Sally’s recipes but these are a few of my favorites.
This turned out really well. It’s everything I hoped for crusty and crisp outside and deliciously soft inside
Sadly my bread was to compact and heavy
Hi Ligia, This is a denser bread and not expected to be light inside, due to the oats and seeds packed inside, plus the no knead technique. If you wish to try it again in the future, make sure to handle the dough with care after it rises to maintain all the air bubbles inside. Thank you for giving this one a try!
The flavor of this bread is incredible, the best flavor I’ve achieved to date, but unfortunately I think the overnight proofing was its downfall. Texture is slightly gummy and dense (the dense-ness I expected, but I didn’t expect it to be void of any bubbles.) However, I think it’s going to be DELICIOUS toasted! I’m a huge seeded bread fan, the seedier the better, so this fits the bill!
Can I use a regular rimmed aluminum baking sheet? I have tossed or given away all my nonstick pans and don’t have a dutch oven yet. I was hoping to ever so slightly grease my baking sheet, then flour and sprinkle cornmeal. I am so excited to make this bread!
Hi Wendy, Your pan should be fine. The cornmeal will help the dough to not stick. Enjoy!
Thank you. I opted to get the dutchie in your link. I’m making this bread in a few hours. Wish me luck!
It would be wonderful if you would put nutrition facts on recies
Hi Rose, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I make this bread all the time & love it! My sister gets a takeaway loaf whenever she visits from out of town, her morning isn’t complete without my bread toasted. There’s 2 loaves on my counter ready for the oven. It’s not a lite & fluffy bread, hard to screw up this recipe. Thanks for sharing, it’s a keeper!
I’m very happy with the way this bread turned out. Even my husband loved it!
Delicious. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe
I have a question. I have made this bread twice now. While it is good, I am having a problem: it rises wonderfully, but then when I put it in the refrigerator is compresses or falls. It this normal?
Hi Kym, how long are you keeping it in the refrigerator? It’s normal for it to deflate a bit after some time. It shouldn’t affect the final result.
I made this dough this past Sunday and refrigerated it. I took it out today (3 days later) and it smells very strongly of alcohol. Not my first time experiencing this, but I really don’t want to start all over and waste all the ingredients. The dough was also super stiff when I removed it from the bowl. Suggestions?
Hi Jen! If the dough over-proofs, it can smell like alcohol. What kind of yeast did you use? Maybe try up to two days next time. Baking the dough won’t hurt, it may just be more dense.
I used red star active dry. I have it on the pan ready to bake and it’s smelling a lot less like alcohol so I’m going to bake and see if it’s ok. Will it be safe to eat?
My bread did not come out like yours.
when I watch the video on how to measure dry ingredients you said to pulse whole oats to a fine powder which I did. I think it was meant to be whole. My bread is really dense and solid and yours is more open and holey. I used whole quick oats. What did I do wrong? Should I have left the oats whole and not pulse them?
My first time ever making bread 🙁
Hi Sheryl! The oats are meant to be kept whole here. We would specify in the recipe if they should have been pulsed – what video are you referring to? We hope you’ll give it another try. Our baking with yeast guide may be helpful as well 🙂
I leveled out 2 teaspoons of yeast and it was more than one packet. It’s in the oven now. I will see how it turns out.
I tried baking this bread today and it was a success. My husband loved it. I will definitely make it again as it was not very difficult. Can I substitute with 1 cup of the bread flour with rye flour?
Hi Karina, we haven’t tested the addition of rye flour here, but it would likely take some tweaks to the other ingredients as well. You might wish to search for a recipe that is specifically written to include rye flour, or, if you decide to do any experimenting here, please do let us know how it goes!
Can I use egg wash to help seeds to stick better on outside before going I. The oven?
Hi Gene, yes you definitely can!
It came out so good. I’m going to keep at it as it was not as crispy as I would have liked.
This is to Gene, whenever I use an egg wash on bread, it makes it shiny and soft. I would suggest a very, very light sprits of water to make the seeds stick.
Came out perfect! Really delicious, great for dipping with olive oil
I have made this bread before, (and the olive one!) but I remember this one taking much longer to bake than listed. I have the dough in the fridge right now and was wondering if this time, I should let the dough come to room temperature before continuing to Step 5? So it isn’t SUPER cold going into the oven?
Hi Eartha, the dough will sit at room temperature for 45 minutes as you pre-heat your oven (step 6), so it’s not going directly from the refrigerator to the oven.
Mine turned out extremely heavy and very dense.
Hi Lisa, This is a denser bread and not expected to be light inside, due to the oats and seeds packed inside, plus the no knead technique. Make sure to handle the dough with care after it rises to maintain all the air bubbles inside. Hope you still enjoyed the bread!
I make this bread once a week for my mother-in-law and we eat it up every Wednesday night for supper at their place! I absolutely love this recipe and I recommend it to everyone.
I have one question though. I am not at all familiar with diabetes, but my aunt is a diabetic and I would love to make this for her, except I have no idea if this bread is ‘diabetic friendly’. Any tips?
Hi Megan! We aren’t experts, either! Sorry we can’t help more. Readers have found this recipe nutrition calculator helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I’ve made this bread several times and I have to say, it’s a favorite! I love it fresh out of the oven and with homemade soup.❤️
Question for you – does it matter if the seeds are roasted? Will that impact the gluten development? Thanks!
Hi Ginger, We typically use raw, but you can use roasted seeds if desired.
Can I use a 5.5 quart Dutch oven
Hi Susan, We recommend a 6-quart or larger Dutch oven, but it would probably still work in a 5.5-qt. Dutch oven, as that’s pretty close. You can also bake it on a baking sheet instead.
After step 6, can I divide the dough in half to bake in two 3-1/2 quart Dutch ovens for 2 smaller loaves?
Hi Dave, absolutely. Bake time will vary for smaller loaves. Enjoy!
I’ve been searching for a seeded bread that wasn’t too difficult to make. This is a hearty bread and I did put in refrigerator for 12 hours and then baked in Dutch oven. I tested temperature at the 10-min mark after removing the lid, and ended up adding another 20 min to baking, so it was 30 min w/lid and 30 min without to reach 195 internal temp. It’s delicious! I’ll be making it again to share with my sisters!
Liza! Thank you for posting this question. I had read the instruction, but not the added notes at the bottom, after the instructions. I wouldn’t have caught the lid on/lid off step!
This made a very delicious bread and my wife and I, plus our guests, all ate it very happily. But almost all the seeds/oats from the topping fell off as I sliced it (it had cooled). Many also fell off as I removed it from cooling rack to cutting board. Is there some way to make them adhere better?
Hi Geoffrey, we’re so glad the bread was a hit! You could apply a light brush of water or even an egg white wash to the top of the bread before adding the seeds. Then top and press the seeds in gently. That should help.
This was a fail for me too. I think if I had gone straight to the oven after the 3 hour rest (rather than refrigerating it and baking next day) it would have been better. Took a lot longer to bake, didn’t really brown, and was gummy inside. I had great success with every other no-knead bread I’ve tried. Love many of your other recipes though!!
Hi Shelley, we’re so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the bread. This is a denser bread and not expected to be light inside, due to the oats and seeds packed inside, plus the no knead technique. If you wish to try it again in the future, make sure to handle the dough with care after it rises to maintain all the air bubbles inside. Thank you for giving this one a try!
Same foe me
I have made this recipe a few times, and I really like it though it is quite dense. I live in Canada, and note some bread recipes sepuggest reducing the flour by about 1/4 cup per cup when using Canadian bread flour. Would reducing the colour make the bread less dense?
Hi Liz! This bread is on the denser side, you may not need any adjustments.
I make bread on a regular basis. This is the first time making this recipe. I followed the recipe EXACTLY. It was an utter failure. The bread took 1 1/2 hours to bake. When taking the temperature, probe came out gummy after an hours cook time. My oven is properly calibrated for temperature. It was a very dense bread. Maybe suitable for toast, definitely not a sandwich type bread. Highly disappointed. I’m sure others have been successful with this, but I wouldn’t try it again
I followed the directions to the letter, including spooning and leveling the flour and checking the temp on my water, and my loaf still came out really dense. I left it in the fridge for ~16 hours and it didn’t seem to rise any further. I’m at sea level so no issues from altitude. Is there something else I can try?
Hi Rhea, This is a denser bread and not expected to be light inside, due to the oats and seeds packed inside, plus the no knead technique. Make sure to handle the dough with care after it rises to maintain all the air bubbles inside. Thank you for giving this one a try!
Followed the recipe except only used 3/4 cup of oatmeal and only refrigerated for 1.5 hr. Used a cast iron Dutch oven and it turned out perfect. Not too dense,not too salty,best bread ever.