Buttermilk Oatmeal Bread Recipe
You’ll love this buttermilk oatmeal bread recipe! The bread is very soft and as you eat it, you’ll notice a slight buttermilk tang.
Last Updated on September 19, 2023 – Originally Published on December 19, 2017
Buttermilk oatmeal bread is very soft. As you eat it, you’ll notice a slight buttermilk tang. The oatmeal gives this bread a great texture.
Featured Comment
I make this bread every week and freeze leftovers for toast and just warm it for a sandwich. Even my picky husband loves it. ~ Leah
Persistence Pays Off
The first time I tried to make buttermilk oatmeal bread, the loaf was way too tall.
I adjusted the recipe and tried again. That time the loaf was too little. (It was a hippo-shaped loaf that was big on one end and small on the other.)
I tweaked the recipe again. The third time was the charm!
Why am I telling you this? If your bread recipes don’t turn out the first time, I don’t want you to get discouraged. Sometimes it just takes a little time and effort to get things right.
If you need any tips on how to use your bread machine or why your recipe didn’t turn out, check out the troubleshooting section of my website.
What is Buttermilk Anyway?
Traditionally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter.
Today the buttermilk you find in the store is cultured (not churned) buttermilk. It’s a whole different animal and not like the buttermilk of old.
Modern buttermilk is made by fermenting pasteurized low-fat or nonfat milk so the milk sugars turn into lactic acid. It’s more sour and thicker than churned buttermilk.
Different Types of Oats
There are old-fashioned oats (which this recipe calls for), steel-cut oats and instant oats.
All of these types of oats start out as oat groats. Those are oatmeal kernels that have had the hulls removed.
The difference between the types of oats is how much the oat groats are processed.
Old-Fashioned Oats – These are also known as rolled oats or whole oats. They’re made by steaming and flattening the oat groats.
These old-fashioned oats usually hold up better in baked goods.
Steel-Cut Oats – These are also known as Irish or Scottish oats. Steel-cut oats are made by chopping whole oat groats before processing.
Instant Oats – These are also known as quick oats. They are partially cooked, dried and then rolled and pressed. They cook up more quickly than other kinds of oats.
Making Buttermilk Oatmeal Bread
This is a recipe for a two-pound bread machine. Use the basic, white setting with medium crust for this recipe.
Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which order to add ingredients to your bread machine. I use a Zojirushi Bread Machine, so I add the liquids first.
Check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. It should be a smooth, round ball.
If the dough is too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks right. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks right.
Buttermilk Oatmeal Bread Recipe
Again, this is a recipe for a two-pound bread machine using the basic/ white setting with medium crust.
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup water
4 cups bread flour
½ cup old-fashioned oats
1 ½ teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
See below for metric measurements, as well as nutrition information, for this buttermilk oatmeal bread recipe.
Buttermilk Oatmeal Bread Recipe
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (236.6 ml) buttermilk
- ½ cup (118.3 ml) water
- 4 cups (500 g) bread flour
- ½ cup (40.5 g) old-fashioned oats
- 1 ½ teaspoon (1.5 teaspoon) salt
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Instructions
- This is a recipe for a two-pound bread machine. Use the basic, white setting with medium crust for this recipe.
- Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which order to add ingredients to your bread machine. With my machine, I add the liquids first.
- Check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading.  It should be a smooth, round ball.
- If the dough is too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks right. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks right.
Notes
Nutrition
All information presented within this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on breadmachinediva.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. I try to provide accurate information to the best of my ability; however these figures should still be considered estimates.
I make this bread every week and freeze leftovers for toast and just warm it for a sandwich. Even my picky husband loves it. I almost always have to add a little more liquid. So happy to have found this recipe.
Thanks so much for letting me know!
can i substitute oat milk? and would it be the same ratio?
I’m not sure. Sorry!
Depends on whether or not you’re making your own oat milk, or using the commercial kind. Oats contain Beta-Glucans which act like corn starch, and thicken with heating. I’d recommend starting out with a straight subbing of the liquid first, then see how it looks as to crust, crumb, and texture. Then proceed as per your own findings to see if any differences are seen. As a brewer, I can attest to the fact that a lot of recipe generation is based on sound scientific principles, experience, and just plain guess work. In the end, the bread will speak for itself and YMMV! Good luck, God Bless, and may you make great bread!
I learned the hard way that oat milk doesn’t cook up well. I made some Parmesan Pasta Roni which is 1 1/3 cups water and 2/3 cup milk, and butter. I cooked it as I always have, mixed up the seasonings then served.
It was the most disgusting texture I have EVER experienced. It was slimy, like a snot-sauce. Mouth feel was horrid and taste in general was way off. It was overall a horrendous mistake. I dumped the whole pan.
You can gently heat oat milk for coffee or to dress your hot cereal after cooking, but that’s it. I am terrified to try to bake with it. Cooking it was absolutely foul, I don’t want to ruin my baked goods
I have not made this recipe, but I have made other recipes using almond milk instead of real milk. If the recipe calls for butter milk you just add one to two tablespoons of lemon juice (or other acidic liquid such as apple cider vinegar) and stir, wait 15 minutes and you will have a dairy-free “butter milk” that you can use in baking! I have read that it works with oat milk and other milk substitutes just fine but have not tried them.
I want to make my 1lb. loaf in my Zojirushi Mini (BB-HAC10). Can I just cut your 2 lb. loaf recipe in half? Any adjustments I would need to make?
Great question! I’ve got an article that tells you how to adjust recipes for differently sized machines.
Can instant yeast be used instead of active dry?
You bet. Check out this article on yeast to get formula for figuring out the right amount:
https://www.breadmachinediva.com/what-is-bread-machine-yeast/
I have been using this recipe for Rasin bread. I add cimmamon and ginger and yellow raisins and crasins. It makes up just beautiful and always get great comments when I give away a loaf!
This is a very good bread, I love it. I’m hooked!
I’m so glad you liked it!