Name: Brown Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour; 1 1/4 cups bread flour; 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats; 1/2 cup wheat germ; 1 tablespoon cocoa powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt; 3/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1 large egg; 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar; 1 3/4 cup buttermilk; 1 tablespoon molasses; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled); 1 tablespoon old-fashioned rolled oats (for topping)

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Full of warm, nutty flavor, this hearty brown bread recipe mixes up in minutes. There’s no yeast, so it’s easy enough even for weeknights.

A loaf of oat-topped bread with two slices cut sits on a wooden cutting board, with a knife and a blue cloth in the background.

A few years ago I brought back a bag of beremeal from my trip to Orkney and immediately made a freeform loaf of bread, devouring half of it quickly with a slathering (or two) of butter. Right then I decided we had to make brown bread more often!

Brown bread is a lovely alternative to the light and fluffy loaves we’re used to here. I’m not sure why it’s not more popular, because it certainly gets gobbled up at any restaurant that serves it!

You don’t need yeast to make this bread, so you can have the batter ready for the oven in just about 10 minutes. It’s very lightly sweet thanks to touches of brown sugar and molasses, and nutty from the wheat germ and whole wheat flour.

This bread is great alongside a hearty meal like lamb stew, but you can also enjoy it simply, with some good soft butter, for an afternoon snack or breakfast.

Ingredients for brown bread

Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.

Top-down view of labeled baking ingredients in bowls and cups on a wooden surface, including flours, buttermilk, egg, oats, brown sugar, molasses, butter, and cocoa powder.

You’ll need:

Whole wheat flour
Bread flour
Old-fashioned rolled oats
Cocoa powder
Baking soda
Baking powder
Egg
Dark brown sugar
Molasses
Buttermilk
Unsalted butter
Fine sea salt

The cocoa powder creates a deeper color and flavor in the bread. Don’t worry, your loaf won’t taste like chocolate!

Light brown sugar may be substituted for the dark brown sugar. You can also create your own dark brown sugar by adding just a bit extra molasses to it.

Can’t find wheat germ? It’s available in most larger grocery stores, but you can also swap in wheat bran, oat bran, or ground flaxseed.

A loaf of whole grain bread topped with oats sits on a wooden cutting board with two slices cut, next to a bread knife on a rustic table.

How to make this recipe

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray. You can use either a 9×5 or 8.5×4.5-inch pan; the latter will result in a slightly taller loaf.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, wheat germ, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until uniformly mixed.

In another bowl, whisk the egg and brown sugar until smooth, making sure to break apart any lumps in the sugar. Whisk in the buttermilk, molasses, and melted butter.

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A white bowl with beaten eggs and milk sits on a wooden table next to a whisk, a dark cloth, and a bowl of flour mixture.

A mixing bowl filled with thick, brown batter and a spatula, placed on a wooden surface next to a dark striped cloth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix with a silicone spatula, folding up from the bottom and scraping the sides to make sure everything is combined.

Transfer the batter to the loaf pan. Make sure to spread it evenly into all corners of the pan. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon rolled oats evenly over the top.

A metal loaf pan filled with unbaked oat-topped bread dough sits on a wooden surface next to a dark striped cloth.

A loaf of oat-topped bread in a rectangular metal baking pan, resting on a dark striped cloth over a wooden surface.

Pop the pan into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, and an instant-read thermometer will reach 205°F when done.

Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Try to let the bread cool as long as possible before cutting to prevent the interior from becoming gummy.

A loaf of whole grain bread topped with oats, partially sliced, on a wooden cutting board.

Storage tips

Store leftover brown bread well wrapped in foil or clingwrap, or place in an airtight container. Make sure it is completely cooled before storing, or the resulting steam will create extra moisture and can make the bread go bad prematurely.

This bread freezes well, which is a great option if you want to bake two loaves at once or like to do meal prepping. Let it cool completely and then wrap it well in multiple layers of plastic wrap, alternating the direction to cover any seams/gaps. I usually also add a layer of foil and then tuck it into a freezer bag, for extra protection. Be sure to label the bag!

You can freeze the bread sliced as well, so you can take out just what you need. Place a small piece of parchment paper between each slice before wrapping the loaf.

Enjoy the fresh bread within 3 days, or frozen bread within 3 months.

A loaf of brown oat bread partially sliced on a wooden cutting board, with oat flakes sprinkled on top.

Warm and toasted with a slathering of salted butter, this brown bread is such a wholesome snack. Bake up a loaf today!

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Brown Bread

This hearty brown bread doesn't use yeast. so it's easy to make even for beginning bakers.

Author : Megan Myers

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Print Pin Recipe Review

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories per serving 183 kcal

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon old-fashioned rolled oats, for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×5 (or 8 1/2 x 4 1/2) pan with softened butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, bread flour, oats, wheat germ, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 1/4 cups bread flour, 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg and brown sugar until smooth, then add the buttermilk, molasses and melted butter.
1 large egg, 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar, 1 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon molasses, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together using a spatula until just combined.
Transfer to the prepared loaf pan, using the spatula to evenly spread out the batter. Optionally, use wet hands to further smooth out the top. Top evenly with the remaining oats.
1 tablespoon old-fashioned rolled oats
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and a digital thermometer reads 205 degrees F.
Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

Notes

Do not substitute quick oats.
The wheat germ may be substituted with wheat bran, oat bran, or ground flaxseed.

Want to save this recipe for later?

We’ll email a link to you, so you can come back to it later! Plus, we’ll send new recipes to your inbox weekly.

Nutrition

Calories: 183 kcalCarbohydrates: 30 gProtein: 7 gFat: 5 gSaturated Fat: 2 gCholesterol: 23 mgSodium: 404 mgPotassium: 226 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 4 gIron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.

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