Oatmeal molasses brown bread is a delicious and flavourful bread. This vintage bread was popular on the East Coast. It is often served with a generous helping of butter and baked beans or with just about anything you could want to use bread for!

A loaf of brown bread with oats on top. There are some slices of bread cut.

Now molasses bread can be found all over. It’s popularity, due to simplicity and unique flavour, has made it’s way to most parts of Canada, and perhaps even your country too!

Since bread is one of the staples in most home kitchens, I love experimenting with many bread variation. There are different flours to try, ingredients to add in, shapes to make, techniques to use. Basically, there is a whole world of bread to immerse yourself in. Don’t just make the same bread recipe everyday! There are endless breads out there just waiting for you to try!

The Molasses

There are a few different types of molasses, which can make things a little confusing when you are at the store.

In the stores, where I live, there are two main types of molasses, fancy molasses and blackstrap molasses. For most baking recipe, like bread, cookies, etc., fancy molasses (sometime called light molasses), is what should be used.

Molasses is a byproduct of making sugar from sugarcane. Fancy molasses is from the second boiling, where as blackstrap molasses is from the third. Fancy molasses is much lighter tasting. Where as blackstrap is quite bitter. Blackstrap is good in things like barbecue sauce, where you want a stronger smoky flavour.

Substituting one for the other will definitely impact the overall taste of your recipe in the end.

A loaf of brown bread with oats on top. There are slices of bread in the foreground.

Why add molasses to bread?

There are a few different qualities that molasses brings to bread and baking in general.

The most noticeable is the colour. Molasses is very dark in colour, and will quickly change the colour of whatever you are making. Even in small amounts, the dark reddish brown molasses will change your baked good to a gorgeous rich caramel. (Think gingerbread)
Sweetness. Molasses has a subtly sweet flavour, as it is a byproduct of sugar making.
Flavour. Molasses has an array of flavour notes that add so much complexity to your baking, from smoky to caramel.
Moisture. Adding molasses to baked goods helps to provide and retain moisture in the final product. It also adds tenderness and pliability to things like cookies.

Oatmeal molasses brown bread in the bread machine

Bread machines are a great time saver. You put your ingredients in and a beautiful bread loaf comes out. Just like magic!

Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine, in the order according to the manufacturers directions. Pick the white bread setting to fully make and bake it in the machine.

If you would prefer to bake it in the oven, in a loaf pan, pick the dough setting. Remove and form it into a loaf shape, or two depending on the size of your pan. Grease your loaf pan, and let the bread do it’s final rise. You can continue on with the recipe, at this point.

Overnight oatmeal molasses brown bread

One of the simple pleasures in life is having fresh baked bread for breakfast. The flavour of this bread is absolutely perfect for a breakfast meal.

To make this possible, without waking up hours in advance, is to make the bread the night before. Form the dough and place it in the loaf pans. Then let them have their final rise, in the refrigerator, overnight. The cold temperature slows down the time needed for the bread to rise. You may only need an hour or two for your bread to rise in a warm spot. However, if you let the bread rise in the cold, it can sit there and slowly rise overnight. Sometimes, this slow rise even improves the bread! Take the bread out of the refrigerator in the morning and bake. Enjoy your fresh baked bread for breakfast!

Storing oatmeal molasses brown bread

At room temperature

Fresh molasses bread is best stored, wrapped in paper, on the counter top for 2-3 days. Bread starts to loose it’s moisture and becomes stale the longer it is left out.

The freezer

The freezer is the best choice for storing bread, if you want to extend it’s life. You can either store it whole or sliced.

Let the bread cool to room temperature and wrap tightly in cling-film or a bread bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you are ready to use your bread, unwrap and let it come back up to room temperature.

If you want to warm your whole loaf up, to get more of that fresh baked bread taste, place the loaf in a preheated 325 degree F (160 degrees C) oven for 20-25 minutes.

If you have frozen your bread sliced, the slices can go straight from the freezer to the toaster!

A large metal bowl with rolled oats and butter.

A woman pouring water into a large metal bowl with rolled oats and butter.

Ingredients for Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Molasses Brown Bread

½ cup rolled oats

1 Tablespoon butter

1 cup hot water

½ cup warm water

pinch of sugar

2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast (or one envelope)

¼ cup fancy molasses

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

Whole wheat flour on top of a liquid mixture in a large metal bowl.

A whole wheat mixture in a large metal bowl.

Method

Mixing and kneading the dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl by hand, combine oats, butter, and 1 cup of hot water. It doesn’t need to be boiling, just hot enough to melt the butter and soften the oats. Stir.
In a small bowl, add the ½ cup warm water. Stir in a pinch of sugar. (The sugar helps to activate the yeast so it will become foamy. No more than ½ tsp is needed.)
Sprinkle the yeast over top of the water. It will start to become foamy in a few minutes.
To the oat mixture, add the molasses, salt. When the yeast is ready add that to the bowl. Stir to combine.
Mix in the whole wheat flour.
Add in the all-purpose flour. Knead about five minutes, if using a stand mixer. If kneading by hand, knead 8-10 minutes, or until you have a smooth dough ball. (If the dough is still sticky add more flour, a little at a time, until you have the desired consistency.)

First rise and shaping

Place in lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with cling-film or a damp cloth.
Let it rise, in a warm spot, until it has doubled. (About 1- 1, ½ hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.)
When the dough has risen, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it in half, for two small loaves, or leave it whole for a large loaf.
Form the dough into a loaf shape. I do this by flattening the dough, folding it in thirds one way, and rolling it up the opposite way, pressing it together as I roll.

Final rise and baking

Place the dough into 1 or 2 greased loaf pans. Allow to rise, in a warm place, until doubled. (About 1 hour)
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Once the dough is risen, you can brush the top lightly with milk and sprinkle on some oat flakes. (Optional)
Bake for 1 hour. Or until the bread is lightly browned and sounds hollow when you tap on it.

Woman removing risen brown bread dough out of a large metal bowl.