I picked up some "honey bread" at a Mennonite bakery once and it was fantastic. So I got the recipe, made some at home, and it was just as fantastic. Homemade bread is a staple of Amish culinary culture. You rarely find store-bought bread in an Amish home, and if they do buy, it is often from an Amish bakery.
🍯 Honey vs. Sugar
Now, keep in mind, honey bread, at least this recipe, is not a "sweet bread." Amish honey bread is a super sandwich bread, soft and filling. Or just great with butter and or jam spread on it. At its core this is essentially a basic white bread recipe..
Honey and maple syrup both serve as very viable "back-up" supplies of sugar for Amish cooks and bakers when they find themselves running low on it or they just prefer to use these sweeteners in place of sugar. Honey, to most taste buds, is sweeter than sugar and since it is more liquidy, can cut back on other liquids in the recipe.
Something else about honey is that most Amish will use locally produced honey and that can deliver an explosion of subtle flavor variations, as the bees pollinate local flowers, clovers, and other plants that can give some wonder hints and notes.
📜 Step-By-Step Honey Bread
This soft, delicious bread can be whipped up with seven ingredients, beginning with honey. Most Amish will get it from their own hives on their property or someone else they know.
I will also say that this recipe makes four large loaves. These loaves of bread to freeze well if you seal them up in an airtight container or bag. But if you don't want to make four loaves of bread, just adjust the recipe proportionally to what you need. These ingredients halve easily. Oh, and preheat your oven. I forgot that step and I had to impatiently wait for the temperature to get up to what I needed.
The flour you use is up to you. Bread flour is the recipe, but I used all-purpose and it turn out fine. I know baking is an exact science, but I had zero problem with all-purpose. Also, if you want to use whole-wheat flour, I am sure it would turn out well.
Use a large mixing bowl, like above, though, or even larger if you are doing the whole four loaf recipe.
As a bread recipe goes, this Honey Bread is about as easy as it gets. You can whip out the stand mixer and dough hook attachment to make this bread, or you can do it the old-fashioned Amish way with kneading hands and wooden spoons. It'll turn out well either way. I'm sure it'd work in a bread machine too. Roll out your dough and form into loaves on a lightly floured surface.
This is a delicious homemade bread recipe and can be enjoyed in so many ways. It also makes a superb cinnamon toast and I used some for French toast one morning and it was great in that role also. The kids love the bread.
Lightly grease and flour your loaf pans before popping them in the oven or line with parchment paper. Any of those steps will make the bread come out of the pan easier. Brush the top with butter or an egg wash before baking and piece the top of the bread with a fork to let some of the moisture out if you wish, but that is not a crucial step.
Let the bread cool first on a wire rack. Cover in plastic wrap or store extra loaves in the freezer.
🙋 FAQ Amish Honey Bread
Yes, the flavor will be slightly different, very subtle. But you can use maple syrup as a direct swap with honey.
Yes, sealed in a freezer bag so it is airtight and it'll keep for several months.
We use all-purpose, but bread flour or wheat flour will work just fine too. Others have tried spelt with good results.
🍞 More Amish Bread Recipes
If you prefer just a basic Amish white bread, this is a good one too.
Cinnamon Raisin Bread: perfect!
Strawberry Bread: So good!
Full Recipe
Amish Honey Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups warm water
- 3 tablespoons yeast
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup honey
- 9 cups bread flour
- 2 ½ cups quick oats
- 4 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Pour the 4 cups of warm water into your mixing bowl.
- Add the yeast.
- Let sit untill foamy.
- Add:½ cup oil and all of honey.
- Add and mix in: (knead with dough hook about 15 mins.) bread flour and quick oats and 4 teaspoon salt.
- Turn out on a floured surface.
- Form into a smooth "blob" and cut into 4 semi-equal pieces.
- Form into 4 balls and cover with dish cloth. Let rise about 15 - 20 minutes
- .Punch down and form into loaves and or rolls.
- Put on lightly greased pans.
- Let rise until doubled in size.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins (loaves) or 20 mins (rolls).Butter tops if desired.
Terry
Can I cut this in half
Kevin Williams
Yes, you definitely can!
Dianna Smith
Do you freeze it before or after you bake it?
Kevin Williams
Good question. Freeze after you bake it. I've never tried freezing it before, it could work, but I've not tried it that way.
Dawn Stoddard
I do not use quick cooking oats. I only have old fashioned or steel cut. What effect will Old Fashioned have on this recipe? Must I use the food processer on the Old Fashioned oats?
Kevin Williams
You can just old-fashioned oats, I have used it in this recipe and it works fine.
Sue LaPointe
I see the ingredient list calls for 3/4 cup honey and the directions say to add 1/2 cup of honey with the 1/2 cup oil. When do you add the other 1/4 cup of honey please?
Kevin Williams
Oops, that was an error...I corrected it, it should be 3/4 cup honey and use add all the honey with the oil, sorry about that!
Sue LaPointe
Thank you Kevin, not only do I enjoy your recipes but also your insights into the world around us.
D. Smith
Would it be all right to use butter instead of "oil"?? I do not use corn oil or safflower or any of that processed junk. I would not want to use coconut oil, it would make the bread slimey. I suppose maybe mixing butter together with the coconut oil might work. Whaddaya think?
Kevin Williams
I think using just butter would work, I often swap out vegetable oil for butter.
John Lade
Hi Kevin,
We are shivering up in Ontario, too. The boiling earth we were warned about all summer has turned into autumnal cooling for a few days. When I was forecasting weather for the Canadian weather service, we always looked for an August cold front, usually during the 3rd week. Behind the front cooler temperatures, especially in the evening.
Regarding Hurricane Hilary, we all hope it moves up the western seaboard and hits Canada, extinguishing some forest fires. Between the coastal mountains and the Rockies, whole towns are being evacuated, with houses and buildings burnt.
Kevin Williams
Thanks, John, for the comments. I always wanted to be a forecaster, so cool that you actually have. But, yes, good point, would be great if Hilary would barrel north into Canada, I hope it does and puts out some fires!