A light, slightly sweet, and delicious bread roll that tastes just like the real deal: this Subway Honey Oat Bread will give you the best oat honey rolls for sandwiches!
These Honey Oat Bread Rolls were discontinued by Subway, but made a comeback in 2024. They’ll be discontinued again soon, though, since the company has already announced that the roll will be available for a limited time. But don’t worry: with this recipe, you can have them anytime you want!
If you love copycat recipes, be sure to check out my original Subway bread rolls! They’re perfect for sandwiches with cheese and deli meat, just like these Outback bread rolls are with butter.
Ingredients
Here’s a look at some of the ingredients and possible substitutions.
- Honey: It will give these rolls a slightly sweet taste. You can use your favorite liquid honey for this recipe.
If you're looking for a substitution, try my vegan honey — it's a perfect substitute for all my recipes that include honey.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but salted butter also works here.
You can substitute with canola, sunflower or vegetable oil. Almond oil is also a good choise. Olive oil will leave a strong taste, so I don't recommend.
- All-purpose flour: If you want your rolls to be extra soft, don’t substitute with bread flour. To keep the rolls soft and close to the original, also avoid substituting any part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat.
- Egg: You’ll need one large, room-temperature egg.
- Oats: I use quick-cooking oats for this recipe. You can use old-fashioned oats — I’ve tested both, and they gave me amazing rolls.
- Instant yeast: I prefer to use instant yeast when baking with commercial bread, as it’s more practical to just mix it with the dough instead of taking time to activate it first. If you only have active dry yeast and need to activate it, use some of the 1½ cups of water required for the recipe. Don’t add more water than needed, or you might get a dough that’s too wet.
To check all the ingredients, go to the recipe card.
How to Make It
We’re starting by soaking the oats.
Since we’re soaking the quick oats before starting the dough, this is what I call a “porridge” bread roll. When using this technique (precooking some of the starch added to the dough), we’re rewarded with better texture and shelf life, as we get a moister, softer bread. So, don’t skip soaking the oats in hot water!
Lukewarm is 105°F to 110°F. Adding anything too warm to the dough will mess it up: it will make it ferment/rise faster, and if it’s too hot, it will kill some or even all of the yeast. Wait for it to reach “baby bottle” temperature: it should not be too warm when you touch it to your wrist.
Step 01. In a medium bowl, add quick oats, honey, and butter. Heat the water over high heat until it boils. Pour the heated water over the butter, honey, and quick oats, and give it a stir. Let it soak for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture is lukewarm.
Step 02. In a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, add all-purpose flour, salt, yeast, the soaked oat mixture, and a large egg, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Using the dough hook attachment, on low speed (2 if using a KitchenAid), knead for 6 minutes, and test for windowpane.
Tip: If you’re using cups, start by adding 5 ½ cups, leaving the ½ cup remaining to add in case the dough is too sticky.
Step 03. Cover the dough and let it rise for 1½ hours, or until it doubles. If you’re baking during winter, it might take a bit longer, and during summer, this first rise might be shorter.
Step 04. Deflate the dough and divide it into 8 equal parts. We’re shaping these parts into logs.
Step 05. Open each part into a rectangle with your hands or a rolling pin. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, then fold the dough in half and pinch to close. You can also roll the dough over itself and pinch to close, as I do with my crusty sandwich rolls.
Step 06. Place the rolls onto a lined large baking sheet. If your baking sheet is small, you might need to use two. The rolls should not touch — give them at least 1 1⁄2 inches of space, as they will expand during the second rise and baking.
Step 07. Cover the rolls and let them rise again, this time for about 40 minutes, or until they look puffy and light.
Step 08. Preheat your oven to 375°F, middle rack. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white with one teaspoon of water until combined for the egg wash. Brush the top of each roll with the egg wash, topping them with the remaining oats.
Step 09. Bake rolls for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F. Let the rolls cool on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
How to Prevent a Dense and Crumbly Loaf
- Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. One of the reasons your bread turns out crumbly and dense is under-kneading the dough.
- Don’t add more flour than needed. Resist the urge to add more flour, especially if kneading by hand. Too much, and your rolls won’t be as light as they should. If possible, measure in grams instead of using cups. If using cups, learn how to measure the flour properly.
- Add just the right amount of yeast — not more. Adding more yeast than required can mess with rising time and fermentation, leading to an over-proofed dough and dense bread.
Final Tips
- Never add hot water directly to the yeast. Hot water (or any hot ingredient) kills the yeast, which will likely ruin your recipe.
- Be careful not to overbake. Baking for longer than necessary will make these rolls less soft than they should be.
- Wait for the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing! Slicing bread while is still hot makes the crumb gummy.
If you want more hints and tips, check out my bread baking secrets to help you get perfect bread every time!
Storing and Freezing
These oat honey rolls stay soft for up to 5 days if stored correctly. I store mine in a clean airtight container or bread keeper.
You can freeze this bread. For freezing baked bread, wait for it to cool completely before storing in a freezer-safe bag. Seal it and place it in the freezer — it lasts for up to 3 months.
You can freeze unbaked dough. After shaping the rolls, wrap them well in plastic wrap or store them in a freezer-safe bag. Be careful so they don’t touch when freezing, or it might be difficult to separate the rolls. To bake, let them thaw and rise until puffy, then follow the instructions for baking in the recipe card/how-to.
Have you tried this Subway Honey Oat Bread Recipe? Please leave a 🌟 star rating in the recipe card below, I'd love to know how it went!
📖 Recipe
Honey Oat Subway Bread
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup water hot
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup butter
- 6 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup quick oats
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoon instant dry yeast
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add quick oats, honey, and butter.
- Heat the water over high heat until it boils. Pour the heated water over the butter, honey, and quick oats, and give it a stir. Let it soak for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture is lukewarm.
- Tip: Lukewarm is 105°F to 110°F. Adding anything too warm to the dough will mess it up: it will make it ferment/rise faster, and if it’s too hot, it will kill some or even all of the yeast. Wait for it to reach “baby bottle” temperature: it should not be too warm when you touch it to your wrist.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, add all-purpose flour, salt, yeast, the soaked oat mixture, and a large egg, mixing until a shaggy dough forms.
- Using the dough hook attachment, on low speed (2 if using a KitchenAid), knead for 6 minutes, and test for windowpane. If the dough tears, knead for 2 more minutes, then test again. It should have a good windowpane by the end of kneading. The dough will feel smooth and tacky.
- Tip: If you’re using cups, start by adding 5 ½ cups, leaving the ½ cup remaining to add in case the dough is too sticky.
- You can also knead by hand or use a bread machine. If kneading by hand, you might need a few more minutes: knead for 10 to 12 minutes, and test for windowpane.
- Cover the dough and let it rise for 1½ hours, or until it doubles. If you’re baking during winter, it might take a bit longer, and during summer, this first rise might be shorter.
- Deflate the dough and divide it into 8 equal parts. We’re shaping these parts into logs.
- Open each part into a rectangle with your hands or a rolling pin. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, then fold the dough in half and pinch to close. You can also roll the dough over itself and pinch to close.
- Place the rolls onto a lined large baking sheet. If your baking sheet is small, you might need to use two. The rolls should not touch — give them at least 1 1⁄2 inches of space, as they will expand during the second rise and baking.
- Cover the rolls and let them rise again, this time for about 40 minutes, or until they look puffy and light.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F, middle rack. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white with one teaspoon of water until combined for the egg wash.
- Brush the top of each roll with the egg wash, topping them with the remaining oats.
- Bake rolls for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F.
Video
Notes
- Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. One of the reasons your bread turns out crumbly and dense is under-kneading the dough.
- Don’t add more flour than needed. Resist the urge to add more flour, especially if kneading by hand. Too much, and your rolls won’t be as light as they should. If possible, measure in grams instead of using cups. If using cups, learn how to measure the flour properly.
- Add just the right amount of yeast — not more. Adding more yeast than required can mess with rising time and fermentation, leading to an over-proofed dough and dense bread.
- Wait for the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Slicing bread while hot gives you a gummy crumb.
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