Whisk the warm water, milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of the brown sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5–10 minutes, until foamy and frothy on top. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.*

Add the remaining brown sugar (2 Tablespoons), the molasses, butter, oats, salt, and 1 cup of bread flour. With a dough hook or paddle attachment, mix/beat on low speed for 1 minute, stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add the remaining 2 and 1/2 cups of flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading (next step) would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough, similar to the photos above. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.

Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5-8 minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5-8 minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1.5–2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)

Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or two 9-inch square or round baking pans, or line with parchment paper. You can also bake the rolls in a cast-iron skillet or on a lined baking sheet.

When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces, about 68–70g each. A kitchen scale is helpful for this step. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Here is what I usually do: take a piece of dough and stretch the top while pinching and sealing the bottom. Make sure the rolls are smooth on top and sealed on the bottom. Arrange in prepared baking pan.

Cover shaped rolls with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until puffy, about 30–60 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). (It’s best to bake the rolls towards the bottom of the oven so the tops don’t burn.)

Gently brush the tops of the risen rolls with egg wash, and lightly sprinkle each with oats. Bake for 26–27 minutes or until golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway through. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil. To ensure they’re fully baked, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer; it should read 190°F (88°C).

Allow rolls to cool for a few minutes before serving. Cover leftover rolls tightly and store at room temperature for 2–3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.