Soft Artisan Oatmeal Sourdough Bread

Most oat bread recipes end up this way because the whole grains are not given enough exposure to moisture to produce a tender loaf. Another common mistake when making oat bread is using cooked oats. While a small ratio of the moisture can be replaced with cooked cereal, cooked cereal’s overabundance will give your bread a gummy texture like denture cream. Over the last few weeks, our chef has been working on an oat bread recipe with a very high ratio of whole grain oats in the bread. The resulting formula is our favorite by far. It has chew and texture that cannot be matched, along with a delightfully crunchy crust. Hopefully, you will find the same joy.

Artisan Oatmeal Sourdough Bread

2 cups Specialty Grains old-fashioned rolled oat
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp active dry yeast (optional)
5 1/2-6 cups Panhandle Milling Organic Bread Flour
1 Tbsp. Salt

Directions:

• In a gallon-sized bowl, combine the oats, juice, and starter. Allow oats to absorb the liquid and set aside for 30 minutes, allowing moisture to absorb. Add the remaining ingredients and knead until well combined in the bowl about 300 turns, about 5 minutes. The dough will be wet.
• Cover with a lid and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours*.
• Divide dough into balls and form into loaves. Place in a well-floured Brotform bread mold and allow to rise for 2 hours at 70 degrees, or until doubled. Preheat oven to 475°F. Invert bread mold onto the baking stone. Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or razor.
• Transfer to hot oven and bake 35-45 minutes until over 175°internal temperature.
  Allow bread to cool before slicing. This bread will be very moist and have a shelf life of 3-4 days if it lasts that long. Enjoy.

*If using only the sourdough starter to raise the bread, the loaf will take approximately 12 hours to grow.