Adventures in Sourdough, Episode 5: Honey Oat Sandwich Bread

 We recently polished off the last of a loaf of store-bought wheat bread, so the Hubs requested this week's loaf be some sandwich bread.  And I'm just going to go ahead and say....this is definitely the PRETTIEST bread...and perhaps the most BREADIEST bread, I've made since getting my starter.

I had pinned this maple oat bread on Pinterest...but then discovered we had no maple syrup. Or milk.  But...we can improvise.

I fed the starter after breakfast on Saturday, and then pulled off 3/4 cup for this recipe....but let it sit covered in a bowl on the counter until about 3pm when it was really nice & bubbly.  I suspect I've been a bit too impatient with previous batches and started working with them before the yeast was really awake and active.  

Oats soaking in water before being mixed into the dough. It called for rolled, I had quick. It still tastes good.

I used up the rest of my fancy organic whole wheat bread flour, plus the last of a bag of AP flour, for this batch. I think I'm finally starting to realize how much of a difference the bread flour makes when it comes to texture and the ability rise well.  This recipe also called for a lot more folding than previous batches, but I think it added some good structure.  The dough started out super sticky but as I continued to come back and fold, it was noticeably less so.  The folding also ate up some time prior to the bulk fermentation, which timed out well--I had folded it three times by 7pm, then covered it up and let it sit on the counter overnight.

Compare smoothness of the dough here to the previous picture. The addition of the oats probably also helped soak up some of that moisture. This photo was from roughly 7pm, at the beginning of the bulk fermentation...

And at 8am, post-bulk fermentation.

I then turned it out onto a floured cutting board and did a bit more folding, then more resting....then more folding, and another rest, before placing it in a greased loaf pan.

Once it was in the loaf pan, I covered it and we headed off to church.  And upon getting home 1.5 hours later...

MAGIC.  That's some happy dough right there.

I'm really thrilled with the way this came out.  If I had a complaint, I think I let the top crust get a little too toasty--I tented it with tinfoil about 25 minutes into the bake but maybe could have done it sooner.  The crust is a little bitter in the darker spots.  But otherwise, I'm super happy. It cuts nicely, it's soft and not too dense, has a very light sweetness from the honey, a nice chewiness from the oats.  And with the little decoration of oats on top, it just LOOKS. SO. PRETTY.  I would definitely make this recipe again.

Made excellent cinnamon-sugar toast!

This loaf totally looks like it should be in a fancy play kitchen.