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Sourdough oatmeal bread

A golden-brown loaf with a sweet tang.
Various sourdough bread shapes. (Photo: Getty Images)

Here’s a bread that’s just a little tangy, substantial and good.

Sourdough oatmeal bread

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Prep11 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Yield2 medium loaves

Ingredients

For the sponge

  • ½ cup starter (remember to feed your original starter)
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup instant oats

For the rest

  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp corn oil, or any other neutral-flavored oil
  • Approximately 3 more cups of flour

Instructions

The night before

  • Mix the ingredients for the sponge in the order given. It will look like oatmeal. Cover the bowl – plastic wrap works best – and put the sponge away in a warm place overnight.

The next day

  • The next morning, the sponge should be light and bubbly. Beat in the salt, sugar, soda, and oil.
  • Knead, adding smaller sprinklings of flour, until the dough is smooth – about 10 minutes. Smooth a thin layer of flour over the dough ball, cover it again, and put it away another 2 hours, or until the dough is light again.
  • Working gently, cut the dough into two. Knead each half briefly, shaping the loaf you want.
  • Allow the dough to rise another half-hour to an hour, or until it’s light and a few blisters are visible under the skin surface of it. Start preheating the oven. I preheat my oven to 475° F (250° C), but lower the temp to 375° F (190° C) right after I’ve put the loaves in the oven.
  • Decorate the surface of the loaves by giving them an egg-wash, pressing flakes of oats on top.
  • Bake for 1 hour or until a golden-brown.

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