Oat Molasses Sourdough Bread
Do you love a dark, nutty, oat bread that when served with some real butter is a little slice of heaven? This whole grain sourdough bread is a meal all by itself. Also sweetened with honey, Oat Molasses Sourdough Bread is chewy, moist, rich, and memorable. The perfect sweet and savory treat to accompany any dish.
Equipment
- 1 Banneton Basket optional
- 1 Dutch Oven optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rolled Oats
- 1 cup Warm Water
- 1 tbsp Yogurt or acidic liquid (buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, etc.)
- 3⅓ - 3½ cups Hard Red Wheat Flour (450 grams) preferably fresh milled
- 1¼ cups Warm Water (315 grams)
- ½ cup Active, Fed Sourdough Starter (120 grams)*
- 1⅓ tbsp Salt (25 grams)
- 2 tbsp Honey (40 grams)
- ¼ cup Molasses (95 grams)
Instructions
- Mix together the first three ingredients, set aside for 1.5 hours to soak.1 cup Rolled Oats, 1 cup Warm Water, 1 tbsp Yogurt or acidic liquid (buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, etc.)
- Once oats are soaked, combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. (I use a kitchen scale and measure everything in grams to be accurate.) Add the soaked oats to the bowl.3⅓ - 3½ cups Hard Red Wheat Flour (450 grams), 1¼ cups Warm Water (315 grams), ½ cup Active, Fed Sourdough Starter (120 grams)*, 1⅓ tbsp Salt (25 grams), 2 tbsp Honey (40 grams), ¼ cup Molasses (95 grams)
- Using a Danish dough whisk, wooden spoon, or your hands, mix everything together until there is no dry flour left and everything is well incorporated. Cover with a dish towel, and let it sit out on the counter for 1 hour.
- After an hour, remove the towel and using your clean damp hands knead the dough together using the stretch and fold process. Perform 4 series of stretch and folds 30 minutes apart that consist of 4-5 stretches and folds each. Cover with a towel and leave out on the counter between each session.**
- After the 4th series of stretch and folds, cover again with a towel and let it rest on the counter for 2 hours. Then gently lift the dough out of the bowl and lay it on a clean surface that's either damp or lightly floured. Pull the dough out into a rectangle shape, roughly 8" by 11". Fold the right corner of the dough to the bottom center, then the left corner to the bottom center, and repeat until the dough is folded upon itself like a log.
- Roll the log up to a ball shape. Note: this dough is very sticky, not like a traditional sourdough. Let the shaped ball rest on the counter for 30 minutes. Heavily flour a banneton basket*** and transfer the dough to the basket upside down. Sprinkle a bit more flour on the bottom of the dough and then cover with plastic wrap or put the whole basket in a plastic shopping bag.
- Place the covered basket into the fridge and allow it to proof overnight. The next day (morning, afternoon, or evening... it won't make much difference), place a medium Dutch oven or other heavy bottom lidded pot in your cool oven. Preheat the oven to 450℉. Once the oven is hot, pull your cold dough out of the fridge and dump it out on some cut parchment paper.
- Use a lame, razor blade, or sharp knife to score the dough. (The dough will expand in the oven and "burst" if you don't do this. You can include a pretty design but one good deep cut will give it the permission to expand where you want it to.)
- Carefully pull out the hot Dutch oven, grab the parchment paper and place it with the dough inside, cover with the lid. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue to bake another 30-40 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 195℉. (If you have an oven safe thermometer like the one mentioned in the blog post that reaches outside the oven, use that while baking.)
- Remove from the oven. Warm bread is a gift from heaven BUT for best results, allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing. This dough is moist, chewy, and completely packed full of flavor. Enjoy with some real butter.
Notes
*This recipe works best with a fed, active sourdough starter. See blog post for tips.
**Be careful not to overwork whole grain flour, be gentle and only stretch and fold it a few times per session. See blog post for more details regarding this and the stretch and fold process.
***If you do not have a banneton basket, use a colander that's lined with a tea towel.
Nutrition
Calories: 2137kcalCarbohydrates: 457gProtein: 68gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 9377mgPotassium: 2018mgFiber: 49gSugar: 99gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 530mgIron: 17mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!