Oat and Seed Loaf

The search for the perfect daily bread recipe continues and this is the latest iteration worthy of sharing with the bread-making chums of my acquaintance. This loaf is one I make regularly for toast and sandwiches … slicing bread in other words. The recipe also makes excellent rolls for lunch and dinner.

This recipe is, as you would expect, for sourdough bread but I have no cause to think that it would not work equally well as a yeast recipe – it would certainly be quicker to make. Just mix all the ingredients at once and add yeast plus one cup of water and one of flour to compensate for not having sourdough in there. Either way you will have bread for lunch.

THE RECIPE

Phase A – start this around 6pm before dinner

  • 2 cups of sourdough starter
  • 3 cups of water
  • 720g of flour … strong white, wholemeal in whatever proportions you like. I usually do roughly half and half but its a matter of taste

Mix throughly by hand or with an electric beater. Cover the bowl and put it somewhere cool overnight – I usually put mine in a picnic cooler with an ice pack

Phase B – this starts around breakfast time the next morning

Bring the dough into a warm kitchen and let it warm up for a while

Add:

  • salt (half a tablespoon)
  • 100g oat flakes
  • 380g of flour
  • cup of toasted sunflower seeds
  • half cup of pumpkin seeds

Using mixer with a dough hook, knead thoroughly. (Depending on your flour you “may” need to slightly adjust the wetness of the dough but a bit too wet is preferable to too dry.)

Cover the bowl and put in a warm place – inside the oven with just the interior light on is perfect

Every 30 minutes stretch and fold the dough then return to the warm. Do this three times, four is better

Divide into two or three pieces, knead stretch and fold again and put into loaf tins … or make about 16 to 18 rolls if you prefer.

Cover and allow to rise in the kitchen for 90 minutes to 2 hours – roughly to double in size. but there will be plenty of oven-spring to make it bigger yet.

Spray with water – slash the tops and bake at 400F for 40 minutes (loaf) or 25 minutes (rolls)