Clayton's Oatmeal Sourdough

A new week, a new loaf. A couple of weeks ago, I began raising a sourdough starter. This is not my first starter, as I've had a couple in the past, but for one reason or another I always eventually get rid of it, whether for moving reasons, or Passover, etc. But now that I have finals and some time on my hands and a kitchen to experiment in, I figured why not give it a go again. The starter, whom I have not and will not name for fear of growing too close ;), took quite a while to show signs of life and strength but after lots of patience, love, flour, and water, began doing what it was born to do last week. And so, the sourdough baking began. Because I eat bread only on the weekends, I stashed all of the loaves in the freezer to be taken out as needed. So why make it all if I cant eat it all? Well, for the fun of it, of course! I NEED to bake! And better bread then cake and cookies. I'm sure you understand. Anyway, this Oatmeal Sourdough loaf bread comes from Bernard Clayton's New Book of Breads. It is the first recipe that I have made from it. I made it in to a loaf and shaped two rolls as well, the rolls being what I ate on Shabbat, the loaf still being in the freezer. The bread is made using a sponge, which builds off the sourdough, and instant yeast, making this a quick loaf to prepare. It was easy to knead and a good riser. The resulting bread had excellent texture and was quite nutty from the oats. That was the most dominant flavor profile, the sourdough having contributed little to its flavor. Which is totally fine. I used soy milk instead of the water and non fat miYlk and I also omitted the honey and replaced the one tbsp of sugar with two of brown sugar. After tasting, I realize that I would not do that again and I would leave the honey in because I think it would add a lot more to the final flavor of the bread. Honey adds a delightful flavor and I dont know why I thought to switch it up. Anyway, if I try this again, I will update this post. Here is the recipe as appears in the book. Sending this bread over to Susan's wonderful and inspiring weekly Yeastspotting.

Oatmeal Sourdough

from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Sponge:

1 cup liquid sourdough starter

1 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups bread or all purpose flour

Dough:

1 cup water

1/2 cup milk powder (I used 1 cup soy milk)

2 tbsp honey

2 1/4 tsp dry yeast

1 cup quick oatmeal

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2-4 cups all purpose flour, as needed

The night before baking, place the sponge ingredients in a bowl. Stir to make a smooth batter. Cover and let sit overnight.

The next day, add all of the ingredients to the starter, except for the flour.
Whisk to blend.
Add the flour a bit at a time, stirring to make a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until a cohesive dough forms.
Here is my kneaded dough.
Place the dough in a bowl and set aside to rise until doubled in size. This recipe makes two eight by four inch loaves but I made a nine by five and two rolls. It's your call. Make sure to grease your pans.
Shape the dough as desired and set aside to proof once again. Towards the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 350.
Slash the loaf and place in the oven.
Bake until a dark golden brown, at least 30-40 minutes. I wish I had timed it!
Remove from the pans and set on a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy with some jam or butter.