Soft Honey Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
There are so many different ways to make sourdough bread and I am constantly trying and experimenting with new recipes. My simple soft sourdough sandwich bread is so delightful and one of my most popular, but this soft honey oat sourdough sandwich bread is just as good, if not better! The texture with the oats makes this a soft and chewy bread with a hearty flavor.
There is something so satisfying about mastering sourdough. To see the dough take life, rise and create a beautiful structure has such a feeling of success. I take pride in the hard work I have put in to mastering these types of bread.
Honestly though, this bread is a one of the easiest sourdough recipes to make. What I love about this sandwich bread is the amount of time you don’t have to spend making it. The secret to this recipe is time, and an active sourdough starter.
Here are some of my favorite tools for baking~
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Get my soft honey oat sourdough sandwich bread recipe below!
Soft Honey Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 300 grams sourdough starter active and bubbly
- 650 grams warm water
- 1000 grams white bread flour
- 50 grams honey
- 40 grams olive oil or avocado oil
- 20 grams fine sea salt
- 200 grams old fashioned oats
Instructions
- First soak your oatmeal for at least an hour. Add 100 grams of your water and the 200 grams of oats and let them soak for an hour.
- Then, in a large bowl, mix your fed sourdough start, water, oats(with the water it has been soaked in), flour, oil, honey and salt. I like to use my danish dough whisk to mix it together before then using my hands to finish combining it completely.
- Next let this mixture sit covered for 1 hour.
- Once it has sat for an hour, you want to do your stretch and folds. I like to do them every 20 minutes. This takes the place of the knead process that you usually do in a stand mixer. You can go as long as 30 minutes in between. But if you are in a bit of a hurry, you can do 20 minutes. You want to do 4 stretch and folds.
- Once you have finished your stretch and folds you have an option. I like to let my dough sit for about 3-4 hours and bulk ferment. Then I put the dough directly in the fridge and leave it overnight or for 10-12 hours.You can also put it right into the fridge after you are done with the stretch and folds, but I like to give it more time. I find it makes the bread a bit more flavorful and the texture is so nice.
- After it has been in the fridge, take it out and let it come to room temperature. This takes about 1-2 hours.
- Divide the dough into two large sections if you want to large loaves. You can also cut it into 3 and makes 3 slightly smaller loaves.
- Roll or stretch your dough into a rectangle. Fold it in thirds and then roll it up into itself. Pinch the ends and tuck them under. Place the dough into a greased loaf pan seam-side down. Cover with a wet towel or I like to use shower caps or plastic wrap and allow the dough to proof until it has doubled or almost doubled. I like to put it in a warm place to rise.
- While it is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Once the dough rises, cut some slices in the top and place in the oven. Place a pan with hot water below the bread to allow some steam. This helps with the crust and the rise of the bread.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown. If you tap the top and it sounds hollow, it is done.
- Remove the bread from the oven and carefully take the bread loaves out of the pans and let them cool on a wire rack. I like to brush butter to the tops of the loaves while they are still hot. This helps to soften the crust and adds the yummy butter flavor to it.
- Cool completely and then cut and enjoy! These sandwich loaves are the perfect combination of sandwich bread and my traditional dutch oven sourdough bread!
This is a mix and forget type of bread. It needs minimal kneading and handling prior to allowing it to bulk ferment.
What is bulk fermentation?
In sourdough baking, bulk fermentation is the period when the dough, mixed with starter, ferments in a single, large mass, developing flavor and structure before being shaped into individual loaves. This phase takes place after the initial mixing and kneading, and before the dough is divided and pre-shaped.
I prefer to mix this dough at night, before bed. I then let it sit overnight on the counter to bulk ferment. You want to make sure your space is not too warm, or it will bulk ferment too fast. If it is warm, then mixing the dough in the morning may be ideal.
In the morning, the bread dough should have doubled in size and has a domed top. It will pull away from the side of the bowl easily and should not be overly sticky. It is time to shape and place in my loaf pans. It then needs to rise in the pans, and then it is ready to be baked.
This honey oat sourdough sandwich bread uses rolled oats ( I have never used quick oats) in the dough to add texture and flavor. I also sprinkle some more oats on the top of the dough prior to baking. To get it to stick to the dough, spray the top of your loaf with water and then sprinkle to oats on top.
I still like to score an expansion cut on the top of the loaf prior to baking. This helps it to rise higher and direct the expansion through the cut. I do sprinkle to oats first and then make the cut.
Another word of advice….let the bread cool on a cooling rack before cutting. I know this is the hardest thing to do, and I have done it many times. But it really is easier to cut when its cooled.
This honey oat sourdough bread is so amazing. It makes the most amazing toast, use it for sandwiches, dip it in soups and stews.
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Good morning this is my second time making the bread, the first time it turned out amazing but I know I can do better. So when you’re first stating how to get your starter going and then soak the oats it’s a little confusing there. I’m sure you can revise it. Do we use 200 g of oats or water in the recipe calls for 110 g but on number one you say to do a 100 g of water and 200 g of oats . The first time it did 100 g of oats with 200 g of water. Turned out good but I think it could be better so this time I did 200 g of oats to 200 g of water and I let it soak overnight and it looks beautiful. Mixed it all together now I’m doing the stretch and folds. I’m excited to see how this turns out thank you for this beautiful recipe. I came across your bread there and I knew I had to make it. Hope you have an awesome day. Thank you again.
Hi! Sorry that was a typo. I usually do 110g of oats and 200 g of water to soak. I think it depends on how much oats you want in the bread, either will work well in the recipe and not change it too drastically.
I just made this last night & the recipe still says 200 gm of oats & 100 gm of water. That’s what I used but I let it ferment 8 hours in the fridge & 8 hours on the counter before shaping. It turned out great, but it is a very hearty loaf. What are the correct measurements? I’m getting ready to make 2 more loaves and need to know if I need to change what I did.