Oats + Sourdough making a comeback!

Lil and I have no shame in doing/buying/wearing the same things.  In fact, sometimes we go out of our way to do this... case in point: yesterday we went to Sephora to purchase the exact same makeup and the to Urban Outfitters and bought the same flannel dress.  In high school we had a tradition of buying a matching pair of flip flops every summer.  Whenever I discover a way that Lil does something differently than I might I make sure to state, "That's how we are different."  The instances where I use this phrase are few and far between but it's important to note them when they do come up just so that we remember that we are, in fact, different people.

It should come as no shock that we have baked the same loaf of bread on separate occasions.  Remember the Sourdough Oat Bread I made a while back?  The loaf of Oat Bread that Lil made most recently comes from the same cookbook (Good to the Grain) just without the sourdough kick.

In the repetition of baking those loves I noticed a pattern.  The oats were visible (little white flecks) but not detectable in terms of texture/taste.  They didn't bother me at all except aesthetically.  So, I thought why not try the recipe again and soak the oats before hand?  I put the cup of oats into about 1 1/2 cups water and let it be for about 5 hours.  Then, I proceeded with the recipe.  It was a delicate balance to find the right moisture level since I had the wet starter and the wet oats. In the end I got it.  Or so I thought...

But look.. No white oats visible in the bread.  Success!

They are only on the crust where I sprinkled them just before baking.  Beautiful.  Almost... see how the upper right side of the bread is sort of.  Um.  Droopy?  Yeah, droopy.  Welllllllll I don't know how to explain this except to say that my loaf pooped.

The side of the bread fell off and onto the stained oven stone below.  I have no idea why this happened. In the oven of all places?!  I would have thought if it would happen it would have fallen off during it's second rise.  My best guess is that the dough was still a bit too wet and fell off because it was too heavy.  

Regardless, this bread makes a great breakfast spread with peanut butter, jam, or avocado.  

Sourdough loves Oats (soaked).

Oh, and what became of the little dookie I found on the oven stone?  I ate it.
-Sar

PS Lil and I are staging a comeback from our beginning of February blues.  The new Amazonian illuminating clay serum and flannel dresses are just the beginning.  Watch out.

Oats + Sourdough (Oh my!)

Nothing like a controversial national holiday to get me back into the bread blog.  While  I was not posting I made several sourdoughs that I just did NOT write about..Oops.

For this sourdough I decided to get a little inventive.  I read a recipe in Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce (Thanks Emeric!) and decided - why not add some sourdough to it?!  Good to the Grain had been sitting on our shelf since Emeric lent it to me in July (laaame).  Plus I have sourdough to feed.

Sourdough-Oat Sandwich Loaf Inspiration from Good to the Grain
(Printable Recipe)
Yields 1 loaf
Prep time about 10 hours
Cook time 40 minutes

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
1 pinch of sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
1 cup starter
1/4 cup water
3 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons molasses

1. Proof the yeast in warm water with sugar.
2. As the yeast proofs for about 10 minutes, measure out your dry ingredients EXCEPT the salt and stir them together.  Melt the butter while you are at it.
3. Add the yeast, butter, and sourdough starter and water to all the dry ingredients excluding the salt.  Stir until you can't stir anymore and then let it rest for 20 minutes.  This is called autolyse.
To learn more about autolyse click here or search "sourdough" on the top right and read up!

4. Now, add the salt and molasses.
5. Knead for about 10 minutes.
6. Allow the dough to rise for about 45 minutes in a clean, buttered bowl.
7. Shape the dough into a log and place it into a loaf pan to rise.

8. Let it rise for up to 6 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk.  I went babysitting in the meantime.  I would have loved to be available to punch the dough down but it's sourdough and it loves to retard, so I just let it happen.
9. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and brush the top crust with a little water/molasses mixture and sprinkle with bran or oats before throwing it in the oven.
10. Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes.  As always, allow to cool before slicing.

Entirely unrelated, but I made these impromptu banana-bran muffins the other day.  There are four bananas in 12 muffins.  Mathematically speaking, a third of a banana per muffin.  I'd post a recipe but I didn't keep track or measure anything I did.  Classic.

These bananas were practically making themselves into banana-based treats.

Happy belated Columbus Day and 10-10-10!
Sarah

PS This bread was okay.  Like any good relationship, oats and sourdough have some things to work on together.  I'll definitely revisit this medley.  The to bake (and to do) list(s) are long and the time is always short.  

Sourdough-Oat Scones with Cherries and Dark Chocolate

Scones vs. Biscuits

Both are quick breads with baking powder as a leavening agent.  The basic dough of both is quite similar - the difference is in how they are baked and served.

Scones are sweet, served with hot tea (Harney strongly recommended) or coffee.  They often (and in my opinion, should always) contain fruit, nuts, or spices.

Biscuits are typically unsweetened and best served warm with butter or honey alongside a meal, like Vegetarian Chili, for example.

I was inspired to bake a sourdough scone after reading this recipe on Wild Yeast Blog's YeastSpotting.  Some of the ingredients were measured in weight (fortunately, we have a kitchen scale) and so I changed them to volume (cups, teaspoons, etc) along with my modifications to the recipe.

Sourdough-Oat Scones with Dried Cherries and Dark Chocolate

(Printable Recipe)


Yields 16 scones

Bake time 23 minutes

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup oat flour

5 tsp nonfat milk powder

1/4 cup sugar

5/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon lemon zest

8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup dark chocolate chopped

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup sourdough starter

milk

coarse sugar

Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

In a large mixing bowl, blend the flours, milk powder, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and lemon zest.

Press in cold butter* until it is in pea-sized chunks.
Mix in the dried cherries, dark chocolate, and rolled oats.
Add sourdough starter and mix lightly until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and pat into a long rectangle.
Cut** into four squares and then cut X's into squares to get four triangular scones, each.  Sixteen scones total.
Place scones on parchment lined baking sheet - brush with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake 23 minutes or until golden brown.

*Why cold butter?  And freezing scones/biscuts...
Cold butter makes biscuits flaky.  Fat coats the proteins in the flours preventing them from forming long gluten strands.  In this way, the butter buffers the layers between the flour-liquid matrix -- as the biscuit bakes in the oven, the butter melts.  Ta da, flaky texture!
Scones/biscuits that use the combination of flour, liquid, baking powder, and solid fat can be frozen for 30 minutes before baking.  After shaping and placing on the cookie sheet, freeze for 30 minutes.  You get a flakier texture because the fat stays solid longer in the oven, holding together the structure as the biscuit rises and bakes.
**It is important to cut biscuit and scone dough with sharp dough cutters.  Cutting with dull knives or glasses destroys "side walls" that freely expand as biscuits/scones bake allowing them to rise to their optimum height.

A side note, directed at my father, on white whole wheat flour.  My dad said, "White whole wheat doesn't make sense to me."  So, here's an explanation: White Whole Wheat flour is made from an albino wheat rather than a traditional red wheat.  It is a milder, lighter 100% whole wheat flour and in recipes it acts a lot more like all-purpose (i.e. you don't need to add as much liquid to compensate if you are substituting).  It's a great compromise between taste and nutrition because it doesn't get a whole-wheaty texture/taste yet it supplies the nutrients of 100% whole wheat.

In my scone research, I found that The Wandering Eater posted on The Best Scones in New York City in 2006.  It's been four years and these  Cherry-Dark Chocolate Scones could at least give Eli's a run for a place in the top 5.

- Sar

Oatmeal Maple-Honey Bread

This loaf is dedicated to Nell, who loves oatmeal bread.

And to Andy, who cooks oatmeal every morning without measuring.

I read a recipe for Oat Bread in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and a recipe for Vermont Oatmeal Maple-Honey Bread in The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. This recipe is a fusion of the two. Partially because I discovered we were low on both honey and maple syrup (the main sweeteners in either-or) and partially because I am a crazy cook and tend to (read as "love to") wing it. The results are always mind-blowing... sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a not-so-good way. It's a risk I am willing to take.

What you need:

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup wheat bran

1 1/4 cups bread flour

Additional oats, wheat bran, and a pinch of sugar for a textured and beautiful top crust.

I used exactly those ingredients, but here are some optional swaps--

instead of 1 cup of warm milk use 1 cup of warm water

instead of 2 tablespoons of canola oil use 2 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter

instead of 1 1/4 cups bread flour use 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

What you do:

1. Start by proofing the yeast. Use the 1/4 cup warm water, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and yeast (obviously).
2. While the yeast proofs (10 minutes/until it is bubbling), combine the milk, honey, maple syrup, canola oil, and salt. Whisk together.
3. Slowly add the wheat flour, oats, and wheat bran. Mix.
4. Slowly add the bread flour, reserving 1/4 cup for kneading.
5. Knead for 5 minutes. Adding the full amount of bread flour is based on your judgement. Add as much as the dough will hold and still be a bit tacky.
6. Let the dough rise, covered for 1 hour or until doubled.
7. Shape the loaf and roll it into that oat, wheat bran, sugar mixture you had set aside for the top crust. The amount you add is up to you. How rustic do you like it?
8. Put it in a loaf pan, cover, and let it rise again 1 hour or until doubled.
9. Preheat the oven to 375° in the last 15/20 minutes of this second rise.
10. Bake for 45 minutes or until the bread pulls slightly away from the sides of the pan.

Eat to your health! Oatmeal bread seemed like a great follow-up bread for the Cinnamon Raisin Loaf because oats are a superfood. The smiling, white-haired Quaker man on the label of Quaker Oats promises a healthy heart and reduced cholesterol. I don't know if I totally trust him because what is his hair tucked into? His ears? How do you get a fold of hair like that when you aren't playing Martha Washington in a body of water?? From a source with a better hairstyle, research shows (according to David Grotto's book 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life!) oats can help aid weight management as part of a nutritious, fiber-rich diet and oats+other whole grain intake can even help prevent type 2 diabetes. Plus, oats are soothing for almost any digestive ailment and externally, for itching/eczema (Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape, or form suggesting you ever rub this bread on a mosquito bite).

This is superbread. Bake it and eat it in good health.

- Sarah

P.S. Here is what "cow face" kneading looks like.. I was trying to explain it in the whole wheat post. It even has a mouth (unintentional)!