The Fresh Loaf

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Oat Porridge Sourdough Bread

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

Oat Porridge Sourdough Bread

I have been tinkering, experimenting with various porridge breads for the past while; various attempts to create a lighter crumb, more custardy texture, deriving different flavours in the breads using various porridge mixtures while trying to keep a solid nutritional profile with the fresh milled grains and additions, using younger levains, varying final dough hydration. But sometime I just want a good porridge bread, like the one I first discovered working my way through Chad Robertson's Tartine 3...today was one of those days  Nothing complicated, this is an oat porridge bread made with fresh milled Red Fife (25%), filtered water (75%), young levain (22%), sea salt (2.2%), oat porridge addition (20%) after the third series of stretch and folds; FDH was probably about 80% after addition of the porridge.  Cold proofed overnight and baked in a Creuset covered 500 F/22 minutes; 450 F/10 minutes and uncovered out of the pots directly on the oven stone 450 F/20 minutes. Simple is often the best...

 

Comments

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

I agree that simple is often best. I am intrigued by your adding porridge after 3rd set of s&f, crumb is lovely!

Glad you are back posting that is for sure.

Leslie

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

Hi Leslie, I have tinkered with adding things right at the end of the autolyse as the bulk fermentation starts; after the first, second or third series of stretch and folds and for some things like cheese bits, during the final shaping.  My thinking for adding the porridge after the third series was focused on encouraging/strengthening the gluten structure and preserving the trapped fermentation gases as much as possible.  Just something to experiment with.  Thanks for having a look at my post!

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

with that gorgeous crumb! It is just beautiful and I know it must taste fantastic! I love the scoring on that first loaf. Very nicely done!

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

Thanks Danni, baking bread is a good thing, like pottery classes, right?

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

Absolutely! =-)

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

Beautiful bake. I need to do more with porridge . I have plenty of stuff I can cook up and use. Have you tried stirring the porridge into your liquid before you autolyse so that it is all mixed in with the flour and then you wouldn't need to try and fold it in ? Just a thought as danni had mentioned that folding in her porridge was a bear of a  job. I remember the last polenta bread I made I thought of this too late. Perhaps I will remember and give it a try to see . Too many breads and ideas and so little tummy room !!   c

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

Hi Trailrunner...yes, I have tried adding things at pretty much every point of the bread making process!  Porridge is interesting to me because it can change the overall character of the dough quite significantly - FDH is the first thing that comes to mind but also, depending on the physical nature of whatever porridge is being used, the strength and shape of the final proofed loaf.  As an example, I like to make a toasted seed porridge bread using various ground seeds cooked into a thick, shaggy porridge and incorporated into the dough late in the bulk ferment to prevent the coarse ground seeds from tearing up the gluten structure; this straight oat porridge bread has a softer oat porridge that I could have added, and have in previous bakes, at earlier stages of the dough preparation.  In my experience to date, it is good to think about how any additions might affect the bread dough and add them with that in mind, but in the end, experimenting and trying to develop a good sense for the dough development is what makes for consistent results, regardless of what/when is added.  

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

details. Thank you !  I will have to explore the porridge thing more. I did use polenta a couple times and loved the way the bread came out . I will venture into further territory soon. I don't worry about the gluten tearing so much since I do so little hands on. If I take the porridge and add it to all the liquids and then fold that into the flours it should be good. Then I can fold in the levain later as I have been doing. The porridge will be well mixed in that way with less effort. If you have any ideas on that let me know. Enjoy getting your take on things. c

bikeprof's picture
bikeprof

One of the things I have found that makes for easier incorporation of (at least oat) porridge, is the add some starter to it after it has sufficiently cooled the night before.  The result is similar to adding a bunch more water (but you get some extra flavor) - so the oats are quite soft.

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

Hi bikeprof, that's a good suggestion...being able to tinker and adjust on the go is a valuable skill and this would allow some margin for dough hydration and extra flavour, thanks!

 

Elsasquerino's picture
Elsasquerino

Great looking loaf of bread. Thanks for sharing.

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

Thank you Elsasquerino!

Isand66's picture
Isand66

You know by now my love for this style of bread and you hit the nail right on the head.

Regards,
Ian

ColbaltBlue's picture
ColbaltBlue

Hi @Cedarmountain, your bread looks fantastic. I have been working through Tartine 3 as well but not sure I am getting my head around the porridge breads. Incorporating them is thick, heavy and clumpy. After the bulk and rounding they're a bit lumpy. 

Do you have a particular techniques and or suggestions when incorporating porridge?

I am using rolled oats, fermented overnight in the fridge. I cooked them out and then spread them on a tray. Transferred to a tub and refrigerated overnight. Took them out during autolyse, spread them on a tray again as they were cold, thick and heavy. By the time I was incorporating them, they were still cold. 

 

Does any particular part stand out?

Cedarmountain's picture
Cedarmountain

Hi CobaltBlue, 

When I first attempted the Tartine 3 oat porridge bread I was most challenged by the final dough hydration variability.  The instructions for cooking and adding the porridge don't say much about the final dough hydration; Robertson does advise starting with an autolyse hydration of 75% instead of his usual 85% hydration for non-porridge breads. So, I think the best advice I can offer you is don't overthink the process.  Autolyse at 75% and add cooked oat porridge at the start of the bulk fermentation or after the first or second set of stretch/folds. It doesn't seem to make a significant difference when you add the porridge, what does make a difference is the consistency of the cooked porridge.  I don't measure the oats or water anymore, just mix up some oats (steel cut and/or flaked) and water and simmer until it is thick, let it cool a bit with the lid on and then add about 20-25% porridge, just enough to get the moist chewy texture and some subtle background oat flavour I like in oat porridge bread. If you want to ferment overnight, cook the oat porridge until it is a bit thicker, let it cool and then mix in enough starter to get a nice final consistency; I find it easier to incorporate it into the dough if the porridge is wet enough to slowly flow off a spoon and can be spread across the top of the dough.  It's intuition that will serve you best, start out with a lower autolyse hydration (I like to start around 70-75% hydration); this allows for you to add a bit looser porridge without increasing the final dough hydration too much, get a feel for dough at 75%, 80%, 85% and then work toward that when using wet additions.  Measuring is a good way to learn about baking bread but always focus on how the dough feels, looks, smells as the only "measurement" that really matters.  Hope this helps, don't worry about things too much, just bake with a sense of curiousity and it will become clearer through your own experiences.  Happy baking CobaltBlue, will watch for your porridge bread post!