The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Looking for advice on fermented oats

mutantspace's picture
mutantspace

Looking for advice on fermented oats

just wondering if I should use less yeast in my whole meal bread. Im currently makibf a quick 4 hour sponge with one teaspoon instant yeast, 160g wholemeal, 50g water and 145g milk and then adding 80g fermented rolled oats, 120g wholemeal, 40g bread flour, 30g honey, 25g oil, 9g salt. 

It tastes great but the top of the dough tends to split up when proofing....just wondering if it's simply a matter of gluten in wholemeal over stretching because a. Overproofed b. addition of fermented oats to sponge causing bread to rise too fast or c. Both of these factors

thanks for the help 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

With the yeast population doubling every hour, a 4 hour sponge is like tossing in a handful of yeast.  Might want to cut that back to 1/4 tsp.  The rest of the yeast can be added later  when mixing up the dough if you think it needs it.

mutantspace's picture
mutantspace

is the best place to start with this recipe adaption to take original amount of yeast in it and half it for every hour I have a sponge fermenting?

Tommy gram's picture
Tommy gram

can I ask what does the milk add to the bread? It seems against natural law. 

mutantspace's picture
mutantspace

Thanks for that; in answer to the sponge in another recipe I have they use 1 tsp for a 4 hour sponge with 175g bread flour and 225 water then add 175g flour, salt and soaker of 100g oats.  Having said that I've read that wholemeal has to be looked after carefully cause it's gluten is more fragile due to weight of grain. And thats where one of my errors may be. Just curious how will I know if I should add more yeast if the time between final mix and 2nd rise is one hour.

In regards to the milk the recipe looks for half and half milk/water which acts as tenderiser 

 

 

 

an

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

And see if it works out.  Then if the final proof takes forever, and won't puff up in an hour or two, you will know to add the yeast next time or right there and then to hurry the dough along.  I don't think the whole wheat matrix is so weak, from what I understand it needs more of a soak & work out to develop the gluten.  

Tell us a little bit about the fermented oats.  That is a major difference between the two recipes.  Think of fermented oats as a sd starter if it is old enough.  I had an oat starter once.  (Still have it dried somewhere.) 

To add yeast,  spread out the dough, sprinkle with remaining instant yeast and lightly mist the yeast.  Swirl the yeast around to make a paste, roll up the dough and knead it to the dough to blend.  Rest, shape and proof.

mutantspace's picture
mutantspace

thanks for that mini oven ill do that - im fine with a long slow fermentation so ill go for half the yeast and take it from there. As for the fermented oats i love making fermented food so i made some oat kissel and used that on my first try of this bread. I then made a soaker with 80g of oats, 20g of whey (which i have leftover from making yogurt) and 80g water. Left it for 48 hours or so to get a lovely sour note off it. I often have fermented oats in my porridge so i thought id try it in the bread - give it more complexity.

 

Ill do as you suggest with the yeast - if it doesnt rise at all ill add yeast there and then. Having said that my sponge uses half the flour so if its not well risen when im ready to add remaining flour and ingredients ill add a little more yeast then. what i might try is start with 1/2 teaspoon (amounts to 1.5g instant yeast) in the sponge and if after a few hours theres no action ill add 1/4. I know how 1 teaspoon reacts in the sponge (thats what i had in the last time) so that seems a good place to start from. Ill also do as recipe suggests and cut down time on first rise and then keep closer eye on second rise.