Oatmeal porridge bread with extended proof
Today I baked two loaves of oatmeal porridge bread, about 12 hours apart. The plan was to bake them one after the other (I bake in my cast iron dutch oven and only have the one, so simultaneous baking is out). However, I wound up needing to run an extra errand this morning so the second loaf of bread was left in the fridge all day, until I had time to bake it and it had cooled off enough that I felt OK cranking the oven to 500 degrees.
The recipe I used was from Tartine No. 3. The texture of this dough during folding was very different than previous loaves; almost stringy, and it felt lumpy during shaping. Perhaps I didn't distribute the oatmeal as well as I should have.
Here is a pic taken 2 hours into bulk fermentation:
Both loaves were proofed overnight in the fridge. Loaf #1 was baked after a 14 hour proof. Here it is just before going in the oven:
And after coming out:
Crumb:
We had some with lunch. The crumb was moist, the crust chewy. It was tasty, but mild. No noticeable sourdough tang, especially compared to the spelt-wheat bread (I did a toast off, because why not?). Both were good, though I preferred the spelt-wheat for toast. I think the oatmeal might be better for sandwiches, especially PBJs where someone who will remain nameless might not appreciate tangy bread.
Here is Loaf #2 just before going in, after a 26 hour proof:
And after baking (I used the same slash pattern because I was curious if they would get similar oven spring; since we already ate some of Loaf #1 it shouldn't be hard to tell them apart):
I'll edit to add crumb pics and flavor notes when I slice it. Right now it's cooling.
Edit: here's a crumb pic. The inside is very moist, almost tacky. I must not have baked it long enough. :( It will make good toast, though. Flavor is indeed more tangy. The flavor is quite good, though the texture leaves something to be desired. Oh, and I clearly need to brush excess flour off my loaves before baking.
Comments
Wow, 26 hour proof. That is nuts! Looks really good though.
Believe me, it was not what I originally planned. But once I realized I was going to have to significantly delay the second loaf, I was actually kind of excited to see what happened.
Lovely Bakes and good news the second loaf held up to the long proof. I bet it has a touch more twang than the first. As for the lumpy dough. He says to add porridge after second fold (which I did a few times with trouble) but someone brought up that the Master Method says to add at the beginning of the mix. Not sure if this was your problem but if so next time add the porridge at the start and it's much much easier to combine.
Cheers
Josh
I actually added the porridge along with the leaven, since I thought the odds of my being able to mix it in well without totally deflating the dough were pretty low. I haven't been following his directions exactly. I am interested to see if the second loaf has a more sour flavor. Thanks!
If it's any help, I add the porridge gradually, breaking it up as I add it. I'll break it up, spread it around, then fold it in a little, distribute more, and fold it in. I do three or for rounds of additions to help it be more dispersed throughout the dough, and give it a light working at the end to encourage this further.
Maybe try something like that next time to see if it helps with the lumpiness.
I will try that, thanks.