The very first loaf of bread that I ever made was a honey oat loaf. It was flat as a pancake, and so very dense. But I didn’t even care because to me it still tasted so good. I had no idea what the standard was for homemade bread; but I knew that my first loaf, dense and all, was still so impressive. And I believe it’s because of this wonderful flavor combination.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Honey Oat Sourdough
I think that honey and oats are such a classic flavor. It is both subtle, while still standing out. The oats in the bread lend to such a great texture that this is a simple and special way to elevate a loaf of sourdough bread.
🍲 Ingredients
Sourdough Starter – every great loaf of bread begins with a bubbly, and active sourdough starter. This is what will make the bread rise, so it’s important that you use it at its peak (6-8 hours after you have fed it)
Flour – This recipe calls for both all-purpose flour and whole-wheat flour, but if you don’t have whole-wheat on hand, you can use entirely all-purpose flour.
Honey – we use Kirkland’s organic raw honey, or local honey we purchase from the farmer’s market.
Oats – we use organic sprouted rolled oats from “all ingredients from farmers we know”. The big bag from Costco is the best value!
👩🍳 The Bakers Schedule for Honey Oat Sourdough
9 am- feed your starter. I like a 1:3:3 ratio. (50g of starter, 150g of flour + 150g of water)
5:30pm – assemble your bread dough.
6:15pm – pull the sides of your dough towards the middle until a semi – smooth ball forms.
7pm – first set of stretch and folds.
7:45pm – second set of stretch and folds.
8:30pm – last set of stretch and folds.
The next morning, 7am – shape your dough and place it in your banneton and into the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
If we’re having a loaf bread for lunch, I’ll preheat the oven at 10am and start baking so that our bread is ready by noon. If we’re having the loaf for dinner, I’ll preheat the oven and start baking between 3 and 4pm.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Cover your bowl of dough with a damp bowl cover or tea towel to keep the top from drying out.
- Wet your hands when doing stretch and folds so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands.
- When scoring your bread, just do one deep slash down the middle. The oats on the outside will make it difficult to do a scoring design and I enjoy the rustic look of the contrast in colors.
🗒 Substitutions
If you would like to have a higher hydration loaf that’s a bit sweeter, but without the oats. You can leave the oats out and substitute it for 100g of all-purpose or bread flour.
🗒 Best Served
- As avocado toast
- As lunch sandwiches
- With butter and a drizzle of honey
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store your leftover sourdough bread in a brown paper bag either on the counter or in a bread box. Fresh sourdough bread will stay fresh for only 2 or 3 days.
🤔 Common Questions
A good loaf of bread starts with a strong starter, you should be using your starter at its peak when you assemble your bread dough. Typically, this is anywhere from 6-8 hours after feeding, depending on the temperature of your home.
You can. I don’t believe it gives the same rich flavor, but you can use 2 TBS of sugar instead.
Honey Oat Sourdough Loaf
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- 1 proofing basket
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 60 grams active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 360 grams filtered water
- 25 grams honey
- 50 grams whole wheat flour
- 100 grams oats plus more for rolling
- 400 grams all-purpose flour
- 10 grams salt
Instructions
- In the morning, feed your starter a 1:3:3 ratio.
- In the afternoon when your starter has peaked, assemble your dough.
- Start by mixing your starter, water, and honey until a milky liquid has formed. Add your oats, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt until a shaggy dough forms and there are no dry bits of flour left.
- Cover with a damp towel and let your dough rest for 45 minutes to one hour.
- After resting, work the dough into a smooth ball by pulling the sides up and towards the center, rotating the bowl each time until a semi – smooth dough forms. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes – 1 hour.
- Perform 3-4 more stretch and folds every hour, and then cover with a damp towel and leave on the counter over night (8-10 hours) for the bulk fermentation.
- In the morning, turn your dough over onto a lightly floured surface and shape into whatever shape your banneton is (boule or batard).
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup of rolled outs onto your work space and roll the surface of your dough over the oats so they evenly coat the top. Place the dough straight into your banneton seam side up and stitch the sides straight up the middle.
- Cover and place in the fridge for at least two hours.
- Preheat your Dutch oven to 475 for a minimum of 20 minutes.
- Turn your dough over onto a piece of parchment paper and with a sharp razor, score your bread in a straight line. (scoring a detailed design would be difficult because of the oats)
- Place your bread into the Dutch oven and replace the lid. Bake your bread with the lid on for 23 minutes. Remove the lid, turn down the oven to 450 and bake for an additional 23 minutes.
- Let cool completely before slicing, and enjoy!
Nutrition
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I was a little surprised to see that you leave the dough out all night at ambient temps! It doesn’t over proof?
I have never had an issue with bulk fermenting overnight, 98% of my recipes have dough assembly at night and shaping in the morning.
My loaves have been perfectly proofed, but I will say our house runs between 62-67° overnight most of the year, which is probably (?) on the cooler side. I’ve made Courtney’s beginner recipe, this one, and the walnut and cranberry stuffed one, and they have all come out amazing following her schedule!
Delicious! My favorite sourdough loaf so far (which is dating a lot because I love all your recipes!) The honey makes it just right. My kids and hubby all love it. I’ve adjusted cooking times slightly to make loaves for sandwiches and it’s 👌 Thank you for creating and sharing this! It’ll be a weekly repeat!
This made a beautiful and delicious loaf. Proofing overnight on the counter was perfect
I’m so glad you like it!
This is the best sourdough loaf I’ve made so far, a beautiful soft, airy crumb. This is going to be my go-to recipe. I can’t believe it’s made with AP flour! Planning to try it in a loaf tin next time.
Hi, have you tried making in in a log tin? Wondering if it works…
I haven’t done it myself, but I did have someone reach out and say they would try it! If you try, please let us know how it goes <3
Been making sourdough for about a month now – tried this recipe out – came out delicious – half the loaf was gone after the first few hours in my household.
Absolutely wonderful! My hubby says this is the perfect breakfast toast. 🙂
Hi, A delicious loaf. The first time I made it I had trouble making the oats stick to the dough. So the next time I tried scattering the oats in the banneton instead which worked a lot better.
That is a good tip! Thank you!
Hands down my top favorite loaf! Thank you so much for making sourdough feel simple and manageable; for way too long I feared it! Your account is the best!🙌💛
Oh heavens! Thank YOU <3
I love this recipe! I have been making it on repeat lately. The dough is so easy to shape and the loaf turns out great each time. I’ve been enjoying the honey oat loaf drizzled with honey, topped with strawberry chia jam, and made into a turkey sandwich!
That sounds amazing, how clever! I’m so glad you like this recipe, thank you for the kind review<3
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. The loaf proofed beautifully in exactly 8 hours at around 21 degrees C. I left it overnight in the fridge for a cold proof and it puffed up a little further. The baked loaf is beautiful and delicious. I used bread flour but otherwise made no changes. I took a loaf to work and they loved it! If I could give 6 stars I would.👍