Honey Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Make a beautiful loaf of honey oat sourdough sandwich bread with this simple recipe. The soft crumb and firm crust of this loaf make perfect slices for sandwiches and toast.
The honey flavor in this loaf is subtle and pairs well with meat and cheese. However, it’s just as good with a little butter slathered on.
This recipe for honey oat sourdough sandwich bread is comprised of 20% rolled oats and 80% unbleached all purpose flour. It retains the soft crumb of white bread while incorporating some substance from the whole grain.
Why Sourdough?
I am working hard to use sourdough in our diet whenever a food normally contains white flour. This is because white flour alone doesn’t add much nutritious value to food. It can also be hard on the gut. Fermenting flour with water creates healthy bacteria, or a sourdough starter. This starter can be used in pretty much any recipe containing flour as an ingredient with some minor adjustments. Sourdough is packed with nutrients, healthy carbs, protein, fiber, iron, and vitamins like folate. source
Something I truly love about baking with sourdough is that I’m bringing back to my kitchen a simple health practice that has been used for thousands of years. The method of sourdough baking was lost just a few generations ago as convenience food came into existence. I am happy there has been a renewal of interest in sourdough in the past several years. I know I will never go back to regular yeast bread again!
If you’re new to sourdough, make sure to check out my tips on How to make Sourdough Starter More Active.
Tips for Honey Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread:
- Feed your sourdough starter at least 4-10 hours before starting the dough. You want it to be active and bubbly so your bread will rise well. The length of time will depend on the temperature inside your home.
- Always add the flour last and don’t add all of it at once. You may need more or less than the recipe calls for depending on the hydration of your sourdough starter (how thick or runny it is)
- Don’t skip the egg wash! Brushing the top of the loaf with egg wash will give it a shiny, golden brown appearance when baking that looks more professional. It is also needed in order for the oats sprinkled on top to adhere to the loaf.
- Make sure to cool the loaf completely before cutting.
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Ingredients:
Butter, softened
Sourdough starter
Water
Egg for egg wash
Tools You May Need:
Stand mixer with dough hook (I love my pistachio green!)
How To Make Honey Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Feed your sourdough starter at least 4-10 hours before starting the dough. You want it to be active and bubbly before you begin making the dough.
Mix together oats, salt, honey, butter, sourdough starter and water in a stand mixer. Mix in the flour last so that you can control the amount depending on how wet or dry the dough is. You want the dough to pull away from the bowl and form into a ball as it mixes. If it sticks to the side of the bowl, you need to add more flour. Mix for 5-10 minutes in the stand mixer until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. The dough should be slightly sticky but able to be handled when it is done mixing.
You can use the windowpane test to see if the dough is ready. Take a piece of dough and stretch it between two hands. If you can stretch it almost paper thin and see light through it without it immediately tearing, you know it has formed enough elasticity.
Form the dough into a tight ball. Place in a greased glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap to keep the dough from drying out. Cover with a clean dish towel to keep it warm. Ferment overnight or for at least 8-10 hours at room temperature until doubled in size.
Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a loaf. Tuck both ends under to create a smooth loaf. Place seam-side down in a greased 9 x 5 bread pan and cover with a dish towel.
Allow to rise again at room temperature for 2-5 hours or until doubled in size.
Beat an egg in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush the top of the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with rolled oats.
Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 30 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven, remove from bread pan, and let cool completely on a baker’s rack.
Sample Baking Schedule:
2 pm: Feed sourdough starter.
8 pm: Mix ingredients in stand mixer. Cover dough and let rise on counter overnight or until double.
7 am: Shape into loaf and place in loaf pan to rise until double.
11 am: Brush loaf with egg wash, sprinkle with oats, and bake. Cool completely before slicing.
FAQ:
Can you add oats on top of sourdough?
Yes, adding oats on top of sourdough is a nice addition to your loaf. You will want to add the oats just before baking so they don’t hinder the rising process.
What happens if you let sourdough rise too long?
When sourdough is left to rise for too long, it becomes a sticky mess! While sourdough that rises for the correct amount of time will be easy to handle and form into a dough ball, sourdough that rises too long will be difficult to handle or form into a ball.
Why is my sourdough sandwich bread so dense?
If your sourdough bread is dense, there are several possible causes. One, your dough may not have risen long enough. Depending on the temperature inside your home, rising times can vary from one home to another and even from one season to another within your own home.
Another possible cause is that your sourdough starter wasn’t fully active when you used it in your dough. Make sure you start with a fed, active starter so that it’s working at full capacity and able to help your bread rise.
Another cause of dense sourdough bread is that you added too much flour to the dough, creating a stiff dough that is less elastic and won’t rise well.
Find More Sourdough Recipes:
- Sourdough Pop Tarts
- Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Classic Sourdough Waffles or Pancakes
- Einkorn Sourdough Cornbread with Honey
- Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins with Chocolate Chips
If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars!
If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars!
Honey Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Make a beautiful loaf of honey oat sourdough sandwich bread with this simple recipe. The soft crumb and firm crust of this loaf make perfect slices for sandwiches and toast.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1 cup sourdough starter, active and bubbly
- ½ cup warm water
- Optional:
- 1 egg for egg wash
- More oats for topping
Instructions
1. Feed your sourdough starter at least 4-10 hours before starting the dough. You want it to be active and bubbly before you begin making the dough.
2. Mix together flour, oats, salt, honey, butter, sourdough starter and water in a stand mixer. Mix in the flour last so that you can control the amount depending on how wet or dry the dough is. You want the dough to pull away from the bowl and form into a ball as it mixes. If it sticks to the side of the bowl, you need to add more flour. Mix for 5-10 minutes in the stand mixer until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. The dough should be slightly sticky but able to be handled when it is done mixing.
3. You can use the windowpane test to see if the dough is ready. Take a piece of dough and stretch it between two hands. If you can stretch it almost paper thin and see light through it without it immediately tearing, you know it has formed enough elasticity.
4. Form the dough into a tight ball. Place in a greased glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap to keep the dough from drying out. Cover with a clean dish towel to keep it warm. Ferment overnight or for at least 8-10 hours at room temperature until doubled in size.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a loaf. Tuck both ends under to create a smooth loaf. Place seam-side down in a greased 9 x 5 bread pan and cover with a dish towel.
6. Allow to rise again at room temperature for 2-5 hours or until doubled in size.
7. Beat an egg in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush the top of the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with rolled oats.
8. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 30 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven, remove from bread pan, and let cool completely on a baker's rack.
Notes
- Feed your sourdough starter at least 4-10 hours before starting the dough. You want it to be active and bubbly so your bread will rise well. The length of time will depend on the temperature inside your home.
- Always add the flour last and don't add all of it at once. You may need more or less than the recipe calls for depending on the hydration of your sourdough starter (how thick or runny it is)
- Don't skip the egg wash! Brushing the top of the loaf with egg wash will give it a shiny, golden brown appearance when baking that looks more professional. It is also needed in order for the oats sprinkled on top to adhere to the loaf.
- Make sure to cool the loaf completely before cutting.