I wanted something a bit different this week so I poked around in the pantry and found some oats left over from winter breakfasts hidden behind the honey loops and choco pops and a jar of molasses tucked away in the back of the baking shelf. Thus, this bread was born! The crumb is soft with a bit of bite and the taste is rich and nutty.

Makes 8

Ingredients

300ml tepid water
150g mature 100% hydration starter, room temperature
30ml molasses
30ml light olive oil, plus extra for brushing
120g oats (stone-ground or rolled oats), divided
500g bread flour, plus extra for dusting as needed
1 tsp salt

Directions

Mix all the wet ingredients together well in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) until combined.

Grind 100g of the oats in a food processor until you have a slightly grainy flour. If you are using whole rolled oats, roughly grind the other 20g and set aside.

Add the flour and the 100g ground oats and mix until the dough comes together. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8 minutes by hand. Add the salt and knead in for another couple of minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rest for 4 hours, stretching and folding every 40 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 8 pieces. Form the pieces into balls and pinch the seams closed underneath. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap that has been lightly brushed with olive oil. Let rest for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 220’°C.

When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap from rolls, gently brush them with a little oil and sprinkle the remaining oats over the tops.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until browned and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath.

Cool completely on a wire rack.