Country Bread with Oats

Marie Skogström
3
35 min
3 hours 5 minutes

A rich, delicious bread that stays moist thanks to the use of a pre-ferment. Want to make baking easier by skipping the need to tend to the dough? Let the dough rise overnight or during the day in an oiled container in the fridge. This gives the bread more flavor, and you can bake it whenever it’s convenient during the day. Feel free to press the dough down a little now and then during proofing to prevent it from rising too much.

3.45/5

233 Votes

Here's how:

1

Pour the boiling water over the oats and stir until it forms a porridge. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature until it cools. You can also leave it at room temperature overnight.
2

Dissolve the yeast in the water, add the porridge along with the remaining ingredients (except the salt), and mix for 10 minutes on low speed. Add the salt and increase the speed; mix for another 7 minutes until the dough is elastic—it’s okay if it’s a little sticky.
3

Place the dough in an oiled bowl with a lid and let it rest for 30 minutes; then fold the dough to press out the air and distribute it throughout the dough. Let the dough rest for about 40 more minutes in the bowl with the lid on.
4

Divide the dough into 3 parts and gently roll them into round, smooth buns; brush the surface with a little water and dip them in rolled oats.
5

Place them in a floured basket and let them rise for about 45 minutes. You can also let the dough rise directly on the baking sheet, but then the loaves will turn out a little flatter. You can also let the loaves rise in bowls lined with kitchen towels and dusted with flour so you can easily turn them out when they’re done rising. Feel free to cover the loaves with a baking cloth or plastic wrap while they’re rising.
6

Preheat the oven to 250 °C and place a baking stone or a clean baking sheet in the oven.
7

Carefully remove the loaves from their pans and place them on the hot baking sheet or baking stone. At this point, you can either slide the loaves directly into the oven onto the baking stone or baking sheet, or you can remove the baking sheet or baking stone, place the loaves on it, and then return the baking sheet or baking stone to the oven.
8

After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 200 °C. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 98 °C.