Name: Oat Porridge Soft Sourdough Buns
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 12 h 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 60g sourdough starter (100% Hydration), preferably use at its peak; 180g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour); 75g water; 30g sugar (I used organic brown sugar); 35g rolled oat or instant oat; 110g milk; 140g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour); All stiff starter (above); 20g honey or sugar; 1 tsp salt (6g); 45g egg, whisked (from 1 medium egg); 30g butter, room temperature; 1 egg + 1 tbsp water, whisked; Some rolled oats; 8" square pan

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This is an improved recipe for Oat Porridge Soft Sourdough Buns. I used my favourite Sweet Stiff Starter recipe that I have been using in almost all of my Soft Sourdough Breads. In this recipe, a high percentage of sweet tiff starter is used to help cut down proofing times and make the bread rise faster. These buns took only 2 hours and 30 minutes at final proofing.

Characteristics of this bread: The texture is especially soft and moist on the first day and it lasts very well for 2 - 3 days. The oats in the dough causes the texture to be a little crumbly. There is a very slight mild sourness.

If you'd like the recipe using liquid levain or starter, please click "Oat Porridge Soft Sourdough Bread".

I have another grain porridge soft sourdough recipe that you may like to try - Soaked Multigrain Soft Sourdough Bread.

If you have any questions regarding this recipe or any other post, please leave me a comment in the “LEAVE A COMMENT” link and I will reply you as soon as possible. Do tag me on Instagram @Bakewithpaws if you attempt on this recipe.

How To Make Oat Porridge Soft Sourdough Buns

Yields: 9 buns in 8"X8" square pan or 1 loaf in 450g loaf pan

INGREDIENTS:

Sweet Stiff Starter:

60g sourdough starter (100% Hydration), preferably use at its peak

180g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)

75g water

30g sugar (I used organic brown sugar)

Oat Porridge:

35g rolled oat or instant oat

110g milk

Main Dough:

140g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)

All stiff starter (above)

20g honey or sugar

1 tsp salt (6g)

45g egg, whisked (from 1 medium egg)

30g butter, room temperature

Egg Wash:

1 egg + 1 tbsp water, whisked

Some rolled oats

Utensil:

8" square pan or 450g loaf pan for bread loaf

METHOD:

Sweet Stiff Starter

In a bowl of stand mixer, dilute starter with water, stir in sugar and add in bread flour. Mix with paddle attachment until well mixed and all come together. It can be done by hand mixing too.
Cover and let it ferment until tripled. I prepared a night before and leave it in aircond room (approximately 24 - 25C room temperature) overnight until tripled. It took about 8 - 9 hours depending on your starter. It should take around 4 - 6 hours to get triple at room temperature at 28C - 30C.

Oat Porridge:

In a saucepan, cook the oats in milk until become thick porridge. Keep aside to cool.

Main Dough:

Put all ingredients (except butter) into a bowl of stand mixer. I usually slightly torn the stiff starter dough first.
Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the paddle attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out. Using the paddle attachment, mix for 2 minutes or until all incorporated. This step is critical to prevent an uneven mixed dough as the stiff starter is rather hard and a dough hook may not be able to mix it well enough.
Change to hook attachment and knead for another 3 minutes or until the dough comes together. Add in butter and continue knead for 10 - 12 minutes or until the dough become smooth and reach window pane stage. Due to the presence of oat the dough is not very stretchy, a reasonable window pane is good enough. The whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.

1st Proofing/Resting:

In the same bowl, let the dough rest for 30 - 60 minutes. Keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid. This dough I rested for 45 minutes and the dough rose slightly in 45 minutes.

Shaping:

Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface then divide dough into 9 equal portions (approx. 79g each). Please use a kitchen scale if you want to be exact.
Form each portion to a ball. Please watch the video here "How to shape the bun"
Place bun onto the baking pans lined with parchment paper.

Final Proofing:

Let the buns proof at a warm place until the dough rise double in size. This one took approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes at at room temperature of 29C - 30C. The duration of proofing depends on your ambient temperature and the starter.

Baking:

Preheat oven at 190C (top & bottom heat) or 170C (fan-forced) for 10 - 15 minutes.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle some rolled oats.
Bake in a preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove buns from oven and let them cool on rack.

GENERAL NOTES:

SOURDOUGH STARTER

Please click this link for "How To Make Sourdough Starter" and "Sourdough Maintenance"

A healthy starter is very crucial as advised by Baking with Gina. It is advisable to feed your starter regularly if you want your bread to rise nicely and to use the starter (levain) at its peak. A starter that is fed regularly will be more active in general. If the mother starter is not strong, the bread dough will not rise a lot even though the starter is used at its peak.

GLUTEN DEVELOPMENT & WINDOWPANE TEST

Gluten forms when flour comes in contact with water. Hydration of the flour causes the sticky and stretchy protein to form, giving structure to the bread. This makes your bread trap air and rise.

Gluten in dough can be developed by autolyse, resting, kneading or folding.

The windowpane test is used to determine whether the dough has been sufficiently kneaded. By gently pulling the dough (or you may pinch off some dough) and trying to stretch it into a thin membrane. If you are able to stretch the dough paper thin and translucent without tearing, then the gluten is fully developed. However, if you can stretch it without tearing but the membrane is not transparent, then the gluten is not yet fully developed.

However, from my experience not all the recipe can achieve a thin and translucent window pane stage easily. For example low hydration and low fat dough. For such recipes, a reasonable window pane is good enough and it can be left to rest. Gluten will continue to develop while resting. Exercising restraint to not over-knead the dough prevents the gluten from being overworked and broken. Some of you may have experienced the dough breaking during the second proofing. It is because the dough is over kneaded.

The total kneading time for me is usually 15 minutes at low speeds except brioche dough with high fat percentage or dough using liquid fat which usually takes a little longer (maybe 18-20 mins).

From my experience, I found that high hydration dough with high percentage of fat will be easy to stretch and achieve a paper thin windowpane stage.

MILK POWDER

Why do I use milk powder?

Milk or milk powder will enhance the flavour of the bread and makes the bread texture softer due to the fat content of the milk.
Milk powder is shelf stable and you can have it anytime when you want to use. Unlike liquid milk you need to finish within a certain time before it spoils.

KNEADING TIME

For kneading, please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide. Timing may differ depending on the brand of flour and electric mixer used. The protein content may vary from one brand of flour to another.

FLOUR

The right flour plays a very important role in bread making. To achieve fluffy, soft and light bread, I used Japan High Gluten Flour in most of my bread baking. The protein content is around 12 - 13%.

HYDRATION

The liquid measurement given is also a guide. It is advisable to always reserve some liquid and not add it all in one go. This would give you the opportunity to adjust if necessary. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency. This is because each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently.

PROOFING

Please note that the proofing timing may also vary depending on your climate, environment, flour and your starter.

If you are unable to judge by just looking at the dough, you can do the finger poke test:

Proofing:

Lightly press the side of the proved dough with your finger. If it bounces back immediately without any indentation, it means the dough is under proved and needs more time before baking.
If the indentation stays and it doesn’t bounce back, it means it has been over proved.
If the indentation slowly bounces back and leave a small indentation, it is ready to bake.
There will be a final burst of rising once the bread is placed to bake in the oven and it is called oven spring.

WRINKLE TOP OR SHRINKING

If your bread collapses or gets wrinkled on top after removing from oven, it could be because your dough over proved during the second proofing. Please proof until the tip of the dough just reaches the rim of the pan, around 80% - 90% in size.

BAKING TEMPERATURE AND TIME

Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.

Comments

GEISLANDIAAugust 27, 2020 at 9:35 AM
Oi, como faço essa receita com o fermento instantâneo?
Muito obriga ☺😘
,
HaseyoannyeongOctober 14, 2020 at 7:39 AM
Hi Yeanley,
Can yudane method use in this recipe? If yes, do i need to deduct the water level use in yudane in the main dough?
BelleOctober 23, 2020 at 4:57 AM
Hi, I noticed that your recipe doesn’t have eggs in it, why is that?
WSNovember 6, 2020 at 5:50 PM
Hi, your recipe always work :) just curious, I'm using same day levain at 1:1:1 you wrote 255g+95g levain to give 350g for 9 buns but you mentioned also 190g levain below. Should I follow 190g?

Thank you!
AnonymousMarch 27, 2023 at 1:53 PM
Hi, are those recipe slightly different? In one says 45 gr. eggs in other 40-55 gr. milk?
AnonymousJune 30, 2023 at 10:26 PM
where is the video tutorial for how to shape the buns?