Apple and Oats Sourdough Sandwich Bread

apple oats sourdough
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I did an Apple and Oats porridge sourdough bread last year and it was loved by so many of you. I know a few baked it in a loaf pan and some others used apple juice instead of water (how awesome does that sound??!!)

So I thought to give this original recipe a new spin and came up with this sandwich recipe. I have been baking sandwich loaves on a weekly basis for the last 6 months (probably longer) for a community donation program. Needless to say I had plenty of opportunity to perfect my dough handling skills, specially with high hydration porridge loaves with whole grain.

cinnamon toasts

We all know sandwiches are a big part of most families with kids. Its such a versatile bread, great for sandwiches, toasts or even to make croutons. Why not make it a wholesome loaf by adding whole grain, apples, oats, honey and a healthy dose of good bacteria. If you chose to slow proof the bread(retard) it will be even more gut friendly. Doesn’t all that sound amazing? So lets get started.

Soft crumb due to oats and apple

Few things before we jump in
You can replace honey in the recipe with sweetener of your choice or you can even completely omit using it. Apples give enough sweetness to the bread.
If you don’t have wholemeal flour, use bread flour or all purpose flour. This can be made with 100% all purpose flour too. But adding whole grain flour will add texture, color and nutrients. You can use high extraction flour too and mix it with some all purpose flour. Depending on the flour you use, you might have to adjust the water (hydration) as some flour are thirstier than others.
Do not hesitate to replace butter with oil. Fat helps keep this bread moist for longer.

Following are the important steps. Also find this recipe video on my YouTube channel.

“This post may contain affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own”

starter

Get your sourdough starter ready. Give it a feeding, refresh it and use well fed mature starter to minimize sour flavor.

Get your apples and oats porridge ready.

Great the apples and weight 130g out of it. leave the skin on.

Cook the oats with water until mushy and add the honey and olive oil while still hot

Dissolve starter in water and add the mixture to the flour and mix with a spoon. Add a bit more water if the mixture is too dry. Finish mixing with hand. make sure all the flour is hydrated.

Cover and leave to rest for about an hour

add the apples

Add the apples and oats porridge to the rested flour mixture and knead using a stand mixer. Knead for about 2-3 minutes on medium. Or until a dough is developed. Scrape the bowl as necessary.

Take the dough out and finish off kneading by hand. Use wet hands and do several slap(or stretch) and folds to bring the dough together. Place in a bowl cover and let this bulk for about 2 1/2 hours.

Give 3 coil folds during the bulk at 45 minute intervals

Makes great toast

After the final fold, place in a bowl cover tightly and refrigerate for several hours to develop flavor. If you don’t want sour flavor do a same-day bake.

For the same-bake

Cover and leave at room temperature for another 2-3 hours to finish off bulk. Then move on to pre-shape and shape.

loaf

If you did a long fermentation in the fridge; take the dough out and let it thaw for about an hour and shape into a loaf, top with oats and place in a greased pan.

If you didn’t refrigerate, take the dough out on to a floured surface, preshape and let it rest for 15 minutes before shaping.

Leave this in a warm place to proof ( for about 3-4 hours)

Halfway through to the proofing, pre heat the oven


Once the bread is fully proofed, bake in the preheated oven. Spray some water to the surface, just before it goes in the oven to create a crustier top.

This is 8.5″ by 4.5″ pan loaf. This bread fits a 9″ by 5″ pan too.

Side by side comparison of the two pans with same dough. If you used a 9″ by 5″ pan the dough may not rise too much above the rim. So always use the poke test to see if it is proofed.

Check video below

Do the poke test to see if the bread is fully proofed. Check this video and see what to expect. When you poke, the dent should spring back slowly. It it springs back quickly, its under proofed. It it doesn’t spring pack its over proofed, but nothing to worry, get in the oven as quickly as possible.

Sourdough loaves take a long time to proof so be patient. Make sure it’s in a warm place (somewhere in between 26 – 29ยฐC)

How the loaves bake up in different pans. In the 9″ by 5″ pan the height is less. This doesn’t affect the taste though.

Once baked, remove from the oven and take off the pan as soon as possible. Leave on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into the bread.

This bread stays fresh(soft) for up to a week if you keep it air tight. I usually place the leftovers in a plastic bread bag.

crumb

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6 comments

  1. Hi Vindi, thank you for this recipe and your detailed instructions, it is absolutely delicious!! Super yummy fresh, and makes the most amazing toast ๐Ÿ™‚
    I decided to try again today (practice makes better!) and had a couple of points I’d love to troubleshoot…
    1. My bread has a dense gummy line all through the bottom of it (the rest of the bread’s texture is perfect!), I am wondering if that means it was under-baked? Maybe I should try leave the oven on 375 instead of reducing to 350 in the last part of baking?
    2. The bread has bigger air-holes in the top of the loaf. I wonder if this can be caused by over-proofing once in the pan? Part of the reason may be of course that my tin was a bit small I think (the 8.5 x 4.5 USA Pan) and it did ‘spill’ over a bit at the end of proofing, so it baked with ‘handles’ hanging over the side! I guess this would have distorted the structure of the top of the bread.
    Any thoughts I would love to hear! Thanks so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Thanks Robyn.
      1. The gummy line at the bottom is due to slight under proofing
      2. The big air holes is usually due to not enough degassing before you shape the loaf

      Hope this helps
      Cheers!

      1. Oh thanks Vindi, I had it quite wrong haha!SO much to learn ๐Ÿ™‚
        Can I just clarify, due you mean under proofing during the bulk or after being shaped? Or both?

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