Ultimate Hearty Bread: Whole Grain Oats Long-Fermentation Delight

Step 1

Begin by heating a sturdy skillet over medium heat until it warms up. Toss in the steel cut oats and stir them around until they start to turn a lovely golden color, which should take about 5 minutes. Once they're toasted to perfection, take the skillet off the heat.

Step 2

Next, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the bread flour, whole wheat flour, now-toasty steel cut oats, dry milk, sugar, gluten, salt, flax seeds, and yeast. Pour in 5 cups of water, along with the oil and vinegar. Mix everything on low speed until the ingredients are all nicely moistened. Then, crank up the speed to medium-high and let it mix until the dough becomes elastic and the gluten is well-developed, which will take around 5 minutes.

Step 3

Transfer the dough into a clean bowl that's been lightly oiled. Cover it snugly with plastic wrap and leave it in a cozy spot to rise until it doubles in size, which usually takes 1 to 2 hours. After that, give the dough a good stretch and fold 4 to 6 times. Pop it back into the bowl, cover it up, and let it chill in the fridge for a nice long rest of 16 to 18 hours.

Step 4

When you're ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge 2 to 4 hours beforehand. Turn it out onto a generously floured surface and sprinkle some more flour on top. Divide the dough in half and gently flatten each portion. Fold in all four sides like you're making an envelope and press the edges together. Shape each piece into a loaf with the smooth side facing up. Place them in two loaf pans, cover them with a clean cloth, and let them rise until they just peek over the tops of the pans, which should take about 45 minutes to an hour.

Step 5

Preheat your oven to a blazing 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place a pan of water on the lower rack to create some steam for the bread, which will give it a lovely crust. In a small bowl, whisk together an egg with a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush the tops of the loaves with this mixture.

Step 6

Slide the loaves into the hot oven and let them bake until they turn a beautiful golden brown, which should take around 15 minutes. Carefully remove the pan of water and cover the loaves with little tents made of aluminum foil. Keep baking until a thermometer inserted into the bread reads between 200 to 205 degrees F (93 to 96 degrees C), which will take another 45 to 60 minutes.

Step 7

Once the loaves are done, take them out of the pans and let them cool on a wire rack before slicing and enjoying the fruits of your labor.