Koji & Steel Cut Oat Porridge Sourdough

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After many, many different sourdough iterations I finally settled on this recipe. I started baking regularly years ago and began by using Tartine’s Country Bread recipe. I enjoyed the results but I wanted something that had a higher whole grain percentage. I slowly started to tinker with the percentages and found that 40:60 of bread:whole wheat yielded a complex loaf that wasn’t too dense. I love including a porridge into my dough because the resulting loaves are more moist and tend to keep longer.

Ingredients
Porridge

• 400 g water
• 100 g koji
• 100 g steel cut oats
  

Dough

• 600 g bread flour
• 400 g whole wheat flour
• 750g water, divided
• 175 g leaven
• 25 g salt
• Sesame seeds, rolled oats, flour or cornmeal for dusting

Preparation
Bread Dough

1. First make the porridge. Add all porridge ingredients to a medium saucepan and cover. Heat over medium flame and bring to a boil. Continue to cook for about 2 more minutes and then remove from heat. Try not to stir much, if at all so that the starch doesn’t overdevelop. 
2. In a large bowl mix flours together. Add 700g of water and leaven. Mix. To fully incorporate ingredients pull on one corner of the dough and stretch it to the center. Repeat this about 3 more times. Dough will be tacky. Cover and set aside for about 45 minutes
3. Add the remaining 50g of water and salt. Repeat the dough pulling method in Step 3 until water and salt are fully incorporated. Set aside for 45-60 minutes.
4. Repeat the dough pulling method in Step 3 again and set aside for 45 minutes.
5. Knead in porridge in increments, about ¼ of the mixture at a time. Work carefully to spread the porridge in a thin layer on the dough before kneading to avoid clumps of porridge in the finished loaves. Set aside for 10-20 minutes.
6. Flour a clean surface as well as 2 bread bannetons. 
7. Divide dough into two equal parts and place one on the floured surface. 
8. Pull on one corner of the dough and stretch it to the center. Repeat this about 3 more times. Place dough seam side up into banneton. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
9. Cover bannetons and place in a refrigerator for 1-2 days.

Baking

1. Remove bread banneton from the refrigerator at least 4 hours before you want to bake. The dough should be room temperature by the time you put it in the oven. On very hot days you will need less time and on very cold days you will need more.
2. Preheat the oven to 500°F. 
3. Place a Dutch oven inside about 30 minutes before you plan on baking
4. Once the oven and Dutch oven are sufficiently preheated, remove Dutch oven and dust the bottom with cornmeal, flour, sesame seeds or rolled oats. Transfer dough to the Dutch oven by tipping the banneton over the Dutch oven and carefully plopping the dough down.
5. Score top quickly, cover and place in the oven.
6. Cook for about 25 minutes at 500°F. Then reduce temperature to 450°F and cook for 25 minutes more. If you like your crust to be very crusty and crunchy, remove the lid of the Dutch oven. Otherwise leave it on.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Allow bread to cool completely before cutting. 

Notes

• If you do not have bread bannetons then use 2 medium large bowls that are well floured. 
• If you have a glut of bread I advise slicing some up and sticking it in the freezer (never refrigerator). Whenever you want to eat simply thaw and toast. If stored properly it often tastes almost indistinguishable from freshly toasted bread.