Oat Porridge Bread

Recipe and photo by Sarah Woolworth

Bread is a great project to tackle when you’re stuck at home. It’s not the difficulty of making bread that usually deters me, but the amount of time it requires. But hey, these days, we’ve got plenty of time. 

This oat porridge bread is one of my favorite breads to make these days. I stumbled on it in Magnus Nilsson’s Nordic Baking Book last winter and decided to give it a try. Since then, I’ve continued to make it on a regular basis because it’s delicious, it’s easy, and in the realm of bread baking, it’s one of the less time-consuming loaves I’ve made. 

This bread is hearty from its base of oats and whole wheat flour, perfect for slathering with jam and butter for breakfast or a midmorning snack. Also, this recipe makes two loaves, and yes you should make them both. It takes no extra time, and having an extra loaf of fresh homemade bread on hand seems like something we could all use right now. 

Oat Porridge Bread

Adapted from the Nordic Baking Book

Makes 2 loaves

Step 1

3 cups rolled oats

1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

2 ½ cups boiling water

Place the oats and flour in a large bowl and combine with the boiling water. Mix together until well combined. Cover and let sit until mixture is completely cool (you can put the mixture in the fridge to speed up the cooling process).

Step 2

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 ⅔ cups milk

6 ¼ cups flour, plus extra for dusting

1 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

3 ½ Tbsp neutral cooking oil

Add the cooled oat and flour mixture from step 1 to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast to the milk and mix until it has dissolved, then pour into the bowl of the stand mixer. Add the flour, salt, sugar, and oil. Work mixture with a dough hook for 5 minutes or until dough is nice and elastic (if you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix everything in a large bowl, and then knead it for 5 minutes on a well floured surface). Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and leave to rise for 40 minutes, or until approximately doubled in size. 

Lightly grease two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Tip the dough out onto a floured work counter, divide in half and shape it into two loaves. Place these in the prepared loaf pans. Cover and leave to rise for another 40 minutes, or until doubled in size. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake loaves for 40 minutes, then leave to cool on wire racks.