Oat Porridge Bread from Tartine Book 3
Like most of my bread friends, I purchased Chad Robertson's new bread book, Tartine Book No. 3, back when it came out over the holidays, however, I only got around to baking from it fairly recently. In Book no. 3, Robertson builds upon his basic country bread formula he established in his first book,Tartine Bread, with a focus on whole grain baking. I had been skimming the book for awhile and noticed a few things:
- As with Tartine Bread, the photography is absolutely breathtaking. The book just forces you to want to bake bread by being so beautiful. In that way, it is very inspiring.
- Robertson's take on whole grain baking is very different than most bakers. It seems as though Robertson is more interested in whole grain baking from a flavor standpoint rather than a nutritional one. Most of the breads actually contain a majority of white flour and Robertson uses and demonstrates a variety of methods for injecting other grains into the bread. He puts a focus on using grains that would not usually be used in bread baking(because of poor baking properties) and uses them as flavor enhancers.
I decided to put some of the methods described in the book to the test with a formula called "Oat Porridge Bread". This is one of the breads in the "Porridge Bread" chapter that involves cooking grains into a porridge(similar to making oatmeal) and then using it as an inclusion in the final dough. Robertson details using several interesting grains with this method but I decided to go with the most basic, rolled oats, because that's what I had on hand. 
I actually attempted this bread twice with noticeable improvements on the second attempt. My process reflects the adjustments I had to make to get the results you see here. I must say that this is one of my favorite breads I've ever made mainly because of the texture of the crumb. It is extremely moist, custard-like and soft in a way that I haven't experienced in any standard sourdough I've made in the past(and I've made a lot). I'm thinking that this has to do with the porridge aspect. The flavor is also quite nice but I wouldn't say it is particularly "oaty". I think the key to this bread is making sure you have enough strength in the dough(by doing a lot of strong folds) and getting the proofing right. The first time I made this bread it was very gummy and chewy, most likely because of under proofing. Enjoy!
For the formula, process and more photos visit my blog at aBreaducation.
Comments
Wow! This looks fantastic. Great job. I have to give this one a try for sure.
Ian
Thanks! Yes you definitely should. It's a bit challenging at first but is well worth it if you get it right.
Oats seem flavorless to me which is why I like them in pancakes and smoothies alike.
The bread looks like a real treat to eat!
Thanks!
Yes, the oat flavor is very mild. I think the porridge contributed a lot more to the texture of the bread rather than flavor. I want to try this again with a stronger flavored grain.
T3 porridge bread I have seen so far. the crumb is fantastic ad the taste has to be great. So how is this different than grain gruel, flour scald or tang zhong except that oats are being used? I'm glad Chad has focused on whole grains and taste rather than the healthy aspects of unsung them to be healthy. This looks t be one of the great breads and yours is the best executed so far - by far...Well Done!
Happy Baking
Thanks very much! Yeah I'm not sure if anything revolutionary is going on here. I think what makes this bread so good is that everything is pushed to the brink hydration and proofing-wise.
Your bread looks great. We had dinner at Bar Tartine last night and were lucky enough to come home with a loaf of bread. I will try the formula you posted on your blog as soon as we're done eating that loaf. Thank you for posting it.
Awesome. It was brunch at Bar Tartine that got me to try this bread. I picked up a loaf of the barley porridge bread while I was there and it was amazing. I think it also helped to try that bread and know what I was aiming for. Good luck!
Both the crust and the crumb look absolutely great. Oats are used in Hamelman's 5-grain Levain in an overnight soaker rather than a porridge, and if gives the crumb a somewhat moister texture and a deep, caramel, almost burnt orange crust. It looks like something similar is going on here. Nice job and thanks for posting.
-Brad
Thanks! I'm a huge fan of that bread as well. This has got me thinking about adding porridge to all my breads. It seemed to just enhance the overall bread and didn't seem to mess with the openness of the crumb much.
Wow! A good hard bake on that loaf and that crumb is text book. Well done!
Thanks!
Beautiful photography and I really want to eat a slice of this.
I assume the book was a good investment since this is the best bread you've ever baked!