A Sweet Master variation. Soft, hearty, perfect toasted with butter on a Sunday.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 360 g | Or 50/50 bread + all-purpose for a softer crumb |
| Whole milk | 140 g | Warmed to body temperature |
| Warm water | 20 g | About 85°F. Separate from the oat soaking water below. |
| Soft butter | 60 g | Room temp — soft enough to dent with a finger |
| Granulated sugar | 50 g | Sweet but not dessert-sweet |
| Active starter | 80 g | Fed 8–12 hr earlier, passes float test |
| Egg | 50 g | One large egg, beaten |
| Fine sea salt | 8 g | Added after autolyse |
| Rolled oats | 60 g | Plus 15 g for topping |
| Honey | 30 g | Local if you can. Mine's from a farmer down the road. |
Because my starter is fed with organic whole wheat flour, roughly 50 g of the total flour in this recipe is whole wheat (about 10% of the total). It’s a subtle background note, not a wheat loaf — but it’s part of the character.
Weights use baker’s percentage — the starter’s flour and water are subtracted from the totals. Use the calculator to scale.
New to sourdough? Learn how to make your own starter.
Method
1Hydrate the oats
Put 60 g rolled oats in a bowl. Pour 80 g of warm water over them. Let sit 20 min until they swell and soften.
2Build the Sweet Master
Mix as in the Sweet Master, using the weights in the table above — the water line is already reduced for the oat soak and for the starter's water. Autolyse as written. Add salt.
3Fold in oats and honey
First fold: add the hydrated oats and 30 g honey. Fold four times.
4Continue folds and bulk
Folds 2–4 as written. Bulk 75–90 min. You can also use your oven's proof setting at ~100°F — it'll get there in about 45 minutes. Same target either way: ~50% growth, puffy and bubbly.
5Shape and top
Shape. Brush top lightly with water. Press into a plate of rolled oats so the top is crusted.
6Retard and bake
12–14 hour cold retard. Bake 425°F covered 20 min, 400°F uncovered 20–25 min. This IS your final proof. No separate room-temp proof needed before the fridge — the cold and the time do all the work.
7Cool
Wire rack, full hour.
9" Pullman variant (halved)
For a soft sandwich loaf in a 9" Pullman pan (~450g dough capacity). Halve every ingredient.
Ingredients (halved)
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bread flour | 180 g |
| Whole milk | 70 g |
| Warm water | 10 g |
| Soft butter | 30 g |
| Granulated sugar | 25 g |
| Active starter | 40 g |
| Egg | 25 g (beat one, weigh half; save the rest for egg wash or eggs tomorrow) |
| Fine sea salt | 4 g |
| Rolled oats | 30 g + 8 g for topping |
| Honey | 15 g |
Because my starter is fed with organic whole wheat flour, roughly 20 g of the total flour in this recipe is whole wheat (about 10% of the total). It’s a subtle background note, not a wheat loaf — but it’s part of the character.
Method changes
- Follow the main method through shaping.
- Shape as a log, not a boule. Roll into a tight cylinder about 8" long, seam-side down.
- Grease the Pullman with butter or spray. Place the log seam-side down. Cover.
- Cold retard 12–14 hours in the fridge, lid off. Pull from fridge — dough should have risen to ~80% up the pan sides. If it's short, let it warm at room temp until it reaches that mark before baking.
- Bake at 375°F. Slide the Pullman lid on. Bake 25 min covered. Remove lid. Bake 10–15 min more until internal temp reads 190–195°F and the top is golden.
- Cool in pan 10 min, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool a full hour before slicing.
For a fully square pain-de-mie shape, leave the lid on the entire bake (35–40 min total). The top stays pale and flat.
Compared to
The published recipes I learned from and measured mine against. Respect to the bakers who came first.
The reference honey-oat loaf. Yours uses 6% honey + 12% oats — moderate sweetness, oats soaked in advance for tender crumb.