Gluten Free Honey Oat Sourdough Bread
A slightly sweet bread, with a hint of sourdough tang. It harkens to the days when honey wheat bread was my favorite, before celiac disease came a courtin'.
"Be not ashamed to have had wild days, but not to have sown your wild oats." ~Horace
Oats were a grain lost to me when I was diagnosed with celiac disease over 20 years ago. Even though oats don't contain gluten, they are often grown and processed with gluten containing grains. Two decades ago, there were no oats to be found that were considered celiac safe. As most products, there have been great strides in celiac safe oats. When I started to be able to find celiac safe oats, I still had a really hard time digesting them. There is a local Colorado company that makes delicious gluten free bread, with oats as the main ingredient. I cannot eat that bread, as much as I want to! I have talked to many other celiacs who also can’t seem to tolerate oats either.
So why, I’m sure you’re asking, would I create an oat based sourdough bread? When I started my gluten-free sourdough journey over 4 years ago, I found that the fermentation process makes it so my body can digest the oats without the negative digestive effects. Hallelujah! I was so excited. I started off small, only adding a small amount of oat flour to my breads and worked my way up to this bread, one made with mainly oat flour. It has become one of my favorite breads to make and eat. I usually double the recipe and make two loaves, as this bread disappears quickly in my home!
This Honey Oat Sourdough has a bit of a darker crust (due to the sugar in the honey) and a lovely light texture. I love adding oat flour to my sourdough breads, as I find it adds a lightness to them. When baking this bread, it is important to let it cool completely before cutting into it, as this lets the crumb properly set. If it is not entirely cooled, then the bread will feel “sticky” when you cut into it.
Not quite sure where to find celiac safe or certified gluten free oat flour? Well, as it turns out, oat flour is incredibly easy to make at home! I suggest using the One Degree Organics brand of oats. They are organic, certified gluten free and certified glyphosate free. Buy a bag of their rolled oats, dump what you need in a blender and blend until you have a fine flour. The entire process takes about one minute. Easy peasy and you know you will end up with a safe to consume flour!
I am not going to break down the baking schedule in this recipe. If you are interested in reading about a baking schedule, please go back and read my recipe for “Everyday Gluten Free Sourdough.” This dough is also more sticky than the Everyday Sourdough recipe and I recommend using a mixer for this recipe. You can mix by hand, but it will be incredibly sticky. Also, since this dough is a bit more sticky, remember to take a deep breath and take your time shaping this dough before you ferment it.
