Sourdough Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread Recipe

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This sourdough maple oatmeal sandwich bread is the perfect whole-grain bread for fall. Made with fluffy bread flour, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, and a touch of maple syrup, it’s a delicious bread that is versatile and nutritious.

When the weather starts to cool, I always crave hearty whole grains. They are filling and grounding. And they complement all of my favorite fall flavors and comfort foods.

This sourdough maple oatmeal sandwich loaf is the perfect everyday bread for fall. The whole grains and rolled oats create a heartier texture and earthy flavor, yet it still has a soft, tender crumb like traditional sourdough sandwich bread.

We are now on our third consecutive week eating maple oatmeal sandwich bread because we just can’t get enough of it.

For breakfast, my 3-year-old enjoys it toasted with a little butter and honey. And I eat it with a side of Instant Pot millet topped with cream, cinnamon, and freeze-dried apples.

My husband makes the most delicious toasted roast beef sandwiches at lunchtime.

And for dinner, I toast and serve it alongside cheddar broccoli and potato soup or garden vegetable soup.

This is our family go-to bread for fall. And I’m excited to share it with you and your family!

About This Recipe

This recipe is an adaptation of Vanilla and Bean’s maple oat sourdough sandwich bread. I slightly adjusted the ingredients for a touch of more sweet and salty undertones. Also, I revamped the method so it is almost entirely made in a stand mixer.

Why You’ll Love Sourdough Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

• Hands-free – This recipe does not require kneading or stretching and folding. However, I recommend using your hands for a few seconds to incorporate the oatmeal into the dough. Otherwise, making the dough is entirely hands-off.
• Whole grain – Whole wheat flour adds extra nutritional benefits. I’ve used both store-bought whole wheat and fresh-milled hard red winter wheat with great results.
• Versatile – This is a great recipe for everyday use. Sourdough oatmeal bread can be used for just about anything: toasted sandwiches, a quick PB&J, or hearty French toast.
• Freezer-friendly – Sourdough sandwich bread freezes like a dream. You can freeze sourdough as a whole loaf or pre-sliced so you can have homemade bread when you’re in a pinch.

Video – Sourdough Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Check out my YouTube video to see how I made sourdough maple oatmeal sandwich bread recipe.

Tips for Making Sourdough Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

• Pay attention to the hydration – Aim for a tacky dough. The slight increase in hydration that makes it tacky yields a softer bread. However, the dough shouldn’t stick to your hands. If your dough is too wet, add one tablespoon of flour at a time until tacky. If it’s too dry, add a tablespoon of milk or water at a time until tacky.
• Use an active starter – Your dough will bulk ferment faster with an active and bubbly starter. Technically, you can bake with an inactive starter, but the bulk fermentation can be a slug to get through. If you don’t have a starter yet, check out my sourdough starter tutorial on YouTube and grab my sourdough starter ebook.
• Check the temp – The easiest way to know if your bread is done is to take its temperature. Enriched breads like sourdough sandwich bread and maple oatmeal bread should reach 200° F.
• Make a plan – Making sourdough isn’t hard at all, especially hands-free recipes like this one. But you do need to plan in advance. Feed your starter ahead of time and make sure you know when you can bake. You can always stash your sourdough dough in the fridge for up to 3 days if you need to delay baking.

Sample Baker’s Schedule

Lately, I have been seeking the easiest way to bake homemade bread because we are swamped with back-to-school meals and routines. So I often break up the process into two days. That way, I can work baking around my busy schedule.

You can definitely make this in one day if you have the time and space. But here is how squeeze sourdough into my schedule.

The Night Before Making the Dough

• Before bed: Feed sourdough starter.

The Next Morning

• 8:00 am: Make the sourdough maple oatmeal bread dough.
• 8:20 am: Cover bowl and allow to rise for about 8 hours or until doubled (this varies depending on the temperature of my house or if I use a proofing box. But it’s usually around 8 hours or so).
• 4:30 pm: Shape dough, cover, and stick in the fridge.

The Next Day

• 8:00 am: Remove the dough from fridge and set aside for a second rise.
• 12:00 pm (or when the dough has doubled): Add the oatmeal topping and bake.

Video – How To Fit Sourdough Into Your Busy Schedule

What Is a Soaker in Breadmaking?

A soaker is a mixture of grains and/or seeds mixed with water before adding it to the dough. Its purpose is to incorporate inclusions while allowing the bread to maintain hydration.

If the grains (in this case, oatmeal) were added dry, they would absorb some of the dough’s hydration. Ultimately, this creates a drier loaf of bread.

Additionally, using a soaker softens the grains, making the inclusion more palatable.

There are two types of soakers in breadmaking:

Cold Soakers

This sourdough maple oatmeal recipe uses a “cold soaker,” which is simple grains soaked in cold or room-temperature water. A cold soak is used for any grain or inclusion that does not take long to absorb water.

Hot Soakers

Some recipes call for oat porridge or other grains cooked in hot water. Hot soakers are usually used for hard grains or inclusions that need more hydration. But sometimes, in the case of oat porridge, they are used to create a creamy texture and add hydration.

For this recipe, I opted for a cold soaker because rolled oats don’t take long to absorb water. And it keeps the process really simple and manageable.

What Are Bread Inclusions?

Bread inclusions are ingredients added to dough to enhance flavor, change the texture, or elevate the appearance.

From grains all the way to cheese and chocolate, there are endless types of inclusions.

For instance, in this recipe, oatmeal is used as an inclusion. My chocolate sourdough bread, for example, uses chocolate chips.

Inclusions can be added into enriched breads and rustic no-knead sourdough bread.

How To Shape Sandwich Bread

Shaping sandwich bread seems tricky, but it’s as simple as folding the edges and pinching the seams (keep scrolling for the written instructions).

In my experience, this is the easiest and fastest way to shape sandwich bread:

1. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or work surface.
2. Press the dough into a 6″ x 10″ rectangle with your fingertips.
3. Fold the long edges toward the center and pinch the seams together.
4. Fold the short edges about 1″ toward the center and pinch the seams together.
5. Turn the dough over so it is seam-side down. Tuck the edges under to create a little tension.
6. Place the loaf seam side down in a prepared pan.

Can You Make Sandwich Bread with Fresh-Milled Grains?

Yes! Using fresh-milled grains is my latest bread-baking adventure. I have been experimenting with adding fresh stone-milled flour to most of my sourdough recipes.

I made this bread with 100 grams of freshly milled hard red winter wheat and had excellent results. In fact, we liked the bread with fresh-milled wheat better than the loaf with store-bought whole wheat.

There are a few adjustments you may need for freshly milled flour:

• Autolyze – Most traditional sourdough bread recipes recommend autolyzing or letting the flour and liquid rest for 30 minutes or so before adding the other ingredients. To the dismay of sourdough traditionalists, I often skip this step to save time. However, autolyzing can help soften and hydrate freshly milled flour.
• Extra hydration – Freshly milled flour is “thirstier,” so you may need to add a little extra milk or water. Check your dough at various stages of kneading and adjust as necessary.
• Longer bulk fermentation and second rise – When I made sandwich bread with fresh-milled wheat, both the bulk fermentation and the second rise took longer. I put my dough in a proofing box to speed up the process.

Tools You Will Need

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• Kitchen scale – I prefer weighing my ingredients because it is more precise and consistent. Perhaps more importantly, it results in fewer dishes to clean up.
• Measuring cups and spoons – I’ve included the cup measurements in case you don’t have a kitchen scale.
• Stand mixer with dough hook attachment – A stand mixer makes this recipe fast and efficient. Just knead the dough with a dough hook attachment for 10-15 minutes and add the oatmeal soaker. Then, you just have to set it aside to bulk ferment for 8-12 hours.
• Large bowl – You will need a large bowl to bulk ferment your dough in.
• Towel or lid – Use a damp towel, plastic bag, beeswax wrap, or a bowl with a lid. However, If you use a proofing box with humidity control, you don’t need to cover your dough.
• 9″ x 5″ bread pan – A regular loaf pan is all you need!
• Bench scraper – Using a bench scraper can make transferring the shaped dough into the loaf pan easier.

Ingredients

Soaker Ingredients

• Rolled whole oats – Make sure you are using regular rolled oats like Bob’s Red Mill organic rolled oats and not quick oats.
• Water – Soaking the oats creates a more palatable texture and maintains the hydration of your dough.

Dough Ingredients

• Sourdough starter – Use active sourdough starter that has been fed within the last 4-12 hours.
• Milk – I use whole milk, but any milk or milk alternative will work. The milk gives this bread’s crust a lovely browned caramel color.
• Maple syrup – Maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness while keeping this bread neutral enough for everyday sandwiches and toast.
• Olive oil – Olive oil adds flavor and moisture. I used extra virgin olive oil.
• Whole wheat flour – I prefer fresh-milled hard red winter wheat, but I also enjoyed this bread with store-bought whole wheat.
• Bread flour – Bread flour creates a soft and chewy crumb. All-purpose flour will work. Bread flour will yield a softer loaf, but it will still be delicious with all-purpose flour.
• Salt – Salt brings out the other flavors.

Oatmeal Topping

• Rolled whole oats – Sprinkling oats on top adds an aesthetic touch without any effort.
• Water – Just a little spritz of water on the top of the dough will help the oatmeal topping stay on.

How To Make Sourdough Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Prep the Soaker

In a small bowl, mix the oats and 1/2 cup water. Set aside.

Make the Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the dough ingredients.

Mix the ingredients on low speed using a dough hook attachment. If needed, scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Once the ingredients are mixed and the dough is shaggy, bump up the speed to medium. Knead until the dough is elastic and smooth.

You will know it is ready when it passes the windowpane test. For me, this takes about 10-15 minutes. (If your dough feels too sticky, add one tablespoon of flour at a time until you can handle it without it sticking to your hands).

Add the Soaker

Add the oatmeal mixture on top of the dough. Use your hands to gently work the oatmeal into the dough. Don’t worry if it doesn’t mix in entirely at this point.

Return the bowl to the stand mixer, and use a dough hook to knead the dough again for just a minute or two. If your dough is wet from the soaker, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour while mixing. Don’t overmix at this point. The goal is to incorporate the oatmeal into the dough.

Don’t worry if the oats make the dough look a little lumpy. The texture will eventually soften during baking.

Bulk Ferment

Drizzle a little bit of avocado or olive oil in a bowl. Use the oil in the bowl to lightly coat all sides of the dough. This will help prevent it from drying out during the first rise or bulk fermentation.

Cover the dough with a loose lid, damp towel, or plastic wrap. Let the dough ferment in a warm place for 8-12 hours or until approximately doubled. If you need to speed up the process, put the dough in a warm spot or a proofing box.

Shape and Second Rise

Once doubled, lightly grease or butter a loaf pan. Set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or work surface.

Use your fingers to shape the dough into a 6″ x 10″ rectangle.

Fold the long edges toward each other, meeting in the center, and pinch the seams together.

Then, fold the short edges 1″ toward the center and pinch the seams together.

Turn the bread over so it is seam-side down, and tuck the ends in to create a little tension on the dough’s surface.

FOR SAME-DAY BAKING: Place the dough in the prepared bread pan and cover it with plastic (I use a plastic shopping bag). Let the dough rest for a second rise until doubled in size and domed in the center, usually 2-3 hours. After it has doubled, skip to Step 2 below. 

FOR NEXT-DAY BAKING: Place the dough in the prepared pan, cover with plastic, and refrigerate overnight.

Note: check out my baking schedule for an example of how I bake in two days.

Add the Topping and Bake

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

When the dough is doubled and domed, spritz the top with a little water or use a wet hand to lightly moisten the top of the dough.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of rolled oats on top. Try to arrange them in a single later. If they overlap, the oats on top won’t stick.

Drop the temp to 400° F and bake for 45-50 minutes. Around the halfway mark, I had to tent the dough with foil to prevent over-browning. So keep an eye on it and tent foil over the top of your loaf if necessary.

When it reaches an internal temperature of 200° F, the bread is ready to be removed from the oven.

Allow it to cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then, remove it from the loaf pan and place it on a wire cooling rack. Cool to room temperature before slicing.

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How To Store Sourdough Maple Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Generally, I store my sandwich bread in a ziplock bag for up to 3 days. I recently discovered these plastic-lined linen bags for storing bread (affiliate link). They are really cute, and they will keep your bread fresh.

If you want to keep your bread longer, you can freeze sourdough including sandwich bread. For extra ease, I like to slice it, separate it with a little parchment paper, and store it in a freezer-safe bag. You can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Sourdough Recipes & Guides

• The BEST Sourdough Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
• Sourdough Pumpkin Cobbler with Easy Crumble Topping
• Sourdough Lemon Bars Recipe (with YouTube video)
• How to Make Sourdough Less Sour (Includes Recipe!)
• Simple Sourdough Flatbread Recipe – Quick and Easy
• How to Make Perfect Sourdough Toast (No Toaster!)
• Sourdough Babka Recipe with Dark Chocolate Filling
• How Long Can Sourdough Starter Stay in the Fridge?

If you tried this recipe and loved it, leave a comment or review!