How to make delicious homemade oat bread (haferbrot)

To prepare 'soaker': Weigh 250g oats, and put in a plastic container...

Get 250g water.

Mix the two and stir to blend with a wooden spoon. Cover and let it soak for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Prepare the dough by weighing 416g bread flour...

...put flour in stand mixer with kneading hook attached. Add in 229g water, 12g milk powder, 12g malt syrup (I used maple syrup just for the flavour). Mix at low speed until blended.

To the flour mix, add 12g unsalted butter...

6g of fresh yeast (I've used dried yeast in this case, one sachet)...

... and 13g salt.

Mix at medium speed for about 10 minutes.

Add in the 'soaker' and mix at low speed until blended.

Lightly grease a large bowl.

Scrape the dough into the greased bowl.

Cover with plastic film and set aside to ferment for 1 hour.

After one hour, fold the dough and cover again. Let it ferment for another hour.

30 minutes before the dough is ready to be baked, pre-heat oven to 230 degrees Celsius (450 degrees Fahrenheit).

We will be baking with steam, put the pan that will be holding ice in to the bottom rack of the pre-heating oven now.

When the dough is ready, lightly flour the work surface.

Roll the dough over the lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough in to two halves.

Place one half onto a damp towel to lightly moist the surface.

Place the moistened side onto the rolled oats.

Turn it over and put it into the baking pan.

Repeat with the other half of the dough.

When the oven is ready, prepare a cup of ice.

Pour into the pan prepared inside the oven. Put in the baking pans with dough. They will now be baking in steam.

Bake for 25 mins to 35 mins (varies depending on your oven and pans, do try out different settings).

Let them cool down sitting on wire rack.

Done! :) You may serve it with soup, or slice it and toast with ham and cheese!