– my absolute favourite bread

I absolutely love oat bread. As well as porridge, I’m also mad about bread made with oats. And this one is special: a loaf made entirely of oats – no flour, no frills.

I came across the ‘Pure Oatmeal Bread’ recipe on the Plötzblog, gave it a go – and I’ve been a fan ever since. I’ve simplified the recipe a bit and combined several steps, leaving out the technical baking terms. And best of all: it works a treat!

The first time I made it, I was a bit overwhelmed by the huge amount of oats. But don’t worry: the bread keeps for up to seven days and freezes really well. It’s well worth it!

My experiences with oatmeal bread around the world

Over the years, I’ve realised just how good porridge is for me – especially in Tunisia and South Africa.

I had the chance to perform in two theatre productions there: one in Tunis, in the Medina, and one in Johannesburg and Soweto. The food was simply delicious! I love Tunisian and South African cuisine – it’s varied, innovative and incredibly exciting.

Some of my colleagues struggled with digestive problems – our digestive systems simply don’t adapt to new bacteria that quickly. Alongside the motto ‘cook it, peel it or leave it’, I believe that porridge gave me a decisive advantage.

Recipe for plain the flourless Oat Bread Step-by-Step

Day 1 – Preparation

Sourdough starter

200 g rolled oats (small flakes)
250 g water (approx. 50 °C)
40 g sourdough starter
4 g salt

Flourless Oat Bread dough

200 g rolled oats (large flakes)
400 g boiling water
17 g salt

Preparation Day 1

Mix the ingredients for the sourdough starter and leave to ferment for 12–16 hours at 20–22°C.
Mix the ingredients for the oat dough together and leave to rest in the fridge at 5–6 °C for 4–12 hours.

Day 2 – Baking day

Reines Haferflockenbrot-rezept-vivikocht-ungebacken

Other ingredients

Matured sourdough
Oatmeal dough
600 g rolled oats (large flakes)
400 g water I (approx. 40 °C)
200 g water II (approx. 40 °C)
10 g fresh yeast or 1 sachet of dried yeast

Preparation Day 2

Mix all the ingredients (except water II) to form a dough.
Gradually knead in the water II over a period of about 5 minutes until a smooth, moist and cohesive dough forms.
Divide the dough in half and place each half into a greased 750g loaf tin sprinkled with oat flakes.
Smooth the surface with water and sprinkle with oat flakes.
Leave to rise, covered, in a warm place for about 60 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven at 250°C for 15 minutes, then finish baking at 200°C for 50–55 minutes.
Remove from the tin and leave to cool completely.

Shelf life: Keeps for up to 7 days when wrapped in a tea towel in the fridge. It’s also delicious toasted.