No-Knead Porridge Bread

For the porridge:

1. Combine the oats and water in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high power for 5 minutes.

For the dough:

1. Remove the bowl from the microwave and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted. Allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Add the room temperature water, honey and salt. Stir to combine.
3. Sprinkle the instant yeast over the surface and stir well. Lastly, add the flour and stir with a sturdy silicone spatula until well combined, from the bottom up and scraping the sides of the bowl. The dough will be sticky, thick and shaggy. (If it seems difficult to get all of the flour incorporated, add an extra tablespoon or two of water to loosen the dough a bit.)
4. Drizzle the dough in the bowl with a bit of oil and pat it with your spatula to coat the top. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in size, 45-90 minutes.
5. Spray the interior of 4 mini loaf pans (3x6 inches) with non-stick cooking spray then rub with a paper towel to coat. Add ½ teaspoon of soft butter to each pan and rub with the paper towel to coat.
6. Add ¼ cup of rolled oats to one of the pans. Tilt the pan in all directions to coat it with the oats. Tip the pan and discard excess oats into the next pan. Repeat until the interior of all of the pans is coated with oats, adding more oats as needed.
7. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured work surface. Using a bench scraper or spatula, divide the dough into four equal pieces. Turn each piece in the flour to coat all of the surfaces. Add more flour to the work surface if needed.
8. Take one piece of the dough and flatten it out with your hands into a rectangle shape with the short side slightly longer than one of your bread pans. Turn to coat both sides with flour if any of the surfaces are sticky. Starting from a short end, roll the dough up tightly, then tuck the ends under and shape with your hands into a loaf. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough. Rub the top and sides of each loaf with a bit of soft butter then place them into the prepared pans. Sprinkle the top with more oats.
9. Cover the pans with a clean kitchen towel and let the bread rise again until the loaves look like they’ve doubled in size, 45-60 minutes (if your house is chilly, it may take a little longer).

To finish:

1. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C).
2. When the loaves are finished rising, place them on a sheet pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.
3. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let the loaves cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Using a pot holder, turn each pan to the side and slide the loaves out. Place upright on a cooling rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

For the beet butter:

1. See The Café Tips above in the post for instructions on how to make the beet butter, if desired.