OVERNIGHT LEVAIN: Late in the evening on the day before the day you will be baking the buns: Put the starter ingredients into a smallish bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is stirred in well. Cover the bowl with a plate and set aside overnight in the oven with only the light turned on if it’s still cool in the kitchen, or with the light turned on if the nights are warm.

OR

SOURDOUGH STARTER: The day before you plan to bake, feed your sourdough starter. Incorporate in the dough the next day. Let it warm up to room temperature before using.

OATS: In the morning of the day you will be baking the buns: In a medium-sized heat-proof bowl, pour the boiling water over the oats and butter. Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted. Set aside to cool.

FLAX EGG: In a small bowl whisk together 1 Tbsp. flaxseed meal and 2-3 Tbsp. water. Set aside until if forms a gel-like consistency.

MIX DOUGH: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours and brown sugar. Add the starter or overnight levain, flax egg, cooled soaked oats, and 25-50 grams water. Mix thoroughly using a dough whisk or wooden spoon. Incorporate additional flour, as needed, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Resist the urge to add too much flour or your buns will be too dense. Cover the bowl and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.

SALT: Sprinkle the salt over the top of the dough. Using wet fingers, incorporate fully throughout the dough adding sprinkles of water as needed to dissolve the salt.

KNEADING: Using one wet hand and the other (clean) hand to steady the bowl, fold the dough over itself. At first the dough will feel messy and sticky, but keep folding it over onto itself until it is relatively smooth. It may still feel sticky at this point.

STRETCHING AND FOLDING: About 30 minutes after adding the salt, run your working hand under water again. Reach down along the side of the bowl and lift and stretch the dough straight up and almost out of the bowl. Fold it over itself to the other side of the bowl. Turn the bowl and repeat four or five times more. Stop if it’s a little difficult to stretch the dough up any more. Cover and leave on the counter for about 30 minutes. Repeat this step 2-3 times, with 30 minute intervals between. You’ll notice that after each time, the dough feels significantly smoother.

PROOFING: Cover the dough bowl and let it rise at warm room temperature until almost double, 1-2 hours.

SHAPING: Divide the dough into 6 to 8 even pieces (depending on how big you want the buns). Shape each piece into a tight round. To do so, fold each piece like a business letter. Then gently grabbing the side of one of the ends, make a false braid. Fold the top half over to the middle and gently make another false braid. The dough will want to roll in on itself. This is a good thing. Once it shapes itself into a quasi-ball, put it seam-side down on the board and gently turn it round and round to smooth out any rough edges. Place the finished rounds, well apart, on a large parchment-covered baking sheet. Wet your hands and rub them gently over the top of each round, pressing down to flatten each one. Brush with an egg wash if desired and scatter rolled oats or sesame seeds over top. Let the shaped oatmeal buns proof for 30-45 minutes while the oven or grill is preheating.

BAKING:

on the barbecue: Put a pizza stone over the half of the barbecue you will turn on and preheat the barbecue to high. If you remember, spray the tops liberally with water. Put the tray of buns onto the pizza stone that is sitting over direct heat. Close the lid of the barbecue and bake for about 8 minutes, rotating the tray once to account for uneven heat in the barbecue. Then move the stone over to cook with indirect heat (lid down again) until the buns are done (about another 8 minutes)… our gas barbecue can be turned off on one side. Watch for hotspots and move the buns around to keep them from burning on one side. If it’s raining, or you don’t have access to a barbecue, the buns can be baked in a conventional oven.

in the oven: Preheat the oven to 400F. Put the baking sheet in the oven. Immediately turn the oven down to 375F. Bake the buns for about 15 minutes until they are hollow-sounding on the bottom. You will probably have to turn the buns around once to account for uneven heat in the oven. If the buns aren’t quite done after 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 350F and bake for another 5 minutes or so.

COOLING: When the buns are done, remove them from the heat and allow them to cool on a wire rack. Wait until they are cool before cutting them.