Garlic Herb Oat Porridge Spelt Dinner Rolls

Steps

1. Make the oat porridge first: put the 100 g portion of oats in a large bowl, pour the 200 g portion of boiling water over them, stir, and let stand about 30 minutes until lukewarm (below 105°F / 40°C) and thick.
2. To the cooled porridge, add the 180 g portion of lukewarm water, the honey, the 25 g portion of olive oil, half of the garlic, two-thirds of the parsley and the thyme; stir to combine.
3. In a second bowl, whisk the whole spelt flour, bread flour, instant yeast and salt. Add this dry mixture to the porridge mixture and stir into a shaggy, sticky dough. This is about 76% hydration and 2% salt, measured against the combined weight of the spelt and bread flours (the oats soak up much of the water).
4. Rub the remaining 5 g of olive oil on the counter and knead the dough on it for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and slightly tacky. Spelt gluten is delicate, so stop once the dough is smooth rather than overworking it.
5. Cover and let rise at about 75°F (24°C) for 60 to 75 minutes, until roughly doubled in size.
6. Meanwhile, make the garlic herb butter: stir the remaining half of the garlic and the remaining one-third of the parsley into the melted butter. Set aside.
7. Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 90 g each), shape each into a tight ball, and set them in the pan in 3 rows of 4.
8. Cover and proof at about 75°F (24°C) for 40 to 45 minutes, until puffy and the dough springs back slowly when poked. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) during the last 20 minutes.
9. Brush the rolls with half of the garlic herb butter and sprinkle the 20 g topping portion of oats over them, pressing gently so they stick.
10. Bake 20 to 24 minutes, until deep golden and the center of a middle roll reads 190°F (88°C).
11. Brush the hot rolls with the remaining half of the garlic herb butter. Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before pulling apart and serving.