Porridge bread

Put the porridge in a large mixing bowl with 300ml lukewarm water. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and yeast until fully combined. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hr, or until it has almost doubled in size.

Tip the dough onto a well floured surface and knock the dough back, punching and kneading it – don’t worry if it’s very soft. Shape the loaf and put it in a non-stick 900g loaf tin. Cover with the damp tea towel and let it prove for another 45 mins. It should expand to fill the tin. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 6.

Make a slash along the length of the dough and sprinkle on the oats. Bake for 10 mins, then turn the heat down to 190C/170C fan/gas 3 and cook for another 30 mins. Carefully turn the loaf out and tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, then the bread is ready. If not, put it back in the oven for another 5 mins. If any oats fell off when you turned it over, scatter them back over the loaf.

Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.