Mix all the flour in a bowl. Add the heated water (around 100 degrees F) and mix to combine. I switch to mixing by hand when it gets too dry to mix with a spoon, squeezing and kneading until there are no dry spots left.

Cover and let rest for at least 30 minutes. This is an autolyse!

Add in the preferrment, liquid sweetener, and salt. Fold it into the dough with your hands until a shaggy dough forms.

Let stand 15 minutes, covered, then use your hands to knead, stretch, and fold the dough for about 3-5 minutes. The porridge will add most of the moisture, so we need to knead the dough as best we can now to begin making structure.

Cover and let rest for 1 hour. I like to place it in a sunny spot in my house.

While the dough rests, make the porridge. Boil or microwave the water until very hot, and mix it with the oats.

Begin your first set of stretches and folds. Add 1/3 of the oat porridge to the top of the dough. Scoop on the side of the dough and pull up. Once it stretches as far as it can go without tearing, fold the dough back on top of itself. Turn the bowl a quarter of the way and repeat. You should do 8 stretches and folds or go around the bowl twice. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Add the next 1/3 of oats. Then, do another set of 8 stretch and folds (going around the bowl twice). If you reference the video, you can see that as the dough gets tougher, I start to pull and knead the dough in my hands to form a ball. Do this if your dough is too tough to stretch and fold. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Complete your final set of stretches and folds. Add in the last bit of porridge. Do another set of 4-8 stretches and folds, finishing by pulling the dough under itself to form it into a ball.

Allow the dough to bulk rest. Cover the bowl and set it in the warmest spot in your home. Depending on your kitchen temperature, this will take more or less time. Usually, it takes bout 3-4 hours. Ultimately, you're looking for your dough to double in size.

Place the oats for topping on a cutting board. Using a large knife, chop up the oats into various sizes. This will be for the outside of your loaf.

Generously flour a clean surface once the dough has doubled in size. Pour the dough onto the counter and push/ flatten it into a rectangular shape. Grab one side and fold it in towards the center of the rectangle. Fold in the other side. Then, roll up the dough, pinching the seams. Using your hands, push and pull the dough across the counter to create surface tension. Your dough ball should start to tighten. Reference the video below for how to shape a boule.

Flour the inside of your boule. Spread/ spray water across the top of your boule. Flip it over onto the cutting board, moving the boule around until all the oats have stuck to the dough ball. Place the top side down in your boule, cover with plastic wrap, and leave in the fridge overnight. If you feel like the dough is still a little loose, you can pinch the underside again (see step 10 below).

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F for 30 minutes before baking, with the Dutch oven in the oven. When ready to bake, flip your dough out of the banneton onto parchment paper. Score with the desired pattern using a knife or scoring blade.

Place your dough into the warmed Dutch Oven. I like to sprinkle the top of my dough with some water or spray it with a spray bottle to create steam. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and bake at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes. You want your dough to have sprung up and developed some color.

After about 30 minutes, take the Dutch Oven out of the oven. Take off the lid. Place the bread back into the oven for 20-25 minutes at 450 degrees F. This is where your crust will develop color, so take out your bread when you've reached the desired darkness on your crust. You will know when your bread is done by knocking on the outside of the bread. If it sounds hollow, it is completely baked.

Allow to cool completely, then slice and enjoy!