Sonoran Oatmeal Sourdough Sandwich Buns

These buns were inspired by a recent recipe of Ian's:

https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/74380/purple-straw-whole-wheat-potato%C2%A0rolls

I don't have any Purple Straw flour but I was struck by Ian's mentioning its low gluten content.  I have a sack of Sonoran Bolted White flour which is relatively low gluten and tends to be exceptionally extensible, just what you want for stretching out into huge, paper-thin burrito wrappers.  So I thought I'd try to work up a recipe,  This is the third iteration, and it's definitely the best so far.

I added some soaked oatmeal instead of cooked potato, and I added some whole wheat for extra flavor. I added some all-purpose flour to bring in some elasticity into the package. I used one egg, sugar instead of honey for simplicity, and some, not too much, butter.

What I'm looking for: A bun that will hold together when there are some damp ingredients;  A bun that will compress and deform enough to hold onto the filling when I gently squeeze it, but hold its shape reasonably well; a slight crust that isn't hard to bite through but still adds a bit of crunch and resistance; and a flavor that adds to the overall taste without overpowering the filling; not too much height so it fits in my mouth..

OK, pictures first, details after. The first picture is the proofed buns ready to bake. I baked in two relays and got the second batch a little darker.  I like a darker crust but for a bun lighter is fine too.

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Total flour: 325g.

Recipe
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 - 65% (211g) - bolted sonoran flour
- 15% (49g) - King Arthur blended sustainable whole wheat
- 20% (65g) - AP
- 8% (25g) - dry oatmeal
- 40% (130g) - milk
- 25% (75g) - oatmeal water
- 29% (95g) - starter
- 1 large egg (38g)
- 2% (6.55g) - salt
- 1 Tbsp - sugar
- 3 Tbsp butter **

** Butter was softened and partly melted in microwave, then cooled. The mix of very soft and liquid butter was easy to work into the dough.

This dough was definitely sticky and very extensible with not much strength at the beginning.  I handled it for S&Fs by lightly misting my hands with water.  Over time the dough got less sticky and more elastic, but it was always fairly extensible.

 The process was pretty standard for my hand-mixed sourdoughs but I will mention a few things.  I held back the butter and worked in during the first two S&Fs. Each time I stretched the dough out into a rectangle, smeared in half the butter, and then folded and stretched it in. This was fairly easy to do, and the dough absorbed the butter easily. (Laminating butter or oil like this was suggested to me by Trailrunner).

I did retard the dough in the refrigerator overnight since I had started too late.  By morning the dough had risen ~2 1/2 times.  I let it warm up for an hour before making the preforms.  This chilled hold added a mild sour tang. If I had started earlier I would probably have skipped the retardation.

I scaled the buns to 100g and got seven.  I made preforms, the usual small tensioned balls. After a 15 minute rest I shaped them.  Here's how:

I used a clear 4 cup (1L) glass measuring cup, since it has a clear flat bottom and is large enough.  Lightly flour a patch of the counter, plop a dough ball on it seam side down, lightly dust the top with flour, and press it flat with the measuring cup. You want it to spread out to about the size of an English muffin but you aren't looking to squash it to death.  Transfer to your parchment-lined peel or proofing surface. Cover the buns when they have all been made.

I had to bake in two relays.  The first seemed proofed enough after about 50 minutes.  They don't need to have risen up much.  I baked them on a baking steel with steam at 400 deg F. for 15 minutes.  They popped up nicely and reached about 208 deg F inside. I reheated the oven for 10 minutes and baked the second batch for 16 minutes.  As you see from the pictures they came out darker.  I like darker but either way makes a fine bun. One bun split across the top just where you'd probably have scored it.

 In the end I think I met all the goals for the buns.  I used one at lunch stacked high with a smoked salmon filling and it held the contents firmly without squeezing them into submission. The flavor gently added to the overall taste without being too strong.