Apparently to get oven spring you need lots of heat and steam. Ideally the temperature needs to be as high as 260C but my non-stick loaf tins are only safe upto 230C. The highest I've seen for non-stick is 240C. Above this they start to produce toxic gases. So I have bought a silver anodised loaf tin from Silverwood which can be used at any temperature. To make it non-stick it has to be greased and floured. They recommend groundnut oil as some vegetable oils (such as olive oil) go very sticky at high temperatures.
Last night I made a white oat bread with 400g flour, 50g oat bran, 60g medium oatmeal and 310ml water. This made a nice sticky dough which kneaded fine. Overnight it rose nicely in the fridge so I knocked it back and put it back in the fridge. This evening it had risen again. After knocking back and a quick shape it was in the loaf tin to rise. After a couple of hours it was near the top.
I pre-heated the fan oven to 260C with the grill pan at the bottom. I sprayed the top of the loaf with water. As soon as the loaf was in the oven I poured boiling water into the grill pan and shut the door.
After 10 minutes the top of the loaf was a lovely brown colour but there was no sign of any oven spring. I removed the grill pan and set the oven to 200C with top and bottom heat for another 15 minutes. I removed the loaf from the tin (it came out very easily) and put it back in the oven for a final 5 minutes.
After leaving it to cool I am pleased to say it is delicious, just not as well risen as I would have liked. It doesn't seem too heavy though.
I am wondering if the long initial rise in the fridge is too long and the dough has no more stretch to it. I could lower the yeast or only leave it overnight although this means only baking at the weekend. I also wonder how effective the heat and steam are as a lot is lost with the oven door open. I could try different flour - I used the cheap Asda strong white flour which has worked well for me in the past but it isn't as strong as some.
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