Recipe: Oatmeal Raisin Bread (using wheat germ and flax seed)

OATMEAL RAISIN BREAD

"My mother gave me this recipe after she ate it by the home of a family friend. It's filled with great taste and good-for-you grains."..

2 ounces / 50 grams fresh yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 cup oatmeal, uncooked (preferably not instant oatmeal)
1/2 cup untoasted wheat germ
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 tablespoon salt
5 to 7 cups sifted white flour (finely ground pastry whole wheat flour can be substituted here)
3 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup white raisins
1-2 eggs for glazing the breads
Sesame seeds for sprinkling on the breads

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this bubble up.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: the oatmeal, wheat germ, ground flax, salt, and 5 cups of the flour. Set aside.

In the mixer bowl, combine the eggs, oil, honey and sugar and beat well. Then add the yeast mixture. Add the rest of the warm water. Start adding in the dry ingredients, about 2 cups at a time and start to knead in the mixer. While you are adding in the dry ingredients, add in the raisins also. Knead well until not sticky. Now is where the extra 2-1/2 cups of flour comes in. Keep adding flour in, small bits at a time, until the dough is more uniform and comes away from the sides of the bowl. It will remain somewhat sticky; this is fine. Turn off the mixer.

Grease another bowl and turn the dough out into this bowl. Turn it over once so all sides of the dough are covered with a light coating of oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a towel and leave it to rise in a warm area for at least 2 hours, until double in size.

Punch down the dough and shape into rolls. Cover the rolls with plastic again and let them rise for about 1 hour.

Twenty minutes before the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180C.

Brush the oatmeal bread rolls with the egg glaze and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until the top of the rolls are light golden brown and the bottom of the rolls are firm and golden as well.

Optional Idea:
To give it a different flavor, try adding in 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon to the dough when adding in the dry ingredients.

Source: A Taste of Challah by Tamar Ansh (Feldheim Publishers; May 2007)