Twisted Oat Raisin Bread

After originally doing this post, Ivonne at Cream Puffs in Venice suggested I submit this recipe for World Bread Day. World Bread Day is on October 16th and is being hosted by Zorra of Kochtopf.

In order to meet the requirements for Bread Day I had to bake some bread (done!) and share some of my personal preferences for bread. So here goes... My favorite bread is typically one w/ a substantially crispy crust and made w/ whole grains. I consume bread on a daily basis. Variety is the spice of life, so some days I'll eat homemade bread if I have it on hand, other days I'll eat store bought pita or some other type of bread such as pugliese. I try to bake my own bread every week if I have time, and bake enough to share a loaf w/ friends. One of my favorite ways to eat bread is toasted then topped w/ creamy peanut butter and preserves loaded w/ berries! I'll usually have this for breakfast 3 or 4 times a week. So there you have it and here's my bread...

I was messing around w/ my usual bread recipe and came up w/ this variation.

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oven toasted oats (I use the kind from Trader Joe's) 

1/4 cup raisins   

2 cups whole wheat flour 

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup  plus 1  1/4 cups warm water

1 rounded tablespoon yeast

2 teaspoons salt

Cornmeal for dusting work surface

Procedure:

1) Mix 1 rounded tablespoon of yeast and ¼ cup warm water

in a large mixing bowl, add 1 teaspoon honey then let stand

for 3 to 4 minutes.

2) Then add to bowl: ¼ cup olive oil and ¼ stick melted butter, 1 ¼ cups warm water, 2 teaspoons salt (make sure salt is dissolved before adding flour).

3) In a separate bowl mix 3 ½ cups flour (2 cups whole wheat, 1 ½ all purpose) and 1/2 cup oats and 1/4 cup raisins, then add to yeast mixture - mix in up to ½ cup more all purpose flour if dough is too moist.

4) Knead dough thoroughly, form it into a ball

and return it to the bowl (dust bottom of bowl w/ flour first),

dust top w/ flour, cover bowl w/ plastic and moist towel

and let dough rise for 1 hour (in a warm spot in your kitchen).

5) Split dough ball in half, split each ball into thirds and roll out into strands long enough to braid, then braid.

6) Place on corn meal dusted surface, dust tops w/ flour, cover w/ plastic bag and let rise for ½ hour.

7) Meanwhile, preheat oven and pizza stone to 425 degrees.

8) Place loaves on stone and pour 2 ounces of water onto bottom of oven to delay crust formation so the bread can expand rapidly and evenly.

9) Turn bread after 20 minutes for even baking, reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 13 to 15 minutes.

10) Remove from oven and let cool on pie rack.

Share a loaf w/ your friends, or if you really like it, hoard it all for yourself!!

Enjoy your weekend...

Bruno

Comments

[Alanna]

We've both baked bread today!

[Helen]

I would keep one for me and maybe share with company! When it comes to homemade bread I have no willpower...those carbs!

[Ivonne]

Just beautiful! You should submit it for Bread Day on October 16th!

[Bruno]

Alanna - It was a great day for baking!

Helen - I can't resist homemade bread either, it's just too good! Carbs be damned!!

Ivonne - Thanks!! Please send me more info about Bread Day.

[Karen]

Hi Bruno - I just checked out your blog and all the great food and photos. It was fun meeting you yesterday, and always good to meet fellow local foodies!

[Bruno]

Karen - Thanks!! It was fun meeting you too as well as all the other St. Louis food bloggers who attended our gathering!

[Ivonne]

Wonderful job, Bruno! I'm so glad you submitted this for Bread Day!

And it's especially nice of you to always bake extra for friends!

[Bruno]

Thanks so much Ivonne!! I'm glad you told me about Bread Day!

[barbara]

I'd love one of those loaves Bruno. Hi to Duane. I got your message. Thanks.

[Bruno]

Next time Barbara!

[krista]

Hi, I just came across your site and I wanted to tell you that your bread recipe sounds great. Your site also has a very nice design, who designed it?

[Bruno]

Thanks Krista! Here's the link to the person who designed our site:
http://www.indigoimage.com/web_design_zinfully.html

[Duane]

Hi Barbra, thanks so much for your message. I'll have a little blurb about my ordeal on my other blog. www.sodamncharming.com

Hi Krista, I'll have to correct my dear friend Bruno. The site was designed by Zoe of IndigoImage & myself.

Now I have to get back to baking Bread for World Bread Day

[Heather]

I love 'homemade' bread of any kind but especially love whole wheat & the sort. I'll have to try this bread recipe. Your photo's look great! Cheers! Heather

[Bruno]

Thanks Heather! I think you'll like this recipe.

[Plastic zipper]

tq for ur info...it's very interesting.....

[PurnCesse]

I read some of the posts and I think it is a great site. What do you think of my clear university A joke for you! What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite.

[luckymansy]

You can be lucky!!!

http://digg.com/users/holdempokertips