100% Whole wheat bread with oatmeal and raisins

Recipe can be found @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen

What you need

For the Soaker:

Whole wheat flour: 1 1/3 cup+ 1 tablespoon/ 184g

Oat bran: 4 tablespoon/ 28g

Flaxseed meal: 1 1/2 tablespoon/14 g

Salt: 1 teaspoon/4g

Water: 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoon/198g

For Biga (Pre-fermented Dough):

Whole wheat flour 1 3/4 cups/227g

Instant yeast 1/4 teaspoon/1g

Water, at room temperature 3/4 cup/170g

Dough :

All of the biga

All of the soaker

Whole wheat flour: 14 tablespoons/114g

Salt : 1/2 tablespoon/5g

Instant yeast: 2 1/4 teaspoon/ 7g

Honey: 1 ½ tablespoon

Olive oil: 1 tablespoon/14g

Rolled oats: 1/2cup/68g

Raisins: ¾ cup/79g

Vital gluten: 1 ¼ tablespoon / 14 g

Orange juice: Juice of one orange

Orange zest: 1 teaspoon

Rolled oats, for topping (optional)

How I made

Soaker:

Mix the soaker ingredients until evenly hydrated. Cover and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.

Biga (Pre-fermented Dough):

Mix the biga ingredients until a shaggy ball of dough is formed. Knead the biga for about 2 minutes or until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Place the biga in a bowl and cover. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. Let the biga sit at room temperature for about 2 hours before using in the final dough.

Final Dough:

Soak Rolled oats in ¼ cup warm water and set aside 5 minutes before making dough.

In a small sauce pot add raisins and water just enough to cover them and bring to boil. Drain them in kitchen tissue and set aside.

In a bowl of kitchen aid mixer fitted paddle attachment, add all of the ingredients for dough except raisins and mixed until evenly incorporated for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add extra flour if needed, Then rest for 5 minutes and again knead for 1 minute to strengthen the gluten. The dough should form soft and tacky not sticky. Form the dough into ball.

Transfer the dough ball into a well oil bowl and set aside for bulk ferment for about 95 minutes or until 1 ½ times its size.

In a lightly floured surface transfer the dough and incorporate the raisins into them. Then shape them into a loaf. And transfer to a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan for second rise. Mist the top of the dough with oil and sprinkle rolled oats and cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside. It took about one hour to second rise or until it about 1 ½ times of original size.

By the end of second rise, preheat the oven to 425 F. Keep an empty broiler pan in the lower rack of oven. Add boiling hot water into the broiler pan when you are ready to bake the bread. (This will create steam, necessary to make the thick crust).

When the dough is read to bake, reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for about 40 minutes or until the center become golden brown, and make a hollow sound when thumped in the bottom. If using instant thermometer, when it is done bread should register 185-190 F. Rotate the loaf pan at 180 degrees in between around 20 minutes of baking.

When the loaf is finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing and serving.

Serve in thin slices with butter and Jam.