What you need
For poolish
Rye flour: ¾ cup (3.00 oz)
Unbleached Bread flour: ¼ cup (1.30 oz)
Instant yeast: 1 teaspoon (0.05 oz)
Water: 1 cup (8 oz)
For Dough
Rye flour: 1 ¼ cup( 6.5 oz)
Unbleached Bread flour: 1 ¼ cup (3.00 oz)
Unbleached Whole wheat flour: ½ cup (2.55 oz)
Oat meal: ½ cup (1.55 oz) I used quick oats
Raisin: ½ cup (2.5 oz) I used golden raisin (If you wish you can double the amount)
Water: ¾ cup
Honey: 1 tablespoon
Canola oil: 1 tablespoon
Salt: 1 ½ teaspoon
Fennel seeds: ¾ teaspoon
Caraway seeds: 1 ¼ teaspoon
Cornmeal: 1 teaspoon (sprinkling, optional)
Egg wash: (1 egg + 2 tablespoon of water) (optional)
Poolish: all the above
How I made
Night before baking in a bowl stir in Rye flour, bread flour, yeast and water and mix everything with a wooden spoon and cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature ( around 70-80 F).
One hour before baking soak raisin in ½ cup warm water and set aside. This soaking will prevent burning of raisin while baking. After 40 minutes of soaking, drain the raisin in kitchen towel to remove extra moisture. Don’t throw the water set aside for mixing dough if needed.
In a small bowl soak oats in ¼ cup water for 15 minutes and set aside.
In a bowl of kitchen aid mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir in the flour and yeast and mix well. Then add honey, salt, oil, oat meal, caraway seeds and fennel seeds( set aside ¼ teaspoon each for sprinkling on the top) and poolish and mix well for 3 minutes. Then add soaked raisin and mix very well to incorporate into the dough. Then change to dough hook and knead the dough for about 8 minutes or until the dough starts leaves from the sides and form a ball. In between add 2 tablespoon of raisin soaked water to form sticky dough. Then transfer the dough to well floured area and knead for another 5 minutes or until they become shiny, supple, non sticky dough. The dough should pass the window pane test and register 77 to 81 F. If you are kneading by hand it takes about 15 minutes of kneading.
Transfer the dough to a well oiled bowl and coat them with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for first rising or until they double in size. It took about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Transfer the dough the well floured surface and gently degas and shape the dough into loaf. Place them in well oiled loaf pan. Mist the top with oil and sprinkle caraway seeds and Fennel seeds. (Skip this step if you are using egg wash). If using egg wash then brush them with egg wash and sprinkle with caraway seeds and Fennel seeds and cover with oiled plastic wrap and set aside for second rising. It took about 45 minutes.
By the end of the second proofing preheat the oven to 400 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).
Bake for about 35-40 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.
Enjoy as much as you wish.