OMG What’s Next? Pigs Flying?

yes it’s true
I have succumbed
I have …
traded white flour
for
whole wheat…(the horror!)
well mostly…
and mainly white whole wheat at that…
but whole wheat non-the-less.
I truly can not be-lieve -it.
I thought I would be the last die hard…
white flour all the way baby
but I have been turned …
first by the delicious whole-wheat recipes my mother and sister in law made this past holiday in Israel
and then
by one of my favorite 9 year olds
Danny L.
who from the bottom of his heart
is a true
health nut.
“did you know
it takes
120 days to digest
a Twinkie?”, he tells me.
“white flour, sugar, trans fat….all evil”, he continues.
this 9 year old
knows his stuff…
and he sticks with it.
and he is one very happy kid…(really)!
so…
I decided if this 9 year old
can do it…
well I can try…
in moderation of course (as all good things should be)
so I am making this delicious
oat challah my mother made
for Shabbat this week
bringing it with me to Danny’s house..
times are a changing folks…
I think I just saw a pig fly by.

Oat Challah
This recipe is from one of my mother’s favorite bread books Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads.
I was surprised how delicious it actually was, and I ended up having one almost every morning for breakfast, toasted with jam and coffee.

Ingredients:
1 cup oatmeal
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. shortening, room temp.
1 cup raisins
1 cup bran
3 cups boiling water
2 packages dry yeast
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine the oatmeal, salt, shortening, raisins, and bran; pour the boiling water over this mixture with .
Set aside and to cool to lukewarm. Test the mixture with a thermometer (or finger) to make certain it is not above 130 degrees.
Add the yeast and the molasses.
Attach the dough hook to your mixer. With the machine running add both whole wheat flours. Gradually add more flour, until everything is fully mixed. Dough should be a rough mass that will ride the blade and clean the sides of the bowl.
Turn the dough from the work bowl onto a slightly floured surface. Press flat with palms. Knead the dough into a smooth ball.
Place dough into a greased bowl. Turn the dough once to film the entire ball.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough has doubled in bulk (about an hour).
Punch down the dough after an hour, and then divide into 2 pieces or 12 small pieces.
Form your challahs – making two large ones or 12 small round ones.
Place each shaped challah into a prepared pan that has been lined with wax paper.
Cover each pan. Let dough rise again for another 45 minutes.
Then bake in oven at 350 F (oven must be preheated for at least 20 minutes before for best results). Bake until crusts have turned brown.