Walnut and Apricot Rolls

I'm not very fond of raisins in bread, but apricots is a whole different thing! That I love! It adds a little bit of sweetness to the bread, and in combination with nutty and crunchy walnuts, yum yum, need I say more:-) Like in many of my breads, I've added lots of oats to these "white" rolls. If you don't like oats or prefer to bake with only wheat flour, just replace the oats with wheat flour.

Walnut and Apricot Rolls, 12 pcs
50 grams fresh yeast
6 dl water (600ml)
5 dl oats (500ml) ( I used porridge oats)
7-8 dl flour
2 tsp salt
1 handful of chopped dried apricots
1 handful of chopped walnuts

Decoration:
milk
sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, oats, etc

Crumble the fresh yeast into a bowl and add lukewarm water (37 d C.) Mix and let the yeast dissolve.

Add salt, oats and flour, the dough should still be a little bit sticky. Make sure you don't use too much flour as it will make the bread dry. Work the dough by hand for about 30 minutes or in a kitchen aid for about 15 minutes. When you feel that the dough is ok, add the dried apricots and walnuts.

TIP:
The dough is ready when it's slightly glossy. If you work the dough too little, the bread will turn out dense. Don't worry if it does, I've worked the dough too little a couple of times, and it still tastes nice, but for the prefect bread...work it more:-). One trick is to take a piece of dough between your thumb and index finger, if the dough between your fingers are thin and elastic, you've worked it enough. Otherwise....work it more:-)

When you've worked the dough, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise to double its size for about 40-60 minutes. Place the bowl in a warm place.

Sprinkle some flour onto a work top and place the dough on top. Work the dough once again, this time, just a little bit, add extra flour if the dough is too sticky. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, roll and place on an oven paper covered baking plate. Brush with milk and sprinkle sesame seeds, oats, sunflower seeds etc on top.

Leave and let rise for another 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C.

Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. If you are unsure if the dough is ready or not, you can use a thermometer, the bread is ready when it reaches 97 degrees C.

This is my weeks contribution to Breakfast Ideas Mondays.

ENJOY!